| Azzoun | |
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | عزّون |
| • Also spelled | 'Azzoun (official) Azon (unofficial) |
| Map of path of the separation barrier around the Qalqilya and Hableh-Ras Atiya enclaves and the proposed path around Azzoun | |
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Azzoun
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| Coordinates: | |
| Governorate | Qalqilya |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Ahmed Abdullah Umran Shanarah |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 9,130 dunams (9.1 km2 / 3.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 8,300 |
Azzoun (Arabic: عزّون) is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, located 24 kilometers south of Tulkarm and is a part of the Qalqilya Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Azzoun had a population of approximately 8,300 in mid-year 2006.[1] Most of the inhabitants are Muslim, however there is also a significant Christian minority.
Azzoun was a site of battle - part of Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in Ottoman Syria. An Arab poet, Ibrahim Touqan was quoted as saying, "by means of Azzoun, how soaked [in] the blood [of] Franks [in the] mother valley."[2]
When the French army marched into Palestine under the command of Napoleon in February 1799, it faced powerful and unexpected resistance from the inhabitants of Jabal Nablus under the command of their local leaders. They attacked the French army while it was marching towards Acre, especially near the valley of Azzoun, taking part in the battle of Tal-Tabur. The participation of the inhabitants and local leaders of Nablus in the struggle against Napoleon reflects a territorial sense in resistance to a foreign army. Ihsan al-Nimr wrote in this regard that “the truth is that [Bonaparte’s] morale was weakened around Jabal Nablus, in the valley of Azzoun, Qaqun, and al-Marj … he headed for Acre with disappointment and without determination” (al-Nimr 1961, p. 223-224). They fought for their homeland and interests. Sheikh Yussuf Jarrar wrote a poem asking the inhabitants, especially the prominent families of Jabal Nablus, to march towards Acre in order to fight the French. (Al-Nimr 1961, p. 210-211). In Doumani’s words, the poet exposes “the cohesiveness of this reign’s social formation and the shared sense of identity among its inhabitants versus the factionalism of multiple territorially based centers of power … The most striking aspect of this poem is what it does not say. Not once in its twenty-one verses does it mention Ottoman rule, much less the need to protect the empire or the glory and honor of serving the sultan” (Doumani 1995, p. 16-17).[3]
Prior to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the town had a total land area of 24,496 dunams. Today, the town consists of 9,130 dunams of which 1,209 dunams is built-up area. There are four mosques located in the town. Most of the population works in agriculture and herding (40%) or trade and handicrafts (41%), while the 19% work in public sectors. In 2008, the town's unemployment rate was 19%.[4]
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