Khirbat Zalafa
| Khirbat Zalafa | |
|---|---|
  Khirbat Zalafa | |
| Arabic | خربة زلفة |
| Name meaning | "The cistern"[1] |
| Also spelled | Khirbet Zalafa, Zalafa |
| Subdistrict | Tulkarm |
| Coordinates | 32°24′9.10″N 34°56′43.96″E / 32.4025278°N 34.9455444°ECoordinates: 32°24′9.10″N 34°56′43.96″E / 32.4025278°N 34.9455444°E |
| Palestine grid | 144/201 |
| Population | 210 (1945) |
| Area |
7,713 (6,865 Arab, 617 Jewish, 231 Public) dunams 7.7 km² |
| Date of depopulation | April 15, 1948[2] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Current localities | Givat Oz[3] |
Khirbat Zalafa (Arabic: خربة زلفة) was a small Palestinian Arab village in the Tulkarm Subdistrict, located about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) northwest of Tulkarm. It was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine war. It was captured by Yishuv forces on April 15, 1948 as a part of operation "Coastal Clearing."[4]
History
Originally, the people of Khirbat Zalafa came from Attil to farm the village land. Gradually they settled in the village so they could be closer to their land. In the late 19th century, Khirbat Zalafa was described as a small hamlet with springs to the south.[5]
At the time of the 1931 census of Palestine, the village was counted under Attil, together with Jalama and Al-Manshiyya.[6]
The village had a small core of houses, with many dwellings scattered throughout on the agricultural lands. The agriculture was based on watermelons, vegetables, grain and olives. In 1944/45 6,798 dunums were allotted to cereals, while 38 dunum was devoted to citrus and bananas ad 6 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.[7]
1948 and after
The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the village in 1992: "The village has been completely levelled. Both the original site and the surrounding lands are covered with Israeli citrus orchards."[8]
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
References
- ↑ Palmer, 1881, p. 196
- ↑ Morris, 2004, p. xviii,village #185. Also gives cause(s) of depopulation.
- ↑ Morris, 2004, p.xxii, location #127
- ↑ Morris, 2004, p. xviii,village #185
- ↑ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 153. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 568
- ↑ Mills, 1932, p. 53
- ↑ Hadawi, 1970, p.126 Also Khalidi, 1992, p. 568
- ↑ Khalidi, 1992, p. 568
Bibliography
- Conder, Claude Reignier; Kitchener, H. H. (1882). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology 2. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- Hadawi, Sami (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
- Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas (PDF). Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-00967-7.
- Palmer, E. H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
External links and references
- Welcome To Zalafa, Khirbat
- Zalafa, Khirbat, from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- SWP map XI, IAA
- SWP map 11, Wikimedia commons
