Khubbayza
| Khubbayza | |
|---|---|
| Arabic | خبْيزة |
| Name meaning | "Mallow" |
| Also spelled | Khubbeiza |
| Subdistrict | Haifa |
| Palestine grid | 156/218 |
| Population | 290 (1945) |
| Area |
4,854 dunams 4.9 km² |
| Date of depopulation | 12–14 May 1948[1] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | None |
Khubbayza (Arabic: خبْيزة) was a Palestinian Arab village in the Haifa Subdistrict, located 29.5 kilometers (18.3 mi) southeast of Haifa. It was situated on hilly terrain, south of Wadi al-Sindiyana, between the Jezreel Valley with the Mediterranean coast. In 1945, it had a population of 290.[2] Khubbayza was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 12, 1948, in the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek.[3]
History
The village is named after the Arabic term for mallow, a wild plant used in Palestinian cuisine, particularly in rural areas. To the north of Khubbayza laid the ruins of Khirbat Kalba, named after Banu Kalb, the Arab tribe. It contained traces of human settlement.[2]
In the late 19th century, there was an estimated 270 inhabitants in Khubbayza who cultivated 24 feddans of land.[4] In the British Mandate period, it was oriented along a northwest axis and its houses, constructed of stone, were clustered together. The village residents, who numbered 209 and 290 in 1931 and 1945, respectively, were Muslims. They earned their living in agriculture, mostly cultivating grains and vegetables, but also worked in animal husbandry. Domestic water was obtained from numerous springs and wells within Khubbayza's boundaries.[2]
Israel's pre-military force, the Haganah, launched a raid against the village on January 1, 1948, but no casualties were reported. It was not captured until several months later, however. In the wake of the Battle of Mishmar HaEmek in mid April 1948, several of the surrounding villages were occupied by the Haganah. The Irgun, a Jewish paramilitary group, took advantage of Israel's gains and Khubbayza was one of several other villages captured between May 12 and May 14. Most of the inhabitants fled after mortar attacks. No Jewish settlements were built on its lands and according to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, only "stone debris, scattered among thorny bushes."[3]
References
Bibliography
- Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener (1881): The Survey of Western Palestine: memoirs of the topography, orography, hydrography, and archaeology. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. vol 2
- Guérin, M. V. (1875): Description Géographique, Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine. Samarie, 2 pt. ("Seconde partie -Samarie")("Tome II") (p. 239)
- 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
- Morris, Benny (2004), The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-00967-7
External links
- Welcome To Khubbayza
- SWP map VIII, IAA
- SWP map 8, Wikimedia commons
- Khubbayza from Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- Khubbayza, from Zochrot
- Khubbayza Tour, May 21, 2011, Zochrot
- Remembering Khubbayza, booklet, 05/2011, Zochrot
Coordinates: 32°33′22″N 35°03′56″E / 32.55611°N 35.06556°E