Ghazzawiyya الغزاويه al-Ghazawiya, Arab al Ghazawiya tribe[1], Arab Abu Hashiya (Frantzman) | |
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.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Ghazzawiyya (click the buttons) | |
  Ghazzawiyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°30′08″N35°32′30″E / 32.50222°N 35.54167°E /32.50222; 35.54167 | |
| Palestine grid | 200/212 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Date of depopulation | May 20, 1948[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 18.4 km2 (7.1 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,020[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
| Current Localities | Neve Eitan,[4]Maoz Haim[4] |
Al-Ghazzawiyya (Arabic:الغزاويه), was aPalestinian village located 2 kilometers east of the city ofBet Shean (Bisan). In 1945, the population was 1,640, 1,020Arab and 620Jewish.[5]
Several archeological sites in the area testify to a long history of human occupancy. The village was surrounded by the archeological sites of Tall-al Barta to the north, Tall al-Husn to the west, and Tall al-Maliha to the southwest. Excavations of Tall al-Husn showed an occupational history extending from the third millennium BC to the eighth century CE, when the site was occupied by an Arab village.[6]
In modern times, the village spread over a wide area of theBaysan valley. The villagers were members of the al-Ghazzawiyya Beduin tribe, who constituted the bulk of the valley's population together with members of the al-Bashatiwa and the al-Suqur.[5]In the1931 census, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, 'Arab Abu Hashiya had 156 Muslim inhabitants, and a total of 29 houses.[7]
In the1945 statistics, Al-Ghazzawiyya had 1,020, all Muslim inhabitants[2] with a total of 18,408dunams of land.[3] Of this, a total of 13 dunams were used forcitrus andbananas, 5,185 dunums for cereals, 34 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[4][8] while 91 dunams were classified as non-cultivable land.[9]
It was occupied byIsrael'sGolani Brigade on May 20, 1948, duringOperation Gideon, an Israeli offensive during the1948 Arab-Israeli War. The Arab population was forced to flee to nearbySyria or the present-dayWest Bank.[10]
The Jewish localities ofMaoz Haim andNeve Eitan are built on the lands of the former village, though a large percentage of it is used as agricultural land, in particular the wheat crop. According toWalid Khalidi, the village contained an archaeological site, Tell al-Ru'yan which was transformed into waste dump.[10]
