Arab al-Aramshe | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Standard | Arab al-Aramisha |
| • Official | Aramisha, Aramsha |
 | |
  Arab al-Aramshe  Arab al-Aramshe | |
| Coordinates:33°5′24″N35°13′43″E / 33.09000°N 35.22861°E /33.09000; 35.22861 | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Northern |
| Council | Mateh Asher |
| Population (2023)[1] | 1,742 |
Arab al-Aramshe officiallyAramsha (Hebrew:עַרָמִשָׁה, עראמשה), is aBedouin village located in theWestern Galilee region ofnorthern Israel, straddling theIsrael–Lebanon border, approximately five kilometers south of the Lebaneseborder fence. The village also falls under thejurisdiction of theMateh Asher Regional Council.
It developed from a settlement into a permanent village in the late 1950s and is primarily inhabited by members of the Bedouin al-Aramshe tribe, who historically roamed the border region between Lebanon andPalestine during theOttoman era. The tribe’s lands were divided by the 1916Sykes-Picot Agreement and later by thearmistice andBlue Lines, with some members residing on both sides of the border. The village economy has transitioned from traditionalherding to employment primarily in nearby towns andkibbutzim.
In its early years prior to theWar of Independence, the village was called "Mazra'a" (Arabic:مزرعة), meaning "Farm".[2] According toIsraeli-historians andjournalists, members of the Bedouin al-Aramshetribe originally inhabited what is now theIsrael–Lebanon border region,[3] where they roamed freely with their flocks over the hills during the Ottoman Empire.[4] According toMTV Lebanon, the tribe’s members lived in places called Jordiyyah, Nuwakir, and the area called Khirbet Adamit, now known asAdamit, which was established in August 1958 byJewish settlers.[5] The tribe members were expelled in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[5] Although old houses still stand near the site of Adamit, those in Jordiyyah and Nuwakir were destroyed.[5] Eventually, the tribe settled in Jordiyyah, a land across the northern border ofPalestine, and in Dhahira, in southernmost Lebanon.[5] These two areas were originally one contiguous region, but were divided by the 1916Sykes-Picot Agreement. Later, thearmistice line and theBlue Line further split the area: one part came under Israeli controlafter 1948, while Dhahira remained in Lebanese territory, though both sides are inhabited by members of the tribe.[5]
In June 1938,Orde Wingate's Special Night Squadsraided part of the village, named Jordiyyah, where an armed group was stationed, killing two of its members. Following this incident, tribe members made a peace agreement with the neighbors inHanita.[3] Jewish settlers includingDov Yermiya who served asmukhtar ofHanita and the surrounding area, developed relations with tribe members,[6] which led them to refrain from participating in battles against Jews.[7][8]
After the1948 Arab-Israeli War, approximately 400 tribe members remained in Israel.[9] They weredisplaced among several villages:Khirbet Admit, located north of Admitkibbutz; Juraida, situated directly on the border with Lebanon (partly within Lebanese territory); and al-Nuqayr between them. Tribe members were not included in the1949 Israeli population census [he], "which was a government operation to register all residents of the era, taking place on November 8, 1948, during the War of Independence. Some of them later receivedIsraeli identity cards four years afterward.[8] During Israel's firstdecade, the tribe lived largely autonomously, maintaining minimal contact with Israeli authorities while keeping strong ties with relatives in Lebanon.[10] It is alleged that they were heavily involved insmuggling activities،[9] and paid taxes to theLebanese government.[11] In 1954, the area was declared a closedmilitary zone requiring theIDF Chief of Staff's permission for entry.[12]
In February 1955, a tribe member was allegedly wounded by gunfire from across the Lebanese border.[13] In March 1956, another tribe member was shot. Initially, it was believed that the shooters had come from Lebanon, but following a police investigation, several tribesmen were arrested in Israel.[14] In June 1956, operatives fromLebanon blew up three houses belonging to tribe members in Israel. Press reports attributed the explosions to intra-tribal conflict between Israeli and Lebanese factions of the tribe.[15] In early August 1956, reports indicated 70 tribe members left for Lebanon, continuing an earlier wave of emigration that had already seen about 100 members depart.[16][17]
In 1957, following the construction ofHighway 8993 [he], a highway in westernUpper Galilee, the tribe established connections with neighboring settlements and began selling their livestock's organic manure there.[18] Additionally, many tribe members began working as wage laborers in the area. In 1959, tribe members voted for the first time inKnesset elections.[17]
Initially, the area was a settlement and later became a permanent village for Israeli members of the Bedouin Arab al-Aramshe tribe following theconstruction of theaccess road to Adamit in the late 1950s.[19][20] As reported the authoritiesexpropriated the residents' old homes and relocated them to new houses in the new settlement.[21][22][23] The transfer of tribe members to the settlement continued throughout the 1960s.[24] In 1962, reported that several tribe members were arrested as suspects inespionage.[25][26] Additional arrests were made in 1972.[27]
In early 1963, Arab al-Aramshe was added to theSulam Tzur Regional Council [he], which was aregional council in the Western Galilee, established in 1950 and dissolved in 1982 with the formation of theMateh Asher Regional Council.[28] In October 1963, many of the restrictions of the Military Administration overArab Israelis were lifted nationwide, but remained in effect in the village, which was considered remote from Arab population centers and therefore required special supervision.[29]
In 1965, ashepherd named Abed al-Hamid reportedly killed what was believed to be the lastleopard inGalilee with his bare hands. He died in 1997, and the leopard is said to be on display at themuseum in nearby Kibbutz Hanita.[30][4]
In 1993, the village had about a thousand residents.[31] On 17 April 2024, as part ofHezbollah's attacks on the north duringGaza war, the village's community center building was hit, wounding 13 IDF soldiers fromEtzioni Brigade, two members of the rapid response team, and three civilians. The attack was carried out using a combination ofanti-tank missiles, rockets, and twosuicide drones, withHezbollah claiming responsibility.[32][33] On April 21, 2024, an IDF spokesman authorized the publication that Major (res.) Dor Zimel,deputy commander of the Etzioni Brigade, died of his wounds after being injured as a result of the drone attack on April 17, 2024.[34]
Arab al-Aramshe is aBedouin village in theWestern Galilee,[35] nearIsrael’s northern border[36] and part of theMateh Asher Regional Council.[35] It lies less than five kilometers from Lebanon border[35] and straddles theIsrael-Lebanon border, with some residents living in Israel and some on the Lebanese side.[37][4] The village landscape, characterized by "rockyoutcrops dotted with sparse Galileanvegetation,is isolated, appearing exposed and quiet.[4] It has about 1,600 residents, nearly all of whom live in the Aramshe neighborhood, on the hill of the same name. Others live on the Jordiyyah and Nuwakar hills, situated right next to theborder fence.[4]
In the mid-1980s, most residents lived along the border itself. For security reasons, Israel decided to move them away. Most agreed to relocate, while a few families chose to remain.[4] The homes of those who left weredemolished to prevent their return.[4] Today, the Aramshe quarter is the heart of the village and it contains a school, a clinic, bus stops, and a kiosk that also serves as a bridal salon.[4] The road from Aramshe to Jordiyyah takes about ten minutes, winding along the fence with views ofsouthern Lebanon.[4] In the past, villagers on the Israeli side could speak with and visit relatives in Lebanon. But after thewithdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, the zone that had allowed this contact disappeared.[4] Today, ties between the two sides are maintained mostly by phone and social media. In 2006, during theSecond Lebanon War, a rocket killed a mother and two daughters from the Juma’a family. After that,bomb shelters were built next to most homes.[4]
Despite the peaceful surroundings, no tourism projects have succeeded in the village. Attempts to openguest houses and restaurants failed due to lack of funding, limited means among the villagers, and the village's location on the border.[4] Unlike in previous years, traditionalherding is now rare, with only a few families raisingcattle orsheep. As a result, most residents work outside the village, especially in thepacking houses andfactories of nearbykibbutzim—Hanita andAdamit.[4] As those kibbutzim shut down factories, many villagers were forced to seek work farther away, in cities likeNahariya,Acre, andHaifa.[4] As of 2024, it was reported that the village has no industry, and most of its 1,763 residents work outside the village.[38]
in a series of attacks on the northern Israeli border town of Arab al-Aramshe
