Daliyat al-Rawha' دالية الروحاء Daliyat al Ruha, Daliyat ar Ruha | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: "The trailing vine of er Rûhah", p.n.[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Daliyat al-Rawha' (click the buttons) | |
  Daliyat al-Rawha' Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°36′7″N35°04′38″E / 32.60194°N 35.07722°E /32.60194; 35.07722 | |
| Palestine grid | 157/223 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Haifa |
| Date of depopulation | late March 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,008dunams (10.008 km2; 3.864 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 600[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Whispering campaign |
| Secondary cause | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Ramot Menashe?[5]Dalia[6] |
Daliyat al-Rawha' (Arabic:دالية الروحاء,Dâliyat er Rûhâ, "vineyards (دالية) of al-Rawha") was aPalestinian village located 24.5 kilometers (15.2 mi) southeast ofHaifa.[7] It was the site of the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the forces of theMamluks and theCrusaders in the 13th century. A small village of 60ArabMuslims in the late 19th century, thekibbutz ofDalia was established on land purchased in the village in 1939. The population in 1945 reached 600 people: 280 Arabs and 320Jews.[2] It was depopulated of its Arab inhabitants in late March during the1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine. Its remains lie at the very center of the Ramat Menashe Park of the JNF covered by the kibbutz of the same name.[8]
In 1281, the Mamluk sultanQalawun stayed in Daliyat al-Rawha' while his forces battled against those of theCrusaders. According toAl-Maqrizi, the two sides signed a temporary peace treaty (hudna) in the village.[6]
In 1859 the population was estimated to be about 60, who cultivated 10faddans of land. In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Daliyat al-Rawha' as being a village of moderate size, situated on the west side of a watershed, with a good spring close by on the south.[9]
A population list from about 1887 showed thatDaliet er Ruhah had about 195 inhabitants, all Muslim,[10] whileKhiryet Umm ed Duff had about 80 Muslim inhabitants.[11]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Dalia al-Ruha had a population 135, whileUmm al-Defuf had a population of 44, all Muslims.[12]In the1931 censusDaliat el Rauha had 163 Muslim inhabitants, in 46 houses,[13] whileUmm ed Dufuf had 49 Muslim inhabitants in 10 houses.[14]
The villagers also raised livestock. The village had a rectangular layout from east to west. The houses were grouped closely together and made of stone, held together with mud or cement. The main water sources for the village were located nearby.[6]
By the 20th century, the Arabs of Daliyat al-Rawha weretenant farmers.[15] ThePalestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA) purchased 10,073 dunams of land in Daliyat al-Rawha and neighboring Umm ed-Dafuf in 1936.[16] Thekibbutz ofDalia was established in 1939 to the south of the built up area of Daliyat al-Rawha' on village lands.[6]By 1939, the people ofUmm ed-Dafuf, previously independent, were included in Daliyat al-Rawha'.[17]
In the1945 statistics the population was 280 Muslims, and a total of 10,008dunams of land, most of it Jewish owned, according to an official land and population survey.[2][3] Arabs used 98 dunams for plantations and irrigable land, 56 for cereals,[18] while 24 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[19]
Types of land use indunams in the village in 1945:[18][19]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated and plantation | 98 | 0 |
| Cereal | 56 | 9,595 |
| Urban | 24 | 19 |
| Cultivable | 154 | 9,595 |
The land ownership of the village before occupation indunams:[2]
| Owner | Dunams |
|---|---|
| Arab | 178 |
| Jewish | 9,614 |
| Public | 216 |
| Total | 10,008 |
Benny Morris relates thatYosef Weitz was concerned with the problem posed by Arab tenant farmers in the area as early as January 1948. A diary entry Weitz made following a meeting with officials of theJewish National Fund states:
"Is not now the time to be rid of them [he was referring specifically to the tenant farmers inQira and Daliyat ar Ruha]? Why continue to keep in our midst these thorns at a time when they pose a danger to us? Our people are considering [solutions]."[20]
In March 1948, Weitz organized with the Jewish residents of kibbutzKfar Masaryk the eviction of the tenant communities at Daliyat al-Rawha' andButeimat.[20]
The New York Times reports the village was captured on April 14, 1948, during theBattle of Mishmar HaEmek.[6] By mid-June 1948, according toDavid Ben-Gurion as based on a report written by Weitz, Daliyat al-Rawha' had been destroyed by the Israeli authorities, while the destruction ofButeimat andSabbarin was about to begin.[21] According to Morris,Ramot Menashe was established near the village lands almost immediately thereafter.[5][22] Khalidi writes that Ramot Menashe is actually located on the lands of neighboring Sabbarin.[6]
In 1995, a committee representinginternally displaced Palestinians from Daliyat al-Rawha' joined theAssociation for the Defense of the Rights of the Internally Displaced (ADRID), a national committee inIsrael that advocates for these internal refugees'right of return.[23]
