Nitaf نطاف Nataf[1] | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Nitaf (click the buttons) | |
  Nitaf Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°50′13″N35°03′55″E / 31.83694°N 35.06528°E /31.83694; 35.06528 | |
| Palestine grid | 156/138 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jerusalem |
| Date of depopulation | 15 April 1948 |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,401dunams (1.401 km2; 0.541 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 40 |
Nitaf (Arabic:نطاف,Natâf) was a small, short-livedPalestinian Arab village in theJerusalem Subdistrict. It was established in the early 20th century.[4] It was forcefully depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 15, 1948, during the second stage ofOperation Dani. It was located 17 km west ofJerusalem, just north ofBayt Thul.
The Israeli village ofNataf was built in 1982, south of the ruins of Nitaf.
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Nataf had a population 16, all Muslims.[5] In the1931 census it was counted withQatanna, together they had 875 Muslim inhabitants, in 233 houses.[6] It was then considered akhirbet belonging to Qatanna.[7]
In the1945 statistics it had a population of 40 Muslims,[2] and the total land area was 1,401dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of the land, a total of 166 dunams were plantations and irrigable land and 158 were for cereals,[8] while a total of 1,077 dunams were classified non-cultivable land.[9]
Nitaf had amaqam for local sage known asal-ShaykhMas'ud.[10]
The village was depopulated on 15 April 1948, during the1948 Palestine war.[11]
Following the war, the area was incorporated into theState of Israel. The village ofNataf, established in 1982, is located less than 1 km south of the village site.[10] According toWalid Khalidi on land belonging toBayt Thul,[12] but other sources, includingDavar say the land was bought fromAbu Ghosh.[13][14]
In 1992, the village site was described: "There is a large, deserted stone house on the site surrounded by old terraces. It is a one-storey house with an arched door and arched windows. Northwest of this house, at the bottom of a slope, stands another deserted house. Most of the village lands fell within the Demilitarized Zone that was delineated by thearmistice agreement of 1949 between Israel andJordan."[10]
