Ya'bad | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | يعبد |
| • Latin | Yabad (official) |
 Skyline of Ya'bad, Palestine | |
  Ya'bad Location of Ya'bad withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:32°26′48″N35°10′13″E / 32.44667°N 35.17028°E /32.44667; 35.17028 | |
| Palestine grid | 166/205 |
| State |  State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Jenin |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Samer Abu Baker |
| Area | |
• Total | 21,622 dunams (21.6 km2 or 8.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 16,012 |
| • Density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | Yabid, p.n.[2] |
Ya'bad (Arabic:يعبد) is aPalestiniantown in the northernWest Bank, 20 kilometers west ofJenin, in theJenin Governorate ofPalestine. It is a major agricultural town, with most of its land covered witholive groves and grain fields. According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 13,640 in 2007 and 16,012 in 2017.[1][3] Its mayor is Samer Abu Baker who was elected in 2005.[4] TheIsraeli settlement ofMevo Dotan is built on Ya'bad's land.[5]
Potterysherds from thePersian,Hellenistic, earlyRoman,Byzantine, earlyMuslim and the Medieval eras have been found here.[6]
In 1596 Ya'bad appeared in theOttomantax registers as being in thenahiya of Jabal Sami in theliwa ofNablus. It had a population of 62 households, allMuslim. They paid a tax rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, occasional revenues, goats and beehives, and a press for olives or grapes; a total of 18,085akçe. Half of the revenue went to awaqf dedicated toHalil ar-Rahman.[7] In 1694,Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, a Muslim traveler, passed by Ya'bad and noted it as "a village betweenJenin andArrabeh".[8]
In the 17th-18th centuries, Ya'bad was well known for producing the best cheese inJabal Nablus. Politically it was ruled by the Qadri clan allied with the powerful Abd al-Hadi clan.[9] In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village,Ya'bud, located in theesh–Sha'rawiyeh esh–Shurkiyeh District.[10]
In 1870Victor Guérin noted Ya'bad situated "on a hill",[11] while in thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (1882),Yabid was described as "a good-sized stone village, with some Christian families and two factions of Moslems, called respectively the 'Abd el Hady and theBeni Tokan, living in separate quarters. The village stands on a ridge, with a well to the south and a small separate quarter on the east, in which is a smallMukam."[12]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Yabid had a population of 1,733, all Muslims,[13] increasing in the1931 census to a population of 2,383, still all Muslim, in 418 occupied houses.[14]
In 1935 the prominent Arab resistance leaderIzz ad-Din al-Qassam and a few of his men were killed in a cave near Ya'bad during a firefight with theBritish.[15]
In the1945 statistics the population of Ya'bad (includingKhirbat el Khuljan,Khirbat et Tarim,Khirbat Tura ash Sharqiya,Nazlat Sheik Zeid andKhirbat Umm Rihan) was 3,480, all Muslims,[16] with 37,805dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[17] 6,035 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 9,955 dunams for cereals,[18] while 92 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[19]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the1949 Armistice Agreements, Ya’bad came underJordanian rule.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 4,709 inhabitants in Ya'bad.[20]
Since the 1967Six-Day War, Ya'bad has been underIsraeli occupation. The population of Ya'bad in the 1967 census conducted by Israel was 4,857, of whom 581 originated from the Israeli territory.[21]
In May 1985 five village women set up a Women's Work Committee which opened a kindergarten for 60 children and started a sewing course with 32 young women.[22]
A major charcoal mine is located near Ya'bad and most of its workers come from the town.[23] Since the establishment of "closed-off areas" and the construction of theWest Bank Barrier in the northern West Bank, Ya'bad and surrounding cities and towns have seen an increase in unemployment which reached to 88% in 2006. The annual average income has dropped "dramatically" by one-third according to theWorld Bank.[23]
Residents of Ya'bad originated from various locations, such asEgypt,Iraq, the area ofJerusalem, and neighboring villages.[24]
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