Baqa al-Gharbiyye
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City (from 1264) | |
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • Also spelled | Baqa al-Gharbiya (unofficial) |
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 Emblem of Baqa al-Gharbiyye | |
  Baqa al-Gharbiyye  Baqa al-Gharbiyye | |
| Coordinates:32°25′13″N35°02′32″E / 32.42028°N 35.04222°E /32.42028; 35.04222 | |
| Grid position | 154/202PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District |  Haifa |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Raed Daqa |
| Area | |
• Total | 9,100 dunams (9.1 km2 or 3.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 31,397 |
| • Density | 3,500/km2 (8,900/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | The western bouquet (of flowers) or "The western Baka"[2] |
Baqa al-Gharbiyye (Arabic:باقة الغربية,Hebrew:באקה אל-גרביה, בָּקַה אל-עַ'רְבִּיָּה; lit.Western Baqa) is a predominantly Arab city in the "Triangle" region ofIsrael near theGreen Line. In 2003, Baqa al-Gharbiyye united with theJattlocal council to formBaqa-Jatt, a unification that was dissolved a few years later. The city had a population of 31,397 in 2022.[1]
Pottery remains from theIntermediate Bronze Age,Iron Age II andHellenistic era have been found here.[3]
An olive press, quarries and a winepress believed to date to the Hellenistic or Early Roman period have been found.[4] Ceramic objects from the late Roman or early Byzantine periods have also been found,[5] and a burial cave, with remains dating toByzantine and the beginning of theUmayyad periods (sixth–seventh centuries CE).[6]
In 1265 SultanBaibars divided the village between theemirs 'Ala' al-Din Taibars al-Zahiri andAla' al-Din 'Ali al-Tunkuzi when the villages of Palestine were divided up between those who fought against theCrusaders.[3][7]
In 1517 the village was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest of Palestine. During the16th and17th centuries, Baqa belonged to theTurabay Emirate (1517-1683), which encompassed also theJezreel Valley,Haifa,Jenin,Beit She'an Valley, northernJabal Nablus,Bilad al-Ruha/Ramot Menashe, and the northern part of theSharon plain.[8][9] Baqa was mentioned in anOttoman document in 1538, as a five-family small village with 11 non-married people.[citation needed] In 1596, Baqa al-Gharbiyye appeared in Ottomantax registers as being in theNahiya of Jabal Shami, part of theSanjak of Nablus. It had a population of 5Muslim households who paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on wheat, barley, summer crops, goats or beehives, and a press for olives or grapes; a total of 12,000akçe. Half of the revenue went to thewaqf ofal-Haramayn as-Sarifayn.[10]
In 1838 it was noted as a village,Bakah, the west, in the westernEsh-Sha'rawiyeh administrative region, north ofNablus.[11]
In 1870, the French explorerVictor Guérin described the village as built on a low hill withwells andcisterns that looked ancient. He estimated the population to be 1500.[12] In 1871 (1288AH), an Ottoman census listed the village in thenahiya (sub-district) of al-Sha'rawiyya al-Sharqiyya.[13]
In 1882 thePalestine Exploration Fund'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Baqa al-Gharbiyye as a village of moderate size that stood out in the landscape with a fewolive trees and orchards to the south.[14]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Baqa Gharbiyeh had a population of 1,443; 1442 Muslim[15] and oneAnglican Christian.[16] In the1931 census of Palestine, Baqa was recorded as having a population of 1,640 Muslims living in 403 houses.[17] These numbers included the nearby smaller locality El Manshiya.[17] During the1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine the village was under strictBritishmartial law and collective punishment was imposed on villages where militants were found.
On 25 August 1938 a clash took place in Baka in which British officers were killed and three villagers were wounded. The next day, the British ordered the inhabitants to leave, taking nothing with them. Most of the homes destroyed. The villagers were forced to walk to theNur al-Shams Camp nearTulkarm. The next day the villagers returned to find the village in ruins. This was one of the largest British attacks on a Palestinian village during the revolt. Members of the older generation say men, women and children threw stones and rocks at the camp to free those who were arrested.[citation needed]
In the1945 statistics the population of Baqa al-Gharbiyye (includingManshiyat Baqa) consisted of 2,240 Muslims[18] with a total land area of 21,116dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[19] Of this, 861 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 18,986 forcereals,[20] while 76 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.[21]
In the early years ofIsraeli independence, Baqa al-Gharbiyye was one of the headquarters of the Israeli military administration.[23] The land holdings of the town, which had been 21,116 dunams in 1945, were reduced to 8,228 dunams by 1962, mostly due to expropriation in 1953–1954.[23] In 1963, the Baka canning plant went into partnership with Priman, an Israeli company that relocated to Baqa al-Gharibiyye.[22]
In 1996, Baqa al-Gharbiyye was declared a city. In 2003 it was merged with the nearby town Jatt, becomingBaqa-Jatt.[24]
Baqa al-Gharbiyye is separated from itsWest Bank sister city,Baqa ash-Sharqiyya (orBaqa East), by theIsraeli West Bank barrier which in this section coincides with theGreen Line.[25] As a result, a concrete wall topped with barbed wire runs through one neighbourhood.[26]
As theIsraeli foreign minister in April and June 2008,Tzipi Livni raised the possibility of territorial exchange with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. She proposed transferring Israeli Arab communities, among them Baqa al-Gharbiyeh, to the Palestinian side of the border. The Palestinians rejected the proposal.[27]
In 2019, the official population was 29.000. Together with Jatt (11,000) the estimated population is 40,000. The ethnic makeup of the city is entirelyMuslimArabPalestinian. The city is made up of 51% males and 49% females. Baqa has a population growth rate of 3.1%. The population of the city is spread out, with 48.6% 19 years of age or younger, 18.4% between 20 and 29, 18.9% between 30 and 44, 9.5% from 45 to 59, 1.8% from 60 to 64, and 2.8% 65 years of age or older.
Baqa al-Gharbiyye was settled in the 18th century by migrants from Allar amid conflicts withJit settlers. Today, its residents have diverse backgrounds, including families with roots tracing back toEgypt andPersia.[28]
According to CBS, 47.8% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001. There are 6 elementary school, two junior-high schools and two high school, in addition to a private school. In addition to the official education institutions, Baqa has a wide range of private educational institutions which provide services to the city residents as well as people from the whole region. In addition, The Al-Rahma School (مدرسة الرحمة) in the city providesSpecial education for the city and the surrounding towns and villages.
TheAl-Qasemi Academic College of Education is open to students from around the country, and has a combined Arab and Jewish faculty. The college is part of the Al-Qasemi group which aims to establish high-standard education through private schools, a library and centers for extra-curricular education.[29]
Baqa al-Gharbiyye is considered a commercial and industrial center for nearby towns, villages andkibbutzim. There are over 400 workshops in Baqa. Industrial zones make up 8.5% of city's area.
In 2007, the mayors of Baqa al-Gharbiyya and Baqa ash-Sharqiyya signed an agreement to clean up Wadi Abu Nar, a polluted stream that runs through both villages. The mayors also committed to protecting the mountain aquifer, the most important underground water source for Israelis and Palestinians, by establishing an authorized sewage grid-system. Baqa al-Gharbiyya agreed to connect the town's sewage treatment plant with a waste disposal network in Baqa al Sharkiya.[30]
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