Al-Jalama الجلمه | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 1870s map of the area around Al Jalama | |
| Etymology: "The heap"[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Jalama, Tulkarm (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Jalama Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°23′32″N35°00′35″E / 32.39222°N 35.00972°E /32.39222; 35.00972 | |
| Palestine grid | 151/199 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Tulkarm |
| Date of depopulation | 1 March 1950[5] |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 70[2][3][4] |
| Current Localities | Lehavot Haviva |
Al-Jalama (Arabic:الجلمه) orKhirbat al-Jalama (Arabic:خربة الجلمه) was aPalestinianArab village 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi) north ofTulkarm. Situated close to the eastern banks of a valley of the same name (Wadi Jalama), it was inhabited during the Crusader and Mamluk periods, and again in Ottoman period by villagers from nearby Attil.
Al-Jalama's population was expelled by the Israeli military on 1 March 1950 after it fell under Israeli rule as a result of the 1949 armistice agreement that ended the1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was subsequently built over by the Israeli kibbutz ofLehavot Haviva.
In theCrusader period, Khirbet al-Jalama was known asGelenna.[4]
In 1265, after theMamluks had defeated the Crusaders, sultanBaybars made a grant of the village land to three of hisamirs:Fakhr al-Din 'Uthman b. al-Malik al-Mughith,Shams al-Din Salar al-Baghdadi, andSarim al-Din Siraghan.[6]
Al-Jalama was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine. During the16th and17th centuries, al-Jalamah (Jalamat Bani Sa'd) 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.[7][8]
In the 1596tax records it was namedJalama dir nazd Qaqun, part ofnahiya (subdistrict) of Sara under theliwa' (district) ofLajjun. It had an all-Muslim population of 7 households, who paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, summer crops, occasional revenues, beehives and/or goats; a total of 12,000akçe.[9]
Pierre Jacotin named the villageTour de Zeitah on his map fromNapoleon's invasion in 1799. The French fought a battle here, which is known as the "Battle of Zeita".[10]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the village as a smalladobehamlet, situated on the side of a knoll.[11]
The modern village originated from farmland, belonging to the inhabitants ofAttil. The farmers settled on the land nearby, and in the1922 census there were 29 villagers, all Muslim.[4][12] In the1931 census of Palestine it was counted underAttil (together withAl-Manshiyya andZalafa),[13]while by the1945 statistics al-Jalama had grown to a population of 70,[3] mainly belonging to two extended families, the Nadaf and the Daqqa.[14]
As the village was constructed on an old site, some archaeological remains were used for constructing houses. The houses were mainly constructed of stone oradobe. In the 1930s and 1940s, some houses were constructed ofcement. The villagers, who wereMuslim, grew watermelons, oranges and other crops. A well, 500 metres (1,600 ft) east of the village, provided water for domestic needs.[4]
On the 3 April 1949, al-Jalama came under Israeli control with the signing of theJordan–Israel Mixed Armistice Commission.[14][15] According to Article VI, section 6 in this Armistice Agreement, the villagers were "protected in, their full rights of residence, property and freedom." However, the Israeli annexation of the villages made them subject to laws that had the purpose of stripping them of their land so that the land could then be given to Jewish settlements, and to eliminate the possibility ofreturn.[14][16]
During the period of clearing the borders of Palestinians, Israel emptied al-Jalama (now consisting of 225 people) on 1 March 1950.[5] They were expelled by the military to the neighbouring village ofJatt, a move thatMeron Benvenisti called "unquestionably illegal".[17] The villagers petitioned theSupreme Court of Israel for permission to return, which was granted in June 1952. However, members from thekibbutzLehavot Haviva had settled on their land. On 11 August 1953, they blew up the remaining houses in al-Jalama, thereby making sure that the Palestinian landowners could not return. The kibbutzniks claimed that theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) had ordered them to do this and had given them funds for that purpose. The IDF denied this.[5] Israel then passedseveral retroactive laws that legalised the expropriation of the al-Jalama land.[18]
