Al-Na'ima الناعمة | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: The soft soil[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-Na'ima (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Na'ima Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°11′17″N35°35′42″E / 33.18806°N 35.59500°E /33.18806; 35.59500 | |
| Palestine grid | 206/288 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | May 14, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,155dunams (7.155 km2; 2.763 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,240 (1,340 Arabs and 210 Jews)[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
| Current Localities | Neot Mordechai,[5]Kefar Blum,[5] andBeyt Hillel[5] |
Al-Na'ima (Arabic:الناعمة) was aPalestinianArab village in theSafad Subdistrict ofMandatory Palestine located 26 kilometres (16 mi) northeast ofSafad, near theal-Hula Plain. The settlement was depopulated during the1947-1948 civil war on May 14, 1948 by the IsraeliPalmach's First Battalion as part ofOperation Yiftach.
In the1945 statistics it had a population of 1,240 of whom 210 were Jews.[2]
In 1881, during the lateOttoman period, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described the village as a "Stone andmud village, on the Huleh Plain, containing about 100Moslems".[6]
The village had a boys' elementary school.[5] A shrine dedicated to local sage al-Shaykh al-Wayzi lay about 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) from the site as did a stone quarry.
In the1931 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,En Na'ima had a population of 858, all Muslims, in a total of 174 houses.[7]
Types of land use indunams in the village in the1945 statistics:[8][9]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated and plantation | 4,122 | 2,197 |
| Cereal | 156 | 217 |
| Cultivable | 4,278 | 2,414 |
| Urban | 112 | 0 |
| Non-cultivable | 60 | 0 |
The land ownership of the village before occupation indunams:[3]
| Owner | Dunams |
|---|---|
| Arab | 4,450 |
| Jewish | 2,414 |
| Public | 291 |
| Total | 7,155 |
During the 1948 war, Al-Na'ima was depopulated during Operation Yiftach which targeted Safad and the surrounding district. When the city of Safad was finally attacked between the 10 and 11 May 1948, morale in the village was low; according to an Israeli intelligence report, many residents fled on 14 May shortly before advancing Israeli troops entered.[5]
The settlement ofNeot Mordechai was built in 1946 to the south of the village while to the north is the settlement ofBeyt Hillel, built in 1940.Kefar Blum, built in 1943 lies 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the southeast.[5]
