Arab al-Fuqara عرب الفقراء/الشيخ حلو | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Sheikh Helu, p.n[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Arab al-Fuqara (click the buttons) | |
  Arab al-Fuqara Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°27′08″N34°54′21″E / 32.45222°N 34.90583°E /32.45222; 34.90583 | |
| Palestine grid | 140/206 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Haifa |
| Date of depopulation | April 10, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 15dunams (1.5 ha; 3.7 acres) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 310[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Expulsion byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Hadera[6] |
Arab al-Fuqara (Arabic: عرب الفقراء) was aPalestinianArab village in theHaifa Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 10, 1948.[4] At that time, the land records of the village consisted of a total area of 2,714dunams, of which 2,513 were owned by Jews, 15 owned by Arabs, and the remaining 186 dunams being public lands.
The village was located 42 km southwest ofHaifa, south ofWadi al-Mafjar and northwest ofHadera, in a flat, sandy area.[6]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described a localmaqam forSheikh Helu here, and noted a fewadobe houses near, which were not noticed in the official [Government] lists.[7] The maqam belonged to al-Sheikh Muhammad al-Helu, one of the ancestors of the tribe in its current location.[8]
The Arab villagers were descendants of a section of the al-BalawinaBedouin tribe, whose primary territory was nearBeersheba.[6] The area was generally swampy andmalarial, and this limited population growth until the mid-1920s.
The gradual and legal expansion of the Jewish townHadera reduced the free public land available to the Arab villagers, until only a thin strip of land between Hadera and Wadi al-Mafjar was retained (15 dunams),[6] where the land was considered non-cultivable.[9]
The village population in the1945 statistics was 310, allMuslims.[2][3]
On 6 April 1948, theHaganah implemented a new policy for the coastal plains, namely of clearing the whole area of its Arab inhabitants.[10] On 10 April, the villagers of Arab al-Fuqara, together with the villagers ofArab al-Nufay'at andArab Zahrat al-Dumayri, were ordered to leave the area.[11]
Following the 1948 war, the area was incorporated into theState of Israel and the village's land is now part of the northwestern area ofHadera.[6]
