Arab al-Safa عرب الصفا | |
|---|---|
Village | |
.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-Safa (click the buttons) | |
  Arab al-Safa Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°26′27″N35°32′16″E / 32.44083°N 35.53778°E /32.44083; 35.53778 | |
| Palestine grid | 200/205 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Date of depopulation | 20 May 1948[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 12,518dunams (12.518 km2; 4.833 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 650[1][2] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
Arab al-Safa (Arabic:عرب الصفا), was aPalestinianArab village in the District of Baysan . It was depopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was located 7.5 km south ofBaysan.
The village was destroyed on May 20, 1948, by the IsraeliGolani Brigade underOperation Gideon.
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theMandatory Palestine authorities,Saffa had a population of 255 Muslims,[4] increasing in the1931 census to 540; 4 Christians and the rest Muslims, in 108 houses.[5]
In the1945 statistics, the population consisted of 650 Muslims,[1] and the total land area was 12,518dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[2] The land ownership in the village (indunams) was as follows:[1][2][6]
| Owner | Dunams |
|---|---|
| Arab | 7,549 |
| Jewish | 2,523 |
| Public | 2,446 |
| Total | 12,518 |
By 1945, the Arab population were occupied mainly in cereal farming. The use of village land in that year:[7][8]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish | Public |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus and bananas | - | 49 | - |
| Irrigated and plantation | - | 14 | - |
| Cereal | 7,449 | 2,460 | 922 |
| Urban | - | - | - |
| Cultivable | 7,449 | 2,523 | 922 |
| Non-cultivable | 100 | - | 1,524 |
The population had grown to 754 by 1948 with 150 houses.
The village became depopulated on 20 May 1948, a week after the fall ofBaysan[3][6] Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel, with the village's land left undeveloped; the closest villages are the kibbutzim ofTirat Zvi (established 1937) to the south-west andSde Eliyahu (established 1939) to the west.[6]
In 1992 the village site was described: "Three palm trees stand on the village site. The surrounding lands are used for growing wheat."[6]
