Arab al-Zubayd عرب الزبيد 'Arab Zubeih[1] | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: The Zubeid Arabs[2] | |
.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-Zubayd (click the buttons) | |
  Arab al-Zubayd Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°4′44″N35°34′03″E / 33.07889°N 35.56750°E /33.07889; 35.56750 | |
| Palestine grid | 203/276 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | April 20, 1948[1] |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 890[3][4] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
Arab al-Zubayd was aPalestinian village in theSafad Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 20, 1948, when the villagers fled on hearing the intentions of The Palmach's First Battalion ofOperation Yiftach.[5] It was located 15 km northeast ofSafad, near the al-Mutilla-Safad—Tiberias highway.[5]
In 1838, in theOttoman era,ez-Zubeid was described as an Arab tribe residing in the vicinity ofSafad.[6]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Arab Zubaid had a population of 257; 255 Muslims[7] and 2Melkite Christians,[8] increasing in the1931 census, when it was counted together withAl-'Ulmaniyya, to 432; 5 Christians and 427 Muslims, in a total of 100 houses.[9]
The population, combined with that ofMallaha, came to 890 Muslims in the1945 statistics,[3] with a total of 2,168 dunams of land.[4]
The village relied on its abundant springs for farming.[5] In 1944–45 a total of 1,761 dunums was allocated to cereal farming.[10] while 20 dunams were classified as built-up land.[11]
According to Israeli historianBenny Morris, the villagers fled on 20 April (prior to the occupation of any neighboring villages), anticipating an Israeli attack.[12] In August 1948, Golani Brigade units were preparing to blow up the village in spite of a complaint from the nearby Kibbutz Sha’ar ha-’Amaqim, which objected.[12] Prime MinisterDavid Ben-Gurion denied responsibility, saying: "No permission was given by me or to any commander to destroy houses." The village was nevertheless destroyed.[12]
In 1992, Khalidi wrote that the area was strewn with rubble covered by a thicket of woods, grass, and thorny plants, and he saw animals grazing in the hills. Some land in the plain had been turned into a nature reserve and the rest cultivated by Israeli farmers."[12]
