Beitunia بيتونيا | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | بيتونيا |
| • Latin | Beituniya (official) Beatonia (unofficial) |
 View of the city from the west | |
 Municipal Seal of Beitunia | |
  Beitunia Location of Beitunia withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:31°53′20″N35°10′03″E / 31.88889°N 35.16750°E /31.88889; 35.16750 | |
| Palestine grid | 166/143 |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Ramallah and al-Bireh |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Ribhi Dola |
| Area | |
| 26.2 km2 (10.1 sq mi) | |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| 26,604 | |
| • Density | 1,020/km2 (2,630/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 153,237 |
| Name meaning | Beitunia, personal name[2] |
| Website | www.beitunia.ps |
Beitunia (Arabic:بيتونيا), alsoBitunya, is aPalestinian city located 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) west ofRamallah and 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) north ofJerusalem, in theRamallah and al-Bireh Governorate ofPalestine, in the centralWest Bank. According to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 26,604 in 2017,[1] making it the third largest locality in its governorate afteral-Bireh and Ramallah.
Potsherds from the Byzantine, Mamluk and early Ottoman period have been found. A 1982 survey found two pillars and remnants of anolive press, along with another pillar located in one of the courtyards. TheMandatory DOA documented a medieval structure in ruins, characterized byvaults, alongside a whitemosaic floor, a damaged pillar, awinepress, a rock-cutreservoir, and burial caves.[3] (In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine mentioned that "[t]o the east arecisterns, wine-preses, and a pond (el-Balûā), which contains water in winter. On the north and east arerock-cut tombs with well-cut entrances, but blocked up."[4]).
To the east arecisterns,wine-presses, and a pond (el-Balûā), which contains water in winter. On the north and east are rock-cut tombs with well-cut entrances, but blocked up.
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine suggested that Beitunia was theCrusader villageUniet, which was one of 21 villages given by KingGodfrey as afief to theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre.[5] However, in 1887,Röhricht identified Beitunia withBeitiumen, another fief given by the King to the Holy Sepulchre.[6][7]Conder found this to be "evidently correct" and hence "very doubtful" that Beitunia wasUniet.[8]Abel, writing in 1931, suggested that Beitunia wasBeit Uniet, mentioned in an early 12th-century text.[3]
A largevaulted building in the town, namedBadd al-Balad ("oil press of the village"), later part of several modern houses, has been dated to the Crusader period.[9][10]
Beitunia, like the rest ofPalestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thecensus of 1596, the village was located in theNahiya of Quds of theLiwa ofQuds. The population was 75 households and 5 bachelors, allMuslim. They paid a fixed tax rated of 33,3% on wheat, barley, olives, vineyards, fruit trees, goats and/or beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 23,000akçe.[11]
In 1738Richard Pococke called it "a place called Bethany to the north."[12][original research?]
The American scholarEdward Robinson noted it in 1838,[13] as a Muslim village, part of theEl-Kuds district.[14]
In 1870 the French explorerVictor Guérin found that Beitunia contained six hundred inhabitants.[15]Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about the same year (1870) that Beitunia had a total of 147 houses and a population of 481, though the population count included men, only.[16][17]
Several inscriptions, dating to 1873-74 and forwards, have been described from the house of the villageMukhtar.[18]
In 1883, the PEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Beitunia as "A good-sized village of stone, surrounded by olives, standing high on a flat rocky ridge, with a plain to the east. To the east arecisterns,wine-presses, and a pond (el-Balûā), which contains water in winter. On the north and east are rock-cut tombs with well-cut entrances, but blocked up."[4]
In 1896 the population ofBetunja was estimated to be about 1,056 persons.[19]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Beitunia had a population of 948 Muslim,[20] increasing in the1931 census to 1,213, still all Muslim, in 277 houses.[21]
Due to a lack of economic opportunities in the early 20th century, many people emigrated. Some went to theChicago area, and were involved in the startup of theBridgeview Mosque.[22][23]
In the1945 statistics the population was 1,490, all Muslims,[24] while the total land area was 23,366dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[25] Of this, 7,854 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 8,381 for cereals,[26] while 77 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[27]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the1949 Armistice Agreements, Beitunia came under Jordanian rule.
In 1961, the population ofBeituniya was 2,216.[28]
Since theSix-Day War in 1967, Beitunia has been under Israeli occupation. After 1995, under theOslo Accords, 3,759dunums (17.8%) of the town's lands were classified asArea A, 472 dunums (2.2%) were classified asArea B, while the remaining 16,896 dunums (80%) were classified asArea C. Israel has confiscated land from Beitunia in order to construct twoIsraeli settlements:Beit Horon andGiv'at Ze'ev.[29][30]
TheSecond Intifada took place between September 2000 and February 2005. In June 2002, Israel began building theWest Bank barrier.
Beitunia's land area consists of 2, 617.4 hectares (26,174 dunams) of which 336.2 hectares is built-up area. The Israeli West Bank barrier separates the urban area from 66% of the town's lands, however, most of the cut-off territory (Seam Zone) is made-up of forest and open spaces making it prime agricultural and grazing land.[31]
According to the Oslo Accords, theIDF is prevented from entering areas A (an area under fullPalestinian Authority control), butOperation Defensive Shield in March to May 2002 abolished this distinction when the IDF searched that year in Beitunia for a suspect who wanted to make himself a "martyr."[32] The IDF-search extended toQalandiya,Bayt Surik,Bayt Deko,al-Judeirah, andHizma.[citation needed] Fadel Abu Zahira (9 years old) was shot and killed on 18 April 2002 in his own home in Beitunia. The bullet came from an armored vehicle and went through the window.[33]
Hussein Mahmoud 'Awad 'Alian (17 years old) was killed by Israeli gunfire on 16 April 2004 during demonstrations against the barrier.[33]
Two boys, Nadim Nawarah and Mohammad Odeh, were shot and killed in theBeitunia killings on 15 May 2014. One Israeli policeman was arrested for Nawarah's death,[34] and was later under a plea deal sentenced to 9 months in jail.[35][36]
Salah ad-Din Mosque is located to the west of the city and was established in 2002. It is named related to the old Muslim leaderSalah ad-Din al-Ayubi. It is considered one of the main mosques in the area. It consists of 3 floors and has a capacity for approximately 500 persons.[citation needed]
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