Eilabun
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|---|---|
Local council (from 1973) | |
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | Eilaboun |
| • Also spelled | Illabun (official) Eilaboun, Ailabun (unofficial) |
 | |
  Eilabun  Eilabun | |
| Coordinates:32°50′18″N35°24′03″E / 32.83833°N 35.40083°E /32.83833; 35.40083 | |
| Grid position | 187/249PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Northern |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,835 dunams (4.835 km2 or 1.867 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 5,799 |
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Arabs | 99.5% |
| • Jews and others | 0.5% |
Eilabun (Arabic:عيلبونAilabun,Hebrew:עַילַבּוּן,עֵילַבּוּ) is anArab Christian village located in theBeit Netofa Valley around 15 kilometres (9 miles) south-west ofSafed in northernGalilee betweenNazareth and theSea of Galilee. It had a population of 5,799 in 2022,[1] which is predominantlyChristian (70.5%).[2] In 1973, Eilabun was grantedlocal council status by the Israeli government.[3]
According to theSurvey of Western Palestine, the name Eilabun comes fromArabic, meaning "hard, rocky ground."[4] According to some scholars, Eilabun was built on the ancient site of "Ailabu" (Hebrew:עַיְלַבּוּ), a possible variation of the name Ein Levon.[5]
Pottery remains from theMiddle Bronze Age,Iron Age II,Persian, earlyRoman and from theByzantine era have been excavated.[6] Rock-cutsarcophagi have been found to the west of the village.[7]
Eilabun is mentioned as one of the cities associated with one of the twenty-fourpriestly divisions, the residence of the priestly clan known as Haqoṣ. A stone inscription mentioning the town wasdiscovered in Yemen by orientalist,Walter W. Muller, in 1970, and is believed to have been part of a!synagogue, now turned mosque.[8]
In 2013, excavations were conducted in Eilabun by Gilad Cinamon on behalf of theIsrael Antiquities Authority (IAA), during which time remains from theMamluk era were discovered.[9][10][11]
In 1517, the village was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest ofPalestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the Ottomantax registers as being in thenahiya ("Subdistrict") ofTabariyya, part ofSafad Sanjak, with a population of 13Muslim households. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, cotton, goats and bee hives, in addition to occasional revenues and a tax for a press for olive oil or grape syrup; a total of 4,500akçe.[12][13]
According to a local tradition cited by Emanuel Hareuveni,Arab Christians from the neighbouring Christian village ofDeir Hanna settled in Eilabun during the 19th century.[14]
In 1838,Aleibun was noted as a Christian village in theEsh Shagur district, which was located betweenSafad,Acca andTiberias.[15]
In 1875, the French explorerVictor Guérin found that the village had a population of about 100Greek Christians, with a "humble"chapel. He noted an excellent water source, and remains (includingcolumns) of old buildings.[16]
In 1881, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as "a stone village, well built, containing about 100Christians. It is situated on a ridge, surrounded by brushwood, with arable land in the valley. A good spring exists to the west of the village."[17]
A population list from about 1887 showed thatAilbun had about 210 inhabitants; all Catholic Christians.[18]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Ailabun had a total population of 319, all Christian,[19] increasing in the1931 census to 404, 32 Muslims and 372 Christians, in a total of 85 houses.[20]
In the 1945 statistics, the population comprised 530 Christians and 20 Muslims,[21] who owned a total of 11,190dunams of land, while 3,522 dunams of land was public.[22] Of this, 1,209 dunams were for plantations and irrigable land, 2,187 for cereals,[23] while 18 dunams were built-up land.[24]
Israel'sGolani Brigade's 12th Battalion captured Eilabun on October 30, 1948, during the1948 Arab-Israeli War, from theArab Liberation Army (ALA). After the town's surrender, negotiated by four priests, the commander of the Golani troops selected 13–14 young Arab men of the 'Arab al-Mawasi Bedouin tribe and had them executed, in what became known as theEilabun massacre, the point being to compel the rest of the tribe to leave.[25] According to historian Benny Morris, those executed were Christians, and the executions were "apparently precipitated by the occupying troops' discovery of the decapitated bodies and one or both heads of two Israeli soldiers captured by ALA troops a month before."[26][page needed] The village was then looted.[27] Most of the town's residents were marched out to theLebanese border, while hundreds fled to nearby gullies, caves and villages.[28][29] As part of an agreement betweenArchbishop Hakim and the leader of the "Arab Section" in the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Eliabun exiles in Lebanon were allowed to return in summer of 1949.[28] The village remained underMartial Law until 1966.
On 25 April 2008, six people were injured, two of them sustaining serious wounds, in a brawl which broke out between Druze and Christians near Eilabun.[30] The sectarian conflict was a part of the long running feud between the communities, which began in 2004 in the city ofShefa-'Amr. The April 2008 clash began for an unknown reason as members of the Druze community marched towards thegrave site of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, walking on the main road near the village of Eilabun.[30] The marchers fought with the village residents using guns and stones.[30] The Druze community elders who were present at the scene managed to restore calm.[30] The conflict ended following an official reconciliation between the Druze and Christians in 2009.
The Sons of Eilaboun (Arabic:أبناء عيلبون) is a 2007 documentary film by Palestinian artist and film makerHisham Zreiq, that tells the story of theEilabun massacre, which was committed by the Israeli army during Operation Hiram in October 1948.
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