Ijlil al-Shamaliyya | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: El Jelil, meaning "illustrious/grand" (Ar), or "a district/circuit"(He)[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Ijlil al-Shamaliyya (click the buttons) | |
  Ijlil al-Shamaliyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:32°09′36″N34°48′42″E / 32.16000°N 34.81167°E /32.16000; 34.81167 | |
| Palestine grid | 132/174 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Jaffa |
| Date of depopulation | End of March- April 3, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,450dunams (2.45 km2; 0.95 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 190[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
| Current Localities | Glil Yam[5] |
Ijlil al-Shamaliyya (Arabic:إجليل الشماليةIjlīl aš-Šamāliyya) was aPalestinianArab village in theJaffa Subdistrict. Established in the 19th century, it was founded by Bani Sa'b tribesmen from theQalqiliya area and migrants fromEgypt.[6] It was depopulated during the1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 3, 1948.
Ijlil al-Shamaliyya, (meaning "Northern Ijlil"), was located on a hilltop, 15 km (9 mi) northeast ofJaffa, and about 100 meters north of its sister village,Ijlil al-Qibliyya ("Southern Jilil").[5]
Ijlil was one of four villages founded in the 18th century, near the coast north of theYarkon River (along with the villages ofAl-Shaykh Muwannis,Al-Haram, andUmm Khalid). According to historianRoy Marom, the establishment of Ijlil "demonstrates that the expansion of settlement in the southern Sharon was the result of the internal expansion of the core settlement by residents of the mountainous highlands of Samaria, and not byEgyptian ‘penetrators’ as previously claimed."[7]
In June 1870, the French explorerVictor Guérin visited both villages. He described them as one unit calledEdjlil, situated on a hill and divided into two districts. Together, they had 380 inhabitants. The houses were built oframmed earth or withdifferent small aggregates mixed in with kneaded and driedsilt.[8] In 1870/1871 (1288AH), an Ottoman census listed Ijlil in thenahiya (sub-district) of Bani Sa'b.[9]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described the two villages, namedEl Jelil, as "amud village, with awell to the south and a second to the north. [..] A small olive-grove exists to the south-east."[10]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, the twin villages of Ijlil (spelledJelil) had a population of 154, allMuslims,[11] increasing by the1931 census to 305, still all Muslim.[12] In 1943Glil Yam was founded on what was traditionally village land, to the east of the village site.[5]
In the1945 statistics the population of Ijlil al-Shamaliyya consisted of 190 Muslims[2] and the land area was 2,450dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of this land, 183 dunams were designated for citrus and bananas, 13 for plantations and irrigable land, 1,574 for cereals,[13] while seven dunams were built-up areas.[14] Also in 1945, a school was founded in the village and shared with Ijlil al-Qibliyya. It had 64 students in its first year. The village also had a mosque and several small shops.[5]
In December 1947 and January 1948 the leaders ofal-Shaykh Muwannis,al-Mas'udiyya,al-Jammasin al-Sharqi,al-Jammasin al-Gharbi, and themukhtars of'Arab Abu Kishk and the two Ijlil-villages met withHaganah representatives inPetah Tikva. These villages wanted peace, and promised not to harbor anyArab Liberation Army soldiers or local Arab militia. They further promised that, in the case they were not able to keep them out alone, they were to call on Haganah for help.[15]
By mid-March 1948, theAlexandroni Brigade had imposed isolation, dubbed "quarantine", of al-Shaykh Muwannis, 'Arab Abu Kishk and the two Ijlil-villages. However, on 12 March, theLHI kidnapped five village notables from al-Shaykh Muwannis.[16] This undermined the villagers' trust in former agreements, and many left. The people of the two Ijlil-villages also left, after asking Jewish neighbours to look after their property.[17]
In 1992, the historianWalid Khalidi found that the place was difficult to identify with precision as it was part of a large garbage dump.[5]
