Qibya | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | قبية |
 Qibya | |
  Qibya Location of Qibya withinPalestine | |
| Coordinates:31°58′39″N35°00′35″E / 31.97750°N 35.00972°E /31.97750; 35.00972 | |
| Palestine grid | 151/153 |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Ramallah and al-Bireh |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Fahmi Makhtub |
| Area | |
• Total | 16,485 dunams (16.5 km2 or 6.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• Total | 6,090 |
| • Density | 370/km2 (960/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | Domed[2] |
Qibya (Arabic:قبية) is aPalestinian village in theWest Bank, located 30 kilometers (19 mi) northwest ofRamallah and exactly north of the largeIsraeli city ofModi'in. It is part of theRamallah and al-Bireh Governorate, and according to thePalestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of approximately 6,090 in 2017.[1]
The village is notorious for being the site of the 1953Qibya massacre.
The name Qibyā isAramaic, and means “The cistern”.[3]
Qibya is located 19.9 kilometers (12.4 mi) (horizontally) northwest ofRamallah. It is bordered byNi'lin to the east,Shuqba to the north, theGreen line to the west, andBudrus andNi'lin to the south.[4]
ABar Kokhba Revoltcoin dated to between 134 and 136 was found in aKarstcave near this village, suggesting thatJews who rebelled against theRoman Empire had found refuge in this cave.[5]Potsherds from theRoman/Byzantine,Byzantine Empire,Mamluk and early Ottoman period have been found in the village.[6]
A building, possibly dating to theCrusader era have been found here.[7]
Qibya, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thecensus of 1596, the village was located in theNahiya ofRamla of theLiwa ofGaza. It had an entirelyMuslim population of 29 households. They paid a fixed tax rate of 25% onwheat,barley, summer crops,olives, fruit trees, lintels, goats and/or beehives, in addition of taxes for a press for olives or grapes; a total of 6,000akçe.[8]
According to Marom, in the 18th or early 19th centuries, residents of Qibya affiliated with the Yamani camp during theQays and Yaman conflicts, alongside residents ofDayr Tarif and part of the residents ofBayt Nabala. They fought several skirmishes against rivals fromDeir Abu Mash'al andJayyous.[9]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine described the village (then namedKibbiah), as "a very smallhamlet with olive-trees, on high ground".[10]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, the village, (namedKibbia), had a population of 694 inhabitants, all Muslims.[11] In the1931 census the population of Qibya was 909, still all Muslim, in 204 inhabited houses.[12]
In the1945 statistics, the population of Qibya was 1,250, all Muslims,[13] who owned 16,504dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[14] 4,788 dunams were used for cereals,[15] while 32 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[16]
In the wake of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the1949 Armistice Agreements, Qibya came underJordanian rule.
In October 1953 Qibya was the target of an Israeli raid known as theQibya massacre byUnit 101 commanded by a youngAriel Sharon which resulted in the death of 67 or 69 unarmed civilians and large-scale destruction of the village. On October 18, 1953, the U.S. State Department issued a bulletin expressing its "deepest sympathy for the families of those who lost their lives" in Qibya as well as the conviction that those responsible "should be brought to account and that effective measures should be taken to prevent such incidents in the future."[17] The United States temporarily suspended economic aid to Israel.
TheJordanian census of 1961 found 1,635 inhabitants in Qibya.[18]
Since theSix-Day War in 1967, Qibya has been underIsraeli occupation.
After the1995 accords, 21.5% of Qibya land was classified asArea B, the remaining 78.5% asArea C. Israel has confiscated land from Qibya in order to construct theIsraeli West Bank barrier.[19]
Qibya received media coverage again in the run-up to the 2001 Israeli general election when it was correctly forecast that Sharon would become the next Israeli Prime Minister.[20]
