Salbit سلبيت | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: from personal name[3] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Salbit (click the buttons) | |
  Salbit Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°52′10″N34°59′11″E / 31.86944°N 34.98639°E /31.86944; 34.98639 | |
| Palestine grid | 148/141 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | 15–16 July 1948[6] |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,111dunams (6.111 km2; 2.359 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 510[4][5] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Shaalvim[7] |
Salbit (Arabic:سلبيت, also spelledSelbît[8]) was aPalestinianArab village located 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) southeast ofal-Ramla.[9] Salbit was depopulated during the1948 Arab–Israeli War after a military assault by Israeli forces.[6] The Israeli locality ofShaalvim was established on the former village's lands in 1951.
In 1883 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine identified Salbit withShaalabbin (Biblical Hebrew: Šʽlbyn/*Šʽlbyt),[10][11][12] which was located 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) northwest of biblicalAijalon (modern dayYalo).
Jerome (347–420) describes it as part of the territory of the Dan, transcribing its name at that time asSelebi, a form also used byJosephus (37-c. 100).[2][13]
In 1949,archaeologists excavated the remains of aSamaritan synagogue there that was dated to the late 4th or early 5th century.[14] Measuring 15.4 × 8 metres, itsmosaic floor contains oneGreek inscriptions and two in Samaritan (language andscript).[14] In the centre of the mosaic is a mountain which is thought to be a depiction ofMount Gerizim, the holiest site inSamaritanism.[14] Rectangular in shape, the synagogue was longitudinally aligned more or less towards Mount Gerizim.[15][16]
Salbit was not mentioned in 16th century records. It was an 'azba ofBiddu and nearby villages (includingBeit Duqqu andBeit 'Anan).[17]
In 1838, it was noted asSelbit, aMuslim village in theIbn Humar area in the District ofEr-Ramleh.[18]
In 1883 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) describedSelbit: "Foundations and caves. The ruins are extensive. A square building stands in the middle. There is a ruined reservoir lined with cement, and walls of rubble."[19]
The village is believed to have been resettled in the late 19th century.[17] By the beginning of the 20th century, it was inhabited by residents fromBiddu settled the site, establishing it as a dependency – or satellite village – of their home village.[20]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Selbit had a population of 296, allMuslims,[21] increasing in the1931 census, when it was counted together withBayt Shanna, to 406, still all Muslims, in a total of 71 houses.[22]
The houses in Salbit were made ofadobe and stone and were grouped around the village center where the mosque,suq and elementary school was located. The school, built in 1947, had 47 students. The villagers made their living by agriculture and the raising of livestock. The village's drinking water came from a local well.[7]
In the1945 statistics, the population was 510, all Muslims,[4] while the total land area was 6,111dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[5] Of this, a total of 4,066dunums of land were used for cereals, 16 dunums were plantations or irrigated land,[23] while 31 dunams were classified as built-up public areas.[24]
During the1948 Arab–Israeli War and the1948 Palestinian expulsion from Lydda and Ramle, some of those forcibly expelled were bussed toLatrun on the front lines and from there ordered to walk northward to Salbit.[25] The Lydda death march, as it also became known as,[26] brought hundreds of refugee families to Salbit where they took shelter in afig grove and were given water and rest for the night before trucks from theArab Legion began moving some of the families to aPalestinian refugee camp inRamallah.[25]
Salbit itself was depopulated after a military assault byIsraeli forces on 15–16 July 1948.[6] After its depopulation, Israeli forces headed byYigal Allon used it as a base from which to launch an attack on the strategic hill ofLatrun on 18 July, which was spurned by the forces of theArab Legion who managed to hold on to the site without inflicting any casualties on the Israeli forces.[27] The village structures of Salbit were subsequently completely destroyed, and according toWalid Khalidi, all that remains of the village today are "somecactus plants and shrubs."[9] The estimated number ofPalestinian refugees from Salbit as of 1998 was 3,633.[9]
Thekibbutz ofShaalvim, named per the site's biblicalplace name, was established on the former village lands on 13 August 1951 by aNahal group from theESRA movement.
