Barta'a
Barta'a
בַּרְטַעָה • برطعة | |
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Town | |
UTC+3 (IDT) |
Barta'a (Hebrew: בַּרְטַּעָה) is an Arab village located in the northern triangle area and Wadi Ara, split by the Green Line separating Israel from the West Bank. This Arab village, which had long suffered from the scourge of division, finally returned to become a symbol of unity and prosperity after the unification of its eastern and western parts under the management of the "Basma Regional Council." (Barta'a Basma)
History
Since 1949, the village has been divided into two parts: “Barta’a West” on the Israeli side and “Barta’a East” on the Palestinian side. He is the director of the voluntary governance food portion of the community, the “Basma Retirement Council,” which is a more involved authority for the western Barta’a, Ain Sahlah and Muawiyah, while the eastern section is managed by the Barta’a Village Council affiliated with the Palestinian Authority. Barta'a, 2023-2024 This British housing company has now become a symbol of unity and prosperity after the unification of its eastern and Al-Rubaie parts under the management of the "Basma Users Council"
Early history
Ceramics from the Byzantine era have been found in Barta'a.[1]
Ottoman era
In 1517 Barta'a was incorporated into the
In 1882, the
British Mandate era
In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Barta'a had a population of 468, all Muslim,[6] increasing in the 1931 census to 692, still all Muslims, in 94 houses.[7]
In the
-
Barta'a 1942 1:20,000
-
Barta'a 1945 1:250,000
After Israeli Independence
After the
Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the West Bank and the two parts of the town were informally reunited, operating as one municipal unit. Since many of the residents in both parts of the town belong to the same extended family (the Kabha family), the de facto "reunification" was viewed positively by town residents.[12] Residents of East Barta'a began to work in Israel and agriculture became a source of secondary income. Thanks to the proximity to Israel, the standard of living in East Barta'a rose faster than in the rest of the West Bank. In 1978, East Barta'a was connected to electricity from generators, and in 1984, it was connected to the Israeli electricity grid.[13] Barta'a students study at high schools in Ya'abed and Jenin, In 1995, an outline plan for East Barta'a, intended to meet the expansion needs of East Barta'a by 2015, came into effect.[14]
Following the
The development of Barta'a into an important commercial center resulted in many workers' from the West Bank settling in the village regularly. This led to social tension between foreign workers and residents, who saw workers as a threat to their livelihood. In addition, the prolonged stay of workers, most of whom are young without families, has long been viewed by many as a threat to the conservative customs of the residents. In the absence of recreation and welfare centers in the village, workers tend to spend their free time on the streets of the village and next to the residential areas of the local residents. The proximity between parts of Barta'a was exploited by the terrorist organizations to smuggle people into the State of Israel. For example, the suicide bomber who carried out the attack at the Maxim restaurant crossed the Green Line in Barta'a.[17]
Barta'a enclave
The Israeli West Bank barrier passes east of Barta'a, separating the town from the rest of the West Bank. The portion of the town lying outside Israeli territory (Eastern Barta'a) is in what is known as the Seam Zone, an area between the Green Line and the barrier.[18] Other towns and villages in this enclave include Umm ar-Rihan, Khirbet 'Abdallah al-Yunis, Khirbet Ash-Sheikh Sa'eed, Khirbet al-Muntar al-Gharbiya, Khirbet al-Muntar ash-Sharqiyya, and Dhaher al-Malik. There are no checkpoints to the west on the border with Israel, but long-term residents of the Barta'a enclave who do not have Israeli citizenship face fines if they leave the enclave to venture into Israel.[19]
Access from the Barta'a enclave to the West Bank is through two entry/exit gates: Barta'a and Shaked.[20] People who want to enter the enclave must also apply for a permit.[20]
The market in the Barta'a enclave has become a hotspot for customers from Israel. Because the residents do not live under Israeli social system, products are cheaper than in Israel. The area is accessible for Palestinians and Israelis, and thus has become a kind of free-trade zone.[21]
Unilateral annexation
On July 20, 2023, the Israeli government announced that it would annex the eastern village of Barta'a to Israel. The annexation decision came in the wake of the Israeli Knesset’s vote on a law expanding Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank. The law includes the annexation of Barta'a al-Sharqiya, in addition to 32 other villages. The annexation decision sparked widespread criticism from the Palestinians and the international community. The Palestinians considered it a violation of international law, and the international community considered it illegal and illegitimate. The Palestinian Authority rejected the annexation decision and announced that it would take legal measures against it. It also warned that the annexation decision would lead to an escalation of violence in the region, and the United States issued a statement expressing its concern about the annexation decision. The United States urged Israel to cancel the annexation decision and reopen dialogue with the Palestinians.
Holy Sites
In the Palestinian area of Barta'a, the shrine known as ash-Seikh Barta'a, or Muhammad al-Barta'wi, stands without a domed structure or gravestone. Instead, it features two prominent stone blocks, the foremost of which is marked by four rock-cut steps. Adjacent to this shrine is a sacred tree, under which the villagers traditionally performed their rituals. Legend holds that the sheikh was a warrior under Saladin, acting as a lookout during battles with the Crusaders along the coastal plain. Several traditions exist concerning the origin of the saint's name, alongside reports of miraculous events at the site.[22]
See also
References
- ^ Dauphin, 1998, p. 749
- ^ al-Bakhīt, Muḥammad ʻAdnān; al-Ḥamūd, Nūfān Rajā (1989). "Daftar mufaṣṣal nāḥiyat Marj Banī ʻĀmir wa-tawābiʻihā wa-lawāḥiqihā allatī kānat fī taṣarruf al-Amīr Ṭarah Bāy sanat 945 ah". www.worldcat.org. Amman: Jordanian University. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- .
- ^ Conder and Kitchener, SWP II, p. 51
- ^ Amara, 1999, p. 12
- ^ Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Jenin, p. 30
- ^ Mills, 1932, p. 67
- ^ Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 16 Archived 2018-09-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 54
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 98
- ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 148
- ^ Vered Lee (2007-02-19). "There's no EKG - but there is reflexology". TheMarker. Archived from the original on 12 May 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2007.
- Einar Ingvald Haugen(1997). Language and its ecology: essays in memory of Einar Haugen. p. 41.
- ^ "פסק-דין בתיק בג"ץ 10408/06". elyon1.court.gov.il. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "The Duty Free of the Seam Line". The Economist. November 17, 2008.
- ^ http://www.phr.org.il/uploaded/%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%A2%D7%AA%20%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%A2%D7%94.pdf [dead link]
- ^ "פסק-דין בתיק ע"פ 9826/05". Archived from the original on 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
- ^ Margaret Evans (2006-01-06). "Indepth Middle East:Israel's Barrier". CBC. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2007.
- ^ Operations Support Officer Programme West Bank (2005-02-14). "Case Study: UNRWA's access to Barta'a enclave disrupted by IDF restrictions" (PDF). UNRWA. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
- ^ a b "UNRWA Profile: Barta'a Sharqiya Enclave". UNRWA. June 2005.
- ^ Arab town, both Israeli and Palestinian, divided by shopping, Haaretz on 1. February 2012
- ISBN 978-965-217-452-9.
Bibliography
- Amara, Muhammad Hasan (1999). Politics and sociolinguistic reflexes: Palestinian border villages. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Barron, J. B., ed. (1923). Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922. Government of Palestine.
- Conder, C.R.; Kitchener, H. H. (1882). The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology. Vol. 2. London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- ISBN 0-860549-05-4.
- Department of Statistics (1945). Village Statistics, April, 1945. Government of Palestine.
- Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
- Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
- Palmer, E. H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
External links
- Google map
- Survey of Western Palestine, Map 8: IAA, Wikimedia commons
- UNRWA Profile of Barta'a Sharqiya Enclave
- Haaretz article on Barta'a entitled, "A Surreal Visit to an Arab Israeli Town Straddling a Contested Border for the Last 50 Years"
- Salon article on Barta'a entitled, "Another Brick in the Wall"
- Times of Israel article on Barta'a, entitled "Town on Israeli-Palestinian border finds a good balance"
- Barta'a's entry at Palestine Remembered