Balad al-Sheikh: Difference between revisions

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers, Template editors
110,441 edits
m →‎British Mandate era: Added one more + 3 date parameter fixes.
Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers, Template editors
110,441 edits
→‎British Mandate era: Remove unsourced since 2013. Prepared 4 last references, but still need to check them and update page numbers. Ask for patience
Line 41: Line 41:
The [[Jezreel Valley railway]] line passed about {{convert|0.5|km|mi|sp=us}} east of the village.<ref name=khalidi152>Khalidi, 1992, p. 152.</ref> The [[Balad al-Sheikh Railway Station]], also known as Shumariyyah (Şumariye in Turkish) and after 1948 as Tel Hanan, was built in 1904 as the second station in the original line. In 1913, the Ottomans built an extension of the valley line to [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], with this station serving as terminus. When the [[Haganah]] attacked Balad al-Sheikh on the night of December 31, 1947 – January 1, 1948, Hanan Zelinger of the Haganah was killed in the operation. A Jewish village, [[Tel Hanan]] (now part of the town of [[Nesher]]), was built there in his name.
The [[Jezreel Valley railway]] line passed about {{convert|0.5|km|mi|sp=us}} east of the village.<ref name=khalidi152>Khalidi, 1992, p. 152.</ref> The [[Balad al-Sheikh Railway Station]], also known as Shumariyyah (Şumariye in Turkish) and after 1948 as Tel Hanan, was built in 1904 as the second station in the original line. In 1913, the Ottomans built an extension of the valley line to [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], with this station serving as terminus. When the [[Haganah]] attacked Balad al-Sheikh on the night of December 31, 1947 – January 1, 1948, Hanan Zelinger of the Haganah was killed in the operation. A Jewish village, [[Tel Hanan]] (now part of the town of [[Nesher]]), was built there in his name.


The village was the source of attacks on Jews in 1929 when its residents attacked the local cement factory and burned down a women's farm.<ref>Tzadok Eshel, The Cement and his Manufacturers, The Portland Cement Company "Nesher", 1976 p. 68</ref><ref>Aharon Kaminker, Neighborhood in the shadow of Chimney smoke, 1978, pp 93-97</ref> In 1934, a new cemetery for [[Muslim]] residents of Haifa, was established near the village and in 1935 [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]] was buried there, making the area a source of tension between Jews and Arabs.<ref name=khalidi152/> The grave was vandalized in 1999.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}
The village was the source of attacks on Jews in 1929 when its residents attacked the local cement factory and burned down a women's farm.<ref>Tzadok Eshel, The Cement and his Manufacturers, The Portland Cement Company "Nesher", 1976 p. 68</ref><ref>Aharon Kaminker, Neighborhood in the shadow of Chimney smoke, 1978, pp 93-97</ref> In 1934, a new cemetery for [[Muslim]] residents of Haifa, was established near the village and in 1935 [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]] was buried there, making the area a source of tension between Jews and Arabs.<ref name=khalidi152/>


During the [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine]], there were frequent attacks on Jewish passenger buses near Balad al-Sheikh. On May 1936, a police station was opened in Balad al-Sheikh in an attempt to crack down on the attacks on Jewish buses and property.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Security in the North |date=May 5, 1936 |page=5}}</ref> On May 21, 1936, a Jewish bus was shot at when it was passing the village<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Crime on Increase |date=May 22, 1936 |page=1}}</ref> In October 1936, an [[Engagement (military)|engagement]] between Arab militants and the British military, supported by aircraft, took place near the village.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Fighting on Carmel |date=October 9, 1936 |page=11}}</ref> On February 22, 1937, two British policemen were attacked in the village, one was killed. It was stated that he was killed because he took part in the investigations of the murder of three Jews at [[Yagur]] in 1931.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=How constable Fares was killed |date=February 26, 1937 |page=9}}</ref>
During the [[1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine]], there were frequent attacks on Jewish passenger buses near Balad al-Sheikh. On May 1936, a police station was opened in Balad al-Sheikh in an attempt to crack down on the attacks on Jewish buses and property.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Security in the North |date=May 5, 1936 |page=5}}</ref> On May 21, 1936, a Jewish bus was shot at when it was passing the village<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Crime on Increase |date=May 22, 1936 |page=1}}</ref> In October 1936, an [[Engagement (military)|engagement]] between Arab militants and the British military, supported by aircraft, took place near the village.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Fighting on Carmel |date=October 9, 1936 |page=11}}</ref> On February 22, 1937, two British policemen were attacked in the village, one was killed. It was stated that he was killed because he took part in the investigations of the murder of three Jews at [[Yagur]] in 1931.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=How constable Fares was killed |date=February 26, 1937 |page=9}}</ref>


Additional attacks on Jewish buses occurred from July to October 1938.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner |date=August 19, 1938 |page=2}}</ref>
Additional attacks on Jewish buses occurred from July to October 1938.<ref>[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1938/08/19/2/Ar00215.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=120701&PageLabelPrint=2&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%34%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner, August, 19, 1938]</ref>


On July 13, 1938, two buses were shot; one of them was set on fire.<ref>[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1938/07/13/1/Ar00105.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=116430&PageLabelPrint=1&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%33%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Fresh Outburst of Mob Violence n Haifa, July, 13, 1938]</ref>{{dead|date=October 2014}} On April 18, 1939, a wide military and police search was conducted in Balad ash-Sheikh looking for the suspects of the killings in Haifa. A large number of Arabs were interrogated and ten were arrested.<ref>[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1939/04/19/2/Ar00200.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=147632&PageLabelPrint=2&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%35%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Extensive searches in Haifa and countryside, April, 19, 1939]</ref>
On July 13, 1938, two buses were shot; one of them was set on fire.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner |date=July 13, 1938 |page=2}}[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1938/07/13/1/Ar00105.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=116430&PageLabelPrint=1&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%33%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Fresh Outburst of Mob Violence n Haifa, July, 13, 1938]</ref> On April 18, 1939, a wide military and police search was conducted in Balad ash-Sheikh looking for the suspects of the killings in Haifa. A large number of Arabs were interrogated and ten were arrested.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner |dateApril 19, 1939 |page=2}}[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1939/04/19/2/Ar00200.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=147632&PageLabelPrint=2&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%35%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Extensive searches in Haifa and countryside, April, 19, 1939]</ref>


On May 26, 1939, Mordechai Shechtman, a train driver, was shot in the head by two Arabs who ambushed him at the [[railroad switch]] stop near Balad ash-Sheikh. He died soon thereafter.<ref>[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1939/05/29/2/Ar00219.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=152662&PageLabelPrint=2&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%36%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Haifa, Sunday, May, 29, 1939]</ref>{{dead|date=October 2014}} <ref>[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1939/05/28/1/Ar00101.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=152458&PageLabelPrint=1&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&AppName=%32&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%39%39%38%39%35%39%35%33&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%4d%6f%72%64%65%63%68%61%69%20%53%68%65%63%68%74%6d%61%6e&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Mordechai Shechtman, May, 28, 1939]</ref>
On May 26, 1939, Mordechai Shechtman, a train driver, was shot in the head by two Arabs who ambushed him at the [[railroad switch]] stop near Balad ash-Sheikh. He died soon thereafter.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner |date=May 29, 1939 |page=2}}[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1939/05/29/2/Ar00219.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=152662&PageLabelPrint=2&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%36%33%34%35%31%39%36%38&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=%65%6e%67%6c%69%73%68&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%2d%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68%3c%4f%52%3e%42%61%6c%61%64%20%65%73%68%20%53%68%65%69%6b%68&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%36%30&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Haifa, Sunday, May, 29, 1939]</ref><ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=The Palestine Post |title=Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner |date=May 28, 1939 |page=2}}[http://www.jpress.org.il/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin_TAU.asp?From=Search&Key=PLS/1939/05/28/1/Ar00101.xml&CollName=Palestine_1930_1939&DOCID=152458&PageLabelPrint=1&Skin=%54%41%55%48%65&enter=%74%72%75%65&Publication=%50%4c%53&AppName=%32&Hs=%61%64%76%61%6e%63%65%64&AW=%31%32%39%39%36%39%39%38%39%35%39%35%33&sPublication=%50%4c%53&tauLanguage=&sScopeID=%41%6c%6c&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%4d%6f%72%64%65%63%68%61%69%20%53%68%65%63%68%74%6d%61%6e&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%66%61%6c%73%65&ViewMode=HTML The Palestine Post, Mordechai Shechtman, May, 28, 1939]</ref>


According to the British Population Survey - [[Village Statistics, 1945]], the town had a total land area of 9,849 [[dunam|Turkish dunam]]s, although only 5,844 dunams were privately owned by [[Arab]]s; most of the remainder was public property. In 1945, the town had a population of 4,120 Arab inhabitants making it one of the larger localities in the area.<ref name=Hadawi47/> Of the land, Arabs used 386 dunams for plantations and irrigable land, 4,410 for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Haifa/Page-089.jpg 89]</ref> while 221 dunams were built-up (urban) land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Haifa/Page-139.jpg 139]</ref>
According to the British Population Survey - [[Village Statistics, 1945]], the town had a total land area of 9,849 [[dunam|Turkish dunam]]s, although only 5,844 dunams were privately owned by [[Arab]]s; most of the remainder was public property. In 1945, the town had a population of 4,120 Arab inhabitants making it one of the larger localities in the area.<ref name=Hadawi47/> Of the land, Arabs used 386 dunams for plantations and irrigable land, 4,410 for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Haifa/Page-089.jpg 89]</ref> while 221 dunams were built-up (urban) land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Haifa/Page-139.jpg 139]</ref>

Revision as of 06:48, 1 June 2015

Template:Infobox former Arab villages in Palestine

Balad al-Sheikh (traditional

Palestinian Arab village located just north of Mount Carmel, 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) southeast of Haifa. Currently the town's land is located within the jurisdiction of the Israeli city, Nesher.[1]

History

Ottoman era

Sheikh Abdullah as-Sahli grave in Balad ash-Sheikh cemetery, 2010

The town is named after Sheikh Abdullah as-Sahli, a renowned

Salim II (1566-1574).[2] The village contains a maqam ("shrine") dedicated to him. His grave is located in the Balad al-Sheikh cemetery on Mount Carmel
.

In 1816, British traveller James Silk Buckingham passed by "Belled-el-Sheikh".[3]

In 1859, the village had an estimated "200 souls", and the tillage was 20

feddans, while in 1875, Victor Guérin estimated that the village had a population of 500. He described that the houses were built by successive stages, one above the other; and almost all had a cabin made with tree branches at the top. This was where, during the summer, people spend the night to get cooler. Guérin further noted that at the lower end of the village were "cultivated gardens, surrounded by cactus and planted with olive, pomegranate and fig trees, and dominated by the elegant stems of several palm trees".[4]

In 1881 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as "a moderate-sized village at the foot of Carmel, with good springs below near the road, and olive gardens with a few palm trees".[5]

British Mandate era

In the

Muslims and 1 Christian,[6] where the one Christian was a Melkite.[7] This had increasing in the 1931 census to 747 Muslims, including Bedouin tribes that lived nearby, in a total of 247 houses.[8]

The Jezreel Valley railway line passed about 0.5 kilometers (0.31 mi) east of the village.[2] The Balad al-Sheikh Railway Station, also known as Shumariyyah (Şumariye in Turkish) and after 1948 as Tel Hanan, was built in 1904 as the second station in the original line. In 1913, the Ottomans built an extension of the valley line to Acre, with this station serving as terminus. When the Haganah attacked Balad al-Sheikh on the night of December 31, 1947 – January 1, 1948, Hanan Zelinger of the Haganah was killed in the operation. A Jewish village, Tel Hanan (now part of the town of Nesher), was built there in his name.

The village was the source of attacks on Jews in 1929 when its residents attacked the local cement factory and burned down a women's farm.

Muslim residents of Haifa, was established near the village and in 1935 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was buried there, making the area a source of tension between Jews and Arabs.[2]

During the

1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, there were frequent attacks on Jewish passenger buses near Balad al-Sheikh. On May 1936, a police station was opened in Balad al-Sheikh in an attempt to crack down on the attacks on Jewish buses and property.[11] On May 21, 1936, a Jewish bus was shot at when it was passing the village[12] In October 1936, an engagement between Arab militants and the British military, supported by aircraft, took place near the village.[13] On February 22, 1937, two British policemen were attacked in the village, one was killed. It was stated that he was killed because he took part in the investigations of the murder of three Jews at Yagur in 1931.[14]

Additional attacks on Jewish buses occurred from July to October 1938.[15]

On July 13, 1938, two buses were shot; one of them was set on fire.[16] On April 18, 1939, a wide military and police search was conducted in Balad ash-Sheikh looking for the suspects of the killings in Haifa. A large number of Arabs were interrogated and ten were arrested.[17]

On May 26, 1939, Mordechai Shechtman, a train driver, was shot in the head by two Arabs who ambushed him at the railroad switch stop near Balad ash-Sheikh. He died soon thereafter.[18][19]

According to the British Population Survey -

Arabs; most of the remainder was public property. In 1945, the town had a population of 4,120 Arab inhabitants making it one of the larger localities in the area.[20] Of the land, Arabs used 386 dunams for plantations and irrigable land, 4,410 for cereals,[21] while 221 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[22]

1948 Arab–Israeli War

See also: Haifa Oil Refinery massacre and Balad al-Shaykh massacre
Izz al-Din al-Qassam
who was buried in Balad al-Sheikh in 1935

On December 10, 1947 a patrol of Jewish Settlement Police that was escorting Jewish buses on the road, fired on a number of Arabs that blocked the road near the village. Several families left the village.[23]

Following the attacks, the Jewish transportation stopped for a while to travel through the village. The transportation from Haifa to

Krayot, Kfar Hasidim and Yagur.[24]

On December 30, 1947, a grenade attack by Irgun killed 6 Arab civilians in front of the Haifa Oil Refinery, after which the Arab crowd went in and killed 39 Jewish refinery workers. During the night of the following day, Haganah troops entered the town disguised as Arabs and killed 14 residents, 10 of whom were women and children.[25] In an alternative description by controversial Israeli historian Aryeh Yitzhaki, the attack was carried out by a combination of Palmach and Haganah forces who entered the town and fought mostly inside the houses. Because of this, most of the sixty residents that were killed were non-combatants (note that Yitzhaki speaks of 60, while Miller mentions 14; altogether figures vary between 14 and 70 - see Balad al-Shaykh massacre). In this action, three members of the Haganah were also killed.[26] Following the attack, on January 7, 1948, part of the residents of the village left and were replaced by Arab volunteers who came from Haifa to defend the village.[27]

In early April 1948, a unit of the Arab Legion that had garrisoned the village left the area. This led the villagers to abandon the houses in the southeastern part of the village, near the Legion camp and move to the village center.[28]

On April 22, after the Battle of Haifa, the vast majority of Haifa's non-Jewish citizens abandoned it. At the same time, many of Balad ash-Sheikh's residents left the village, including women and children.[29]

On April 24, 1948, the Carmeli Brigade a unit of the Haganah surrounded the village, asking the residents to hand over all their weapons. They handed them 22 old and useless rifles and asked for ceasefire. The Haganah replied that they should hand over all their weapons. The residents did not reply, instead they asked the British Army for help. On April 25, at 05:00 AM, the Haganah fired several shells from three-inch mortars. Many adults male fled and left the women and children behind. A British army unit that came at 06:00 reported that there was almost no return fire from the village. The British advised the villagers to leave the village and they did it with British escort.[30][31]

Present

Most of the fleeing or exiled residents of Balad ash-Sheikh are

internally displaced Palestinians and presently reside in various Arab neighborhoods in Haifa or Acre
.

Walid Khalidi, a prominent Palestinian historian, described the town in 1992:

Many of the Arab houses and shops are still standing and are occupied by the settlement's inhabitants. The cemetery is visible and is in a state of neglect.[1]

See also

  • List of villages depopulated during the Arab-Israeli conflict

References

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Khalidi154 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Khalidi, 1992, p. 152.
  3. ^ Buckingham, 1821, p.114. Ref. from Petersen, 2001, p. 109.
  4. ^ Guérin, 1880, p. 402
  5. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 281. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 152.
  6. ^ Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-district of Haifa, p. 33
  7. ^ Barron, 1923, Table XVI, p. 49
  8. ^ Mills, 1932, p. 88.
  9. ^ Tzadok Eshel, The Cement and his Manufacturers, The Portland Cement Company "Nesher", 1976 p. 68
  10. ^ Aharon Kaminker, Neighborhood in the shadow of Chimney smoke, 1978, pp 93-97
  11. ^ "Security in the North". The Palestine Post. May 5, 1936. p. 5.
  12. ^ "Crime on Increase". The Palestine Post. May 22, 1936. p. 1.
  13. ^ "Fighting on Carmel". The Palestine Post. October 9, 1936. p. 11.
  14. ^ "How constable Fares was killed". The Palestine Post. February 26, 1937. p. 9.
  15. ^ "Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner". The Palestine Post. August 19, 1938. p. 2.
  16. ^ "Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner". The Palestine Post. July 13, 1938. p. 2.The Palestine Post, Fresh Outburst of Mob Violence n Haifa, July, 13, 1938
  17. ^ "Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner". The Palestine Post. p. 2. {{cite news}}: Text "dateApril 19, 1939" ignored (help)The Palestine Post, Extensive searches in Haifa and countryside, April, 19, 1939
  18. ^ "Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner". The Palestine Post. May 29, 1939. p. 2.The Palestine Post, Haifa, Sunday, May, 29, 1939
  19. ^ "Delegation sees Haifa district commissioner". The Palestine Post. May 28, 1939. p. 2.The Palestine Post, Mordechai Shechtman, May, 28, 1939
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hadawi47 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 89
  22. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 139
  23. ^ The Palestine Post, Legionnaire shoots Jews, December, 10, 1947
  24. ^ Zev Vilnay, Ariel – Ariel – Entziklopediya Lidiyat HaAretz (10 volumes) (1976–82), p 927
  25. ^ Research Guide to the Israel-Palestinian conflict: Balad esh-Sheikh Robin C. Miller cites Wilson, Cordon and Search, pp. 158 and Walid Khalidi in his book All That Remains, pp.151-154.
  26. ^ Research Guide to the Israel-Palestinian conflict: Balad esh-Sheikh Robin C. Miller cites Arieh Yitzhaqi in the April 14, 1972, issue of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot, translated in "From the Hebrew Press," Journal of Palestine Studies, vol. 1, no. 4 (summer 1972), p. 144. Also quoted by Sami Hadawi, Bitter Harvest, pp. 88.
  27. ^ Yoav Gelber, Independence Versus Nakbah: The Arab–Israeli War of 1948, forthcoming, Zmora-Bitan, 2004, p. 139
  28. ^ Morris, 2004, pp. 207-208
  29. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 207
  30. ^ Morris, 2004, p. 208
  31. ^ Morris, 2008, p.?

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balad ash-Sheikh.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Balad_al-Sheikh&oldid=664982325"