Al-Butayha
Encyclopedia
Al-Butayhawas a Palestinian
Arab
village in the District of Safad
. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
on May 4, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Matate. It was located 13 km southeast of Safad, quarter of a mile east of the Jordan River. Many of the inhabitants were forced into Syria
.
In 1945, the village had a population of 650.
, approximately 0.25 km east of the Jordan River and 2 km from Lake Tiberias. The name means “marshland” in Arabic in reference to the vast stretch of land in the area. In 1459 the village was visited by the Arab geographer al-Qalqashandi. It was later classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazetteer. By 1944/45 the village occupied an area of 16,690 dunums with 3,842 dunums allocated to cereal farming and 238 dunums under irrigation or used for orchards.
ON May 4, 1948, the village was attacked by Israeli forces of Haganah’s Operation Matate (Broom), under Operation Yiftach
as part of a coordinated offensive to evacuate all Arab settlement from an area north of Lake Tiberias and west of the Jordan River. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris
,this operation had an impact on morale of the residents before the village itself was deopopulated and villagers along with other citizens of nearby villages, numbering some 2000 in total, had fled to Syria across the border.
Today the village lands are occupied by the settlement of Almagor
which was established in 1961 and a popular picnicking spot, Park ha-Yarden is now located just 200 metres south of the site. Today only black basalt walls of destroyed houses remain of the village of Al-Butayha with many trees such as palms, olive and tall eucalyptus
trees growing in the area.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
village in the District of Safad
District of Safad
The District of Safad was an administrative district, situated in the British Mandate of Palestine around the city of Safad. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the district disintegrated.-Depopulated settlements:...
. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine
The 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine lasted from 30 November 1947, the date of the United Nations vote in favour of the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the UN Partition Plan, to the termination of the British Mandate itself on 14 May 1948.This period constitutes the...
on May 4, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Matate. It was located 13 km southeast of Safad, quarter of a mile east of the Jordan River. Many of the inhabitants were forced into Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
In 1945, the village had a population of 650.
History
Al-Butayha was situated in a hilly area next to border with SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, approximately 0.25 km east of the Jordan River and 2 km from Lake Tiberias. The name means “marshland” in Arabic in reference to the vast stretch of land in the area. In 1459 the village was visited by the Arab geographer al-Qalqashandi. It was later classified as a hamlet by the Palestine Index Gazetteer. By 1944/45 the village occupied an area of 16,690 dunums with 3,842 dunums allocated to cereal farming and 238 dunums under irrigation or used for orchards.
ON May 4, 1948, the village was attacked by Israeli forces of Haganah’s Operation Matate (Broom), under Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee. The central objectives were the capture of Safed and the securing of the Lebanese and Syrian borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948...
as part of a coordinated offensive to evacuate all Arab settlement from an area north of Lake Tiberias and west of the Jordan River. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
,this operation had an impact on morale of the residents before the village itself was deopopulated and villagers along with other citizens of nearby villages, numbering some 2000 in total, had fled to Syria across the border.
Today the village lands are occupied by the settlement of Almagor
Almagor
Almagor is a moshav in northern Israel. Located to the north of the Sea of Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of Emek HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 224....
which was established in 1961 and a popular picnicking spot, Park ha-Yarden is now located just 200 metres south of the site. Today only black basalt walls of destroyed houses remain of the village of Al-Butayha with many trees such as palms, olive and tall eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
trees growing in the area.