Bayt Susin
Encyclopedia
Bayt Susin was a Palestinian
Arab
village in Mandatory Palestine, located 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) southeast of Ramla
. In 1945, it had 210 inhabitants. The village was depopulated during the 1948 war
by the Israeli 7th Brigade.
s, streaming from the slopes, met. The village stood near a network of roads that led to a many urban centers and was linked by a secondary road to the Jaffa-Jerusalem Highway
.
Bayt Susin had a total land area of 6,481 dunam
s of which 5,453 were Arab-owned. The remainder was classified as public property. Roughly 80% of the lands were used for cultivation and the built-up area of the village only constituted eight dunams. In 1943, olive
trees were planted on two dunams. In a 1945 survey by Sami Hadawi
, it was recorded that Bayt Susin grew grains on 5,108 dunams and 94 dunams were either irrigated or used for orchards.
s referred to the village as "Bezezin". While under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
, in 1596, Bayt Susin was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla, part of the Sanjak of Gaza. It paid taxes on wheat, olives, and barley, as well as beehives and goats.
The American Biblical scholar Edward Robinson
passed by Bayt Susin in 1852 and described it as a small and ancient village.
Bayt Susin was classified as a hamlet
by the Palestine Index Gazeteer. In the British Mandate period, it was divided into two sections. The larger section had a rectangular, north-south plan and the smaller laid 250 metres (820.2 ft) to the southwest. Its houses were constructed of masonry
and a mosque
was located close to the village's smaller section. The residents used the spring to obtain water for domestic purposes. The primary economic sectors were agriculture
(grain being the chief cash crop) and animal husbandry.
i new historian
, Benny Morris
, Bayt Susin was captured and depopulated on 20 April 1948, at the beginning of Israel's offensive, Operation Nachshon
. However, Palestinian historian Arif al-Arif wrote an attempt at capturing the village occurred on 22 May, but failed due to both strong resistance from the local militia and false knowledge that it had been evacuated of its inhabitants.According to Israeli officers, on May 23 Bayt (Beit) Susin was occupied by Arab Legion and irregulars, which was unknown to Jewish commanders. The village was a source of flanking fire at the Jewish forces when they attacked Latrun on May 23.
During Operation Bin Nun Alef
—which was aimed at taking the Latrun
salient and ended in an Israeli failure— Arab counterattacks were launched from Bayt Susin. In preparation of Operation Bin Nun Bet, Israeli soldiers from 72nd Battalion of the Sheva Brigade cleared the village on 28 May. It is not known if Bayt Susin was destroyed after its capture, but most Arab villages occupied in the Latrun salient were leveled. The Burma Road
that the Israelis started to build a few days later to supply Jerusalem crossed the village.
On 20 August, 1948, Bayt Susin was one (of 32) depopulated Palestinian villages which were proposed by Ben-Gurion
and for new Jewish settlements. The moshav
of Ta'oz
was established on Bayt Susin's lands, but southwest of the village site, in 1950. According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
who visited the site in 1990, the Bayt Susin "has been leveled by bulldozers; grass and thorns cover the remaining rubble... and the remains of walls from houses can be seen on the southern edge, where carob, pine, and cedar trees grow."
.
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 Mandatory Palestine, located 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) southeast of Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
. In 1945, it had 210 inhabitants. The village was depopulated during the 1948 war
1948 Palestine war
The 1948 Palestine war refers to the events in the British Mandate of Palestine between the United Nations vote on the partition plan on November 30, 1947, to the end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, 1949.The war is divided into two phases:...
by the Israeli 7th Brigade.
Geography
Situated on a hilltop on the southern slopes of a mountainous area, Bayt Susin overlooked a wide area to its south and west. Below the village, two wadiWadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
s, streaming from the slopes, met. The village stood near a network of roads that led to a many urban centers and was linked by a secondary road to the Jaffa-Jerusalem Highway
Jaffa Road
Jaffa Road is one of the longest and oldest streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. It is lined with shops, businesses and restaurants...
.
Bayt Susin had a total land area of 6,481 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s of which 5,453 were Arab-owned. The remainder was classified as public property. Roughly 80% of the lands were used for cultivation and the built-up area of the village only constituted eight dunams. In 1943, olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
trees were planted on two dunams. In a 1945 survey by Sami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi
Sami Hadawi was a Palestinian scholar and author. He is known for documenting the effects of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on the Arab population in Palestine and published statistics for individual villages prior to Israel's establishment. Hadawi worked as a land specialist until he was exiled from...
, it was recorded that Bayt Susin grew grains on 5,108 dunams and 94 dunams were either irrigated or used for orchards.
History
Surrounding Bayt Susin were the ruins of a wall and cemeteries, cut stones, the foundations of houses, cisterns, and a basin. The CrusaderCrusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
s referred to the village as "Bezezin". While under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, in 1596, Bayt Susin was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla, part of the Sanjak of Gaza. It paid taxes on wheat, olives, and barley, as well as beehives and goats.
The American Biblical scholar Edward Robinson
Edward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
passed by Bayt Susin in 1852 and described it as a small and ancient village.
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
by the Palestine Index Gazeteer. In the British Mandate period, it was divided into two sections. The larger section had a rectangular, north-south plan and the smaller laid 250 metres (820.2 ft) to the southwest. Its houses were constructed of masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
and a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
was located close to the village's smaller section. The residents used the spring to obtain water for domestic purposes. The primary economic sectors were agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
(grain being the chief cash crop) and animal husbandry.
1948 War and aftermath
According to IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i new historian
New Historians
The New Historians are a loosely-defined group of Israeli historians who have challenged traditional versions of Israeli history, including Israel's role in the Palestinian Exodus in 1948 and Arab willingness to discuss peace. The term was coined in 1988 by one of the leading New Historians, Benny...
, 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...
, Bayt Susin was captured and depopulated on 20 April 1948, at the beginning of Israel's offensive, Operation Nachshon
Operation Nachshon
Operation Nachshon was an Jewish military operation during the 1948 war. Lasting from 5–20 April 1948, its objective was to break the Siege of Jerusalem by opening the Tel-Aviv - Jerusalem road blockaded by Palestinian Arabs and to supply food and weapons to the isolated Jewish community of...
. However, Palestinian historian Arif al-Arif wrote an attempt at capturing the village occurred on 22 May, but failed due to both strong resistance from the local militia and false knowledge that it had been evacuated of its inhabitants.According to Israeli officers, on May 23 Bayt (Beit) Susin was occupied by Arab Legion and irregulars, which was unknown to Jewish commanders. The village was a source of flanking fire at the Jewish forces when they attacked Latrun on May 23.
During Operation Bin Nun Alef
Battles of Latrun
The Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Latrun takes its name from the monastery close to the junction of two major...
—which was aimed at taking the Latrun
Latrun
Latrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
salient and ended in an Israeli failure— Arab counterattacks were launched from Bayt Susin. In preparation of Operation Bin Nun Bet, Israeli soldiers from 72nd Battalion of the Sheva Brigade cleared the village on 28 May. It is not known if Bayt Susin was destroyed after its capture, but most Arab villages occupied in the Latrun salient were leveled. The Burma Road
Burma Road (Israel)
The Israeli "Burma Road" was a makeshift bypass road between the general vicinity of kibbutz Hulda and Jerusalem. It was built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem...
that the Israelis started to build a few days later to supply Jerusalem crossed the village.
On 20 August, 1948, Bayt Susin was one (of 32) depopulated Palestinian villages which were proposed by Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
and for new Jewish settlements. The moshav
Moshav
Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...
of Ta'oz
Ta'oz
Ta'oz is a moshav in central Israel. Located to the north of Beit Shemesh with an area of 1,500 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 451....
was established on Bayt Susin's lands, but southwest of the village site, in 1950. According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi
Walid Khalidi is an Oxford University-educated Palestinian historian who has written extensively on the Palestinian exodus. He is General Secretary and co-founder of the Institute for Palestine Studies, established in Beirut in December 1963 as an independent research and publishing center...
who visited the site in 1990, the Bayt Susin "has been leveled by bulldozers; grass and thorns cover the remaining rubble... and the remains of walls from houses can be seen on the southern edge, where carob, pine, and cedar trees grow."
Demographics
A 1596 census revealed a population of 308 and by 1931 this had decreased to 70 inhabitants. However, by 1945 the village had a population of 210 people. The residents were predominantly MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
.