Yanun
Encyclopedia
Yanun is a Palestinian
village in the Nablus Governorate
in northern West Bank
, located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southeast of Nablus
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), the village had a population of 102 in 2007. This was a decrease from 2004 when the PCBS recorded that Yanun had 145 inhabitants.. The residents of the village have to travel to Beit Furik
for primary health care.
which belonged to the Tribe of Ephraim
. Local farmers have lived in Yanun since the 18th century. They depended on animal husbandry and olive trees for their income.
In the 19th century, Yanun was settled by Bosnian Muslim
soldiers who were sent to reinforce Ottoman
rule in Palestine
. They later moved to nearby Nablus and leased their farmlands to villagers from Aqraba
who gradually left their village to settle in Yanun themselves. Edward Robinson
visited Yanun in 1852. He wrote that the village was mostly in ruins and only a few houses were inhabited.
According to a land and population survey by Sami Hadawi
in 1945, Yanun had a population of 50 Arab
s living in a built-up area of 34 dunam
s. Today, the village is still leased by the residents of Aqraba and payment for leasing the land could be made in the form of wheat, olive oil
or cash. About three-quarters of Yanun's 16,000 dunams of land is still leased.
The village was temporarily abandoned in October 2004 when the harassment of the village by residents of the nearby Israeli
settlement of Itamar, including Avri Ran
and his organization, the Hilltop Youth
, became intolerable, leaving behind only two aged people who refused to accept the village decision to go. The village was re-occupied with the aid of peace activists from Ta'ayush
and the International Solidarity Movement
. David Nir, an activist of Ta'ayush, was assaulted by Avri Ran in Yanun.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
village in the Nablus Governorate
Nablus Governorate
The Nablus Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authoritylocated in the Central Highlands of the West Bank, 53km north of Jerusalem. It covers the area around the city of Nablus which serves as the muhfaza of the governorate...
in northern West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southeast of Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
(PCBS), the village had a population of 102 in 2007. This was a decrease from 2004 when the PCBS recorded that Yanun had 145 inhabitants.. The residents of the village have to travel to Beit Furik
Beit Furik
Beit Furik is a Palestinian town located nine kilometers southeast of Nablus, in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 10,339 inhabitants in 2007. During the 19th century and mid-20th century, Beit...
for primary health care.
History
Yanun or Khirbet Yanun—ruins on a nearby hill to the northeast of the village—is considered by Biblical scholars to occupy the site of the ancient town of JanohahJanohah
Janohah means "he rests" in Hebrew.In the Bible, Janohah is a town mentioned in Joshua 16:6 and 16:7, giving the northern border of the Tribe of Ephraim "the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah; And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth."Another...
which belonged to the Tribe of Ephraim
Tribe of Ephraim
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Ephraim was one of the Tribes of Israel. The Tribe of Manasseh together with Ephraim also formed the House of Joseph....
. Local farmers have lived in Yanun since the 18th century. They depended on animal husbandry and olive trees for their income.
In the 19th century, Yanun was settled by Bosnian Muslim
Bushnak
Bushnak is a surname common among the small minority of Palestinians who are of Bosnian origin. Those sharing this surname are the descendants of Muslim soldiers who were brought to Palestine at the end of the nineteenth century by the Ottoman authorities to provide reinforcements for its army, or...
soldiers who were sent to reinforce Ottoman
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...
rule in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. They later moved to nearby Nablus and leased their farmlands to villagers from Aqraba
Aqraba
Aqraba is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate, located eighteen kilometers southeast of Nablus in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics , Aqraba had a population of approximately 8,180 inhabitants in 2007.Nearby hamlets surrounding Aqraba for...
who gradually left their village to settle in Yanun themselves. 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:...
visited Yanun in 1852. He wrote that the village was mostly in ruins and only a few houses were inhabited.
According to a land and population 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...
in 1945, Yanun had a population of 50 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...
s living in a built-up area of 34 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. Today, the village is still leased by the residents of Aqraba and payment for leasing the land could be made in the form of wheat, olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
or cash. About three-quarters of Yanun's 16,000 dunams of land is still leased.
The village was temporarily abandoned in October 2004 when the harassment of the village by residents of the nearby Israeli
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
settlement of Itamar, including Avri Ran
Avri Ran
Avraham "Avri" Ran, dubbed the father of the “Hilltop Movement”, was born in 1946 in Nir Hen in British Mandate of Palestine. He and his wife Sharona, who had immigrated to Israel from the United States when she was four years old, both grew up in secular Jewish homes. They later became strictly...
and his organization, the Hilltop Youth
Hilltop Youth
Hilltop Youth is the term commonly used for several nationalist youth groups in Israel. The groups are influenced by religious Zionist ideals. Their spiritual leader is Avri Ran, though he does not see himself as such and the group's philosophy is a mix of contempt for the Israeli government and a...
, became intolerable, leaving behind only two aged people who refused to accept the village decision to go. The village was re-occupied with the aid of peace activists from Ta'ayush
Ta'ayush
Ta'ayush is a grassroots non-violent organization established in the fall of 2000, by Gadi Algazy and a group of Palestinians and Jewish citizens of Israel. It describes itself as "a grassroots movement of Arabs and Jews working to break down the walls of racism and segregation by constructing a...
and the International Solidarity Movement
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
. David Nir, an activist of Ta'ayush, was assaulted by Avri Ran in Yanun.