Kafr Qaddum Explained

Kafr Qaddum
Translit Lang1:Arabic
Translit Lang1 Type:Arabic
Translit Lang1 Info:كفر قدوم
Translit Lang1 Type1:Latin
Translit Lang1 Info1:Kafar Qaddum, Kefr Kaddum[1] (official)
Kafr Kadum (unofficial)
Type:Municipality type D (Village council)
Pushpin Map:Palestine
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Kafr Qaddum within Palestine
Coordinates:32.2217°N 35.1428°W
Grid Name:Palestine grid
Grid Position:163/180
Subdivision Type:State
Subdivision Name:State of Palestine
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Qalqilya
Established Title:Founded
Unit Pref:dunam
Area Total Km2:18.9
Area Total Dunam:18943
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:3280
Population As Of:2017
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:Name meaning
Blank Info Sec1:"The village of Kaddum"[3]

Kafr Qaddum (Arabic: كفر قدّوم) is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, located 13 kilometers west of Nablus and 17 kilometers east of Qalqilya in the Qalqilya Governorate. Surrounding towns include Jit to the east and Hajjah to the south. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 3,280 inhabitants in 2017.

Kafr Qaddum's total land area consists of nearly 19,000 dunams (about 8,000 under Palestinian civil administration and 11,000 under complete Israeli control).[4] Its built-up area consists of 529 dunams. Olive groves make up 80% of the remaining land, 15% is used for vegetation purposes, and 5% are planted crops.[5] Israel has expropriated roughly 2,500 dunams (618 acres) for the use of settlements nearby[6]

Since 2011, residents have regularly protested the Israeli blockade of their village, and through to 2020, 100 members of the community, including 6 minors, have been shot and wounded by Israeli troops.[6] 170 villagers have been arrested by the IDF and constrained by military courts to pay fines collectively amounting to US$74,200.[6]

Location

Kafr Qaddum is located 17.32 km north-east of Qalqiliya. It is bordered by Jit village to the east, Immatain to the south, Kur and Hajja village to the west, and Beit Lid, Qusin and Deir Sharaf to the north.[7]

History

Ancient period

According to archaeological evidence, Kafr Qaddum has been inhabited since the Early Bronze Age. On the hill south of the village is the archeological site of Khirbet 'Asafeh which was part of one settlement that spread over several hills in the area. In 1979, an archaeological excavation was conducted at the site and remains from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Persian and Hellenistic periods were discovered. Moreover, remains from the Roman period were discovered at the site, including several structures and a kokhim-style tomb.[8]

In the second century, a large Samaritan settlement was built on the site, which existed for centuries. It was mainly stone-built dwellings, according to Roman building tradition. Its inhabitants engaged in agriculture, mainly growing olives for oil. Three ancient olive presses were discovered near the village. A destruction layer found in a number of buildings from the end of the fifth century is probably related to the Samaritan revolts.[9] According to Benyamim Tsedaka, a Samaritan village called Kiriat 'Asfeh existed on village lands, and was home to the Surek and Naakon clans.

Two menorah reliefs were also found at Kafr Qaddum.[10]

The settlement continued to prosper until the early Islamic period, and it seems that its Samaritan residents were forced to convert to Islam, and in part the settlement has survived continuously since.[11]

Ottoman era

Kafr Qaddum appeared in 1596 Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Jabal Qubal of the Liwa of Nablus. It had a population of 19 households and 2 bachelors, all Muslim. The villagers paid taxes on wheat, barley, summer crops, olives, and goats or beehives, and a press for olives or grapes; a total of 4,700 Akçe.[12]

In 1838, Kefr Kaddum was noted as a village located in the District of Jurat 'Amra, south of Nablus.[13]

In 1852, it was by noted Biblical scholar Edward Robinson on his travels in the region,[1]

In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village with a large population of 198 households in the nahiya (sub-district) of Jamma'in al-Awwal, subordinate to Nablus[14] and in 1882 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) the village (called Kefr Kaddum) was described as "A good-sized village on low ground, with wells and olives; it has a watch-tower on the side of the chalk hill rising over it on the east, and is supplied by wells; the houses are of stone."[15]

British Mandate period

In a 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Kufr Qaddum had a population of 874 inhabitants, all Muslims,[16] increasing in the 1931 census to 963, again all Muslim, in 234 houses.[17]

In the 1945 statistics the population was 1,240, all Muslims,[18] with 18,931 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[19] Of this, 2,945 dunams were for plantations or irrigated land, 7,184 for cereals,[20] while 69 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[21]

Jordanian era

In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Kafr Qaddum came under Jordanian rule.

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 1,701 inhabitants.[22]

1967–present

Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Kafr Qaddum has been under Israeli occupation.

After the 1995 accords, 44.6% of village land was classified as Area B, while the remaining 55.4% was classified as Area C. Up until 2013 Israel had confiscated 2,031 dunums of village land for the Israeli settlements of Kedumim Zefon, Jit (Mitzpe Yishai), and Giv'at HaMerkaziz; presently all part of Kedumim.[23]

Since 2003, the road between Kafr Qaddum and Nablus is blocked thus elongating the travel distance by 14 km. Since July 2011, weekly demonstrations have been held in a demand to re-open the road.

Land issues

In the Mitzpe Yishai neighborhood of Kedumim, there are accusations that the Israelis have improperly taken control of private Palestinian land. The Israeli Civil Administration calls it "theft", though it occurred in an "orderly manner", but without any official authorization.[24]

Main entrance

In 2003, the Israeli military closed the main entrance of the village that connects it to Nablus with a permanent roadblock, in addition, a dirt mound was put one kilometer before the roadblock, isolating one family house which made it unreachable by vehicles. In 2010, after waiting for five years for an Israeli court decision, it was ruled that the roadblock is illegal, but the court also stated that the road is "too dangerous to travel" so the road remained blocked.The roadblock makes it difficult for people to reach their farmlands because they are prohibited from driving, so they must walk on foot and carry their equipment and harvest. It also delays the fifteen minute journey to Nablus to forty minutes.[25] [26]

Events

Economy

Prior to the Second Intifada, about 50% of the Kafr Qaddum's economy depended on work in Israel as the primary source of income, 20% depended on agriculture and animal raising, while 30% depended on jobs in private and public sectors. After 2002, over 75% of the population became jobless as business became the only other alternative for income generation. Emigration has registered a record level during the past two years, ranging between 10-15% of the total population.

Maqam al-Khalil

In the old core of the village, located in its western part near the ancient mosque, stands a sacred structure named Maqam al-Khalil. Inside this site is a cave that leads further down to a lower cave below. The structure also features a raised platform. According to local tradition, this place is believed to be the very place where the prophet Abraham circumcised himself. It is said that the name of the village itself, Qaddum, derives from the Arabic word for "axe" - referring to the tool used for Abraham's circumcision at this spot.[33]

Demography

The inhabitants of Kafr Qaddum belong to various families, such as the Shteiwi, Jum'a, 'Obeid, Barham, Ali and 'Amer families.

People with origins in Kafr Qaddum have established or settled in communities in various locations, including Jab'a, Tammun, Iksal, Immatain, Kafr Zibad, Rafiddiya, 'Attil, and Nablus.[34]

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Robinson and Smith, 1856, p. 134
  2. February 2018 . Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 . Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) . . 64–82 . 2023-10-24.
  3. from "front", or "eastern" according to: Palmer, 1881, 183
  4. http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=1067 New Israeli military road on lands of Kafr Qaddum village
  5. http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=997 Closing of agricultural roads in Kafr Qaddum village
  6. [Amira Hass]
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20170817210242/http://vprofile.arij.org/qalqiliya/pdfs/vprofile/kafqaddum-vp-en.pdf Kafr Qaddum Village Profile
  8. שטרן . אפרים . מגן . יצחק . 1982 . מכלול של כלי-חרס מן התקופה הפרסית מקדום שבשומרון . Pottery from the Persian Period from Qaddum, Samaria . ארץ-ישראל - מחקרים בידיעת הארץ ועתיקותיה . Hebrew . ספר ט"ז . 182–197.
  9. מגן . יצחק . 1984 . קדום - אתר שומרוני מן התקופה הרומית-ביזאנטית . Qaddum, a Samaritan site of the Roman-Byzantine period . קדמוניות . Hebrew . טז . 168 . 62–63.
  10. Erlich (Zhabo) . Ze’ev H. . Rotter . Meir . 2021 . ארבע מנורות שומרוניות בכפר חג'ה שבשומרון . Four Samaritan Menorahs from the village of Hajjeh, Samaria . במעבה ההר . Ariel University Publishing . 197 . 10.26351/IHD/11-2/3.
  11. Book: דר, שמעון . ספר השומרונים . יד יצחק בן-צבי, רשות העתיקות . 2002 . שטרן . אפרים . ירושלים . 431 . Hebrew . Book of Samaritans . עדויות ארכאולוגיות למרידות השומרונים בתקופה הביזנטית . 9789652172020 . Archaeological evidence of the Samaritan revolts in the Byzantine period . אשל . חנן.
  12. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 133.
  13. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 127
  14. Book: Grossman, David . Arab Demography and Early Jewish Settlement in Palestine . Magnes Press . 2004 . Jerusalem . 252.
  15. Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 163
  16. Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. 24
  17. Mills, 1932, p. 63
  18. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 18
  19. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 60
  20. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 106
  21. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 156
  22. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 26
  23. https://web.archive.org/web/20170817210242/http://vprofile.arij.org/qalqiliya/pdfs/vprofile/kafqaddum-vp-en.pdf Kafr Qaddum Village Profile
  24. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/964843.html Ha'aretz
  25. Web site: Israeli forces rebuild roadblock in Kafr Qaddum. International Solidarity Movement. 2016-06-03.
  26. Web site: Kufr Qaddum: Protests against road closure continue despite several activists detained. www.palestinemonitor.org. 2016-06-03. 2018-09-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180910204500/http://www.palestinemonitor.org/details.php?id=0hojita7495ysv325b31e. dead.
  27. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/idf-soldiers-suspected-of-stealing-palestinian-s-gold-in-west-bank-raid-1.423645 IDF soldiers suspected of stealing Palestinian's gold in West Bank raid
  28. https://web.archive.org/web/20140110070914/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/02/palestinian-killed-israeli-tear-gas-home Palestinian, 85, dies 'after inhaling Israeli teargas'
  29. http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/.premium-1.765005 What Israeli soldiers never tell their mothers
  30. [Gideon Levy]
  31. [Gideon Levy]
  32. News: Haaretz . Hagar Shezaf and Yaniv Kubovich . Israeli Soldiers Placed Explosives in West Bank Village for 'Deterrence' . 26 August 2020 .
  33. Book: Tal, Uri . Muslim Shrines in Eretz Israel: History, Religion, Traditions, Folklore . Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi . 2023 . 978-965-217-452-9 . Jerusalem . 125-6.
  34. Grossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period". in Shomron studies. Dar, S., Safrai, S., (eds). Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House. p. 353

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