It has been suggested (by Félix-Marie Abel, 1927, supported by Michael Avi-Yonah) that Hares is identical with ancient Arus (Greek: Άρους), a town that Josephus reported was destroyed or plundered by Arab troops of Varus' army circa 4 BCE.[4][5] No sherds from that era have been found here.[6]
The site is understood to preserve the remains of a Hellenistic-period fortress. The structure, measuring approximately 60 by 40 meters, was built of well-dressed limestone. Some sections are preserved up to 2.5 meters high, and the base of a large tower is visible on the northwest corner. The internal layout has been obscured by later cultivation.[7] Archaeologist Shimon Dar identified the site with the estate of Ptolemy of Rhodes, a senior official under Herod the Great who, according to Josephus, owned property at Arus (possibly on land inherited by Herod from the Hasmonean dynasty).[7] The area's fertile land, extensive terracing, and proximity to ancient road networks suggest the fort may have served both as an administrative estate center and a military outpost within a royal domain.[7]
Ottoman era
In 1517, the village was included in the Ottoman empire with the rest of Palestine, and potsherds from the early Ottoman period have been found.[6] It appeared in the 1596 tax-records as Harit, located in the Nahiya of Jabal Qubal, part of the Sanjak of Nablus. The population was 21 households, all Muslim. They paid a fixed tax sum of 12,000 akçe, in addition to taxes on "agnan", bee hives, and occasional revenues; a total of 13,300 akçe.[9]
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the village formed part of the highland region known as Jūrat ‘Amra or Bilād Jammā‘īn. Situated between Dayr Ghassāna in the south and the present Route 5 in the north, and between Majdal Yābā in the west and Jammā‘īn, Mardā and Kifl Ḥāris in the east, this area served, according to historian Roy Marom, "as a buffer zone between the political-economic-social units of the Jerusalem and the Nablus regions. On the political level, it suffered from instability due to the migration of the Bedouin tribes and the constant competition among local clans for the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Ottoman authorities."[10]
In 1838, Edward Robinson noted it as a village, Harith, in the Jurat Merda district, south of Nablus.[11]
In 1870 Guérin observed here a building used as a mosque, divided into three naves separated by marble columns of different sizes, and evidently ancient. 'On a neighbouring Tell, which commands the village, are the ruins of an ancient tower. The spot is now planted with olives. Two ancient tombs and several cisterns cut in the rock once belonged to the ancient city which stood here.'[12]
In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village with a population of 50 households in the nahiya (sub-district) of Jamma'in al-Awwal, subordinate to Nablus.[13]
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Haris as "a medium sized village on high ground built of stone, and supplied by cisterns. It has rock-cut tombs and is probably an ancient site; there are fine olive groves round it."[14]
In the 1945 statistics the population was 540, all Muslims,[17] while the total land area was 8,391 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[18] Of this, 1,545 were used for plantations and irrigable land, 1,341 for cereals,[19] while 21 dunams were classified as built-up areas.[20]
After the 1995 accords, about 6% of village land was classified as Area B land, while the remaining 94% was classified as Area C.[22]
Loss of land
Haris has been directly affected by the construction of the wall on the West Bank and the settlements surrounding Ariel and the Barkan Industrial Park. ARIJ, a Palestinian research institute lists the losses as follows:
Israeli Settlements bordering Haris village and land loss
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