Meithalun (Arabic : ميثلون, transliteration: Meithalûn; also spelled Maythalun, Maithaloun or Meithalon) is a Palestinian town in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, in the northern West Bank, located 26 kilometers south of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census, the town had a population of 6,995 in 2007 and 8,321 by 2017. [1] [2]
Meithalun has four mosques, six schools, four pharmacies, two weather stations, two kindergartens, two clinics: maternity and general, several workshops, two multipurpose halls, two cemeteries, a police station, an office of the Ministry of Interior of the State of Palestine, three bakeries, four Internet cafes, two cultural centers, two major diwans, and a bank (Bank of Palestine). The town occupies an area of around 12,495 dunums.
According to E. H. Palmer, Meithalun's name derives from Mithilihieh, which in Phoenician means "image"; the classical Arabic translation would relate to "traces of a dwelling which are becoming effaced". [3]
Pottery from the Roman and Byzantine periods in Palestine have been found in the old core of Meithalun. [4]
Meithalun was referred to "Gastine Medeclala" and "Gastine Mesdedula" by the Crusaders. King Amalric I apportioned half of the site to the Crusader lord Guido and the other half to another lord known as Gilbert of Neapolis. In 1186, it became part of the Jeoshafat Abbey after it was purchased from Guido. [4] [5]
Meithalun was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire with the rest of Palestine in 1517. In the 1596 Ottoman tax records, Meithalun had a population of 16 families and one bachelor. [4] The entire population were Muslim. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 7,160 akçe. [6]
During the later Ottoman era, Meithalun was part of the Mashariq Jarrar subdistrict and in the 19th century was in the zone of influence of the Nablus-based textile merchant Hajj Isma'il Arafat, along with the villages of Sanur, Beit Lid, Silat ad-Dhahr and Jaba'. [7] In 1838, Biblical scholar Edward Robinson saw the village when he travelled in the region, and described it as being situated in an extremely fertile area. [8] He listed it as part of the District of Haritheh, north of Nablus. [9]
In 1851–52, French archaeologist Louis Félicien de Saulcy noted that Meithalun was one of two villages in the southern part of the Marj Sanur valley, the other village being Sir. He describes the Marj Sanur valley as being “enclosed within a belt of mountains of a very woody and agreeable aspect.” [10] In 1870, French explorer Victor Guérin described Meithalun as “a small village on a low hill. The Sheikh’s house is well built, and some of the rock-hewn cisterns are presumably ancient." [11] In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described it as “a village of moderate size, of stones and adobe, with a well to the north, situated at the foot of a high hill, with a few olives in the plain”. [12]
British forces gained control of Palestine in 1917, during World War I, and later governed it as the British Mandate of Palestine. Meithalun's population in the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, was 682, [13] rising to 938 (193 households) in the 1931 census. In the latter census, the hamlet of Kheibar was counted with Meithalun. [14] In both censuses, the entire population was Muslim. [13] [14]
Meithalun's two main clans, the Na'irat and the Ruba'iya, participated in the countrywide 1936–1939 revolt against British rule and increased Zionist settlement in Palestine. Rebels from the Na'irat clan, who had ties to the Jarrar family, fought under commander Fawzi Jarrar of Jaba', while the Ruba'iya fought under the Qassamite commander Abu Khalid of Silat ad-Dhahr and Abu Saysan of Qabatiya. The latter was a traditional ally of the Abd al-Hadi clan, who had economic and political ties to the Ruba'iya. [15]
In the 1945 statistics the population was 1,360, all Muslims, [16] with 12,495 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. [17] Of the village's lands, 3,451 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 7,469 dunams for cereals, [18] while 25 dunams were built-up (urban) areas. [19]
In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Meithalun came under Jordanian rule.
In 1961, the population of Meithalun was 2,243. [20]
Meithalun has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1989, during the First Intifada, Israeli troops shot dead Abdallah Rabaya'h, a resident of Meithalun, during clashes between locals and troops as the latter attempted to dismantle a road block set up in the village. [21]
In the 2005 municipal elections, Fatah won the largest number of seats (five), followed by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (four) and Hamas (three). Political independents won one seat. [22] The mayor is PFLP member Fawaz Saleh Na'irat and the deputy mayor is Hamas member Jihad Saleh Rabay'a. [23]
Meithalun is located in the northern West Bank, about 17 kilometers south of Jenin, the capital of the Jenin Governorate to which Meithalun belongs. [24] The nearest localities to Meithalun are Sanur to the west, Siris and Judeida to the southeast, Aqqaba to the east, Sir and Zababdeh to the northeast, and Misilyah to the north.
The town is situated along the western edge of Marj Sanur, a valley and seasonal lake. [4] It is the largest locality, of seven total, bordering Marj Sanur and controls the largest share of its fertile lands. [25] It has an average elevation of 385 meters above sea level and is not elevated from its immediate surroundings. [26] The total land area of Meithalun is 12,495 dunams. [27] The old core of the town consists of 18 dunams. [26]
Khirbet Kheibar, or Khirbet Khaybar, an archeological site located on a hill to the northeast of Meithalun, is part of the town's jurisdiction. The tell has an elevation of 423 meters above sea level and consists of ruins, namely the remains of a walled city, building foundations, a tomb and water tanks cut from stone. [24]
Meithalun had a population of 5,218 in the 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Palestinian refugees and their descendants accounted for 5.4% of the inhabitants. [28] In the 2007 PCBS census, Meithalun's population grew to 6,955. The number of households was 1,258, with each household containing an average of between five and six persons. Women made up 48.3% of the population and men 51.7%. [2]
Some residents of Meithalon have their origins in Yatta, a city in the south Hebron Mountain, while others are Bedouins. [29]
Fandaqumiya, is a Palestinian village located in the Jenin Governorate of the northern West Bank, northwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 3,363 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 4,265 by 2017.
Qabatiya is a city in Jenin Governorate, West Bank, Palestine. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census, the town had a population of 19,197 in 2007 and 24,439 by 2017.
Arraba, also Arrabah, Arrabeh or Arrabet Jenin, is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank located 12 kilometers southwest of Jenin. It has an elevation of 350 meters above sea level and lies near Sahl Arraba, a plain that lies between Mount Carmel and Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census, Arraba had a population of 11,479 in 2017.
Ya'bad is a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank, 20 kilometers west of Jenin, in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine. It is a major agricultural town, with most of its land covered with olive groves and grain fields. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 13,640 in 2007 and 16,012 in 2017. Its mayor is Samer Abu Baker who was elected in 2005. The Israeli settlement of Mevo Dotan is built on Ya'bad's land.
Al-Yamun is a Palestinian town located nine kilometers west of Jenin in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, in the northern West Bank. Al-Yamun's land area consists of approximately 20,000 dunams, of which 1,300 dunams is built-up area.
Qaffin is a Palestinian town located 22 kilometers (14 mi) northeast of Tulkarm in the Tulkarm Governorate in the northwestern West Bank. The town is an agricultural town. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, its population consisted over 8,387 inhabitants in 2007 and 10,690 in 2017. The built-up area of the town is 1,000 dunams.
Sanur is a Palestinian village located 26 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Jenin, in the Jenin Governorate of the State of Palestine. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Sanur had a population of 4,067 in 2007 and 5,036 in 2017. During the late Ottoman era, Sanur served as a fortified village of the Jarrar family and played a key role in limiting the centralized power of the Ottoman sultanate, the Ottoman governors of Damascus and Acre and the Ottoman-aligned Tuqan family of Nablus from exerting direct authority over the rural highlands of Jabal Nablus.
Ajjah is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate in the northern West Bank, located 19 kilometers southwest of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 6,162 in 2017.
Al-Attara is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, in the northwestern area of the West Bank, located 15 kilometers southwest of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 1,072 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 1,244 by 2017.
Sir is a Palestinian town in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, in the West Bank, located 18 kilometers south of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 769 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 857 by 2017.
Kafr Ra'i is a Palestinian town in the Jenin Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the northern West Bank, located 22 kilometers southwest of the city of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Kafr Ra'i had a population of 7,364 in the 2007 census and 8,471 by 2017.
Kufeirit is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, located 16 km west of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 2,446 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 3,068 by 2017.
Rummanah is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, located 17 kilometers (11 mi) northwest of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the town had a population of 3,372 inhabitants in mid-year 2006.
Mirka is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, located 12 km (7.5 mi) Southwest of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 1,555 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 2,203 by 2017.
Misilyah, sometimes spelled Mithilîyeh and Misilîyeh, is a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, located 14 kilometers south of the city of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 2,252 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 2,884 by 2017. The main agricultural crops cultivated in Misilya are olives, grapes, figs, and vegetables. Roman and Islamic ruins have been found in the village.
Jaba' is a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, in the Jenin Governorate of the State of Palestine, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of the city of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 8,942 in the 2007 census and 10,413 by 2017. The village is situated on the slopes of the Jabal Dabrun mountain. The village and its immediate vicinity contain a number of archaeological sites, including a tomb for a certain Neby Yarub. During the Ottoman era, Jaba' served as a throne village of the powerful Jarrar family. The village is administered by a municipal council, currently headed by Bassam Jarrar.
Al-Judeida is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate in the western area of the West Bank, located 14 kilometres (9 mi) south of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 4,738 in the 2007 census and 5,950 by 2017.
Telfit is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate of Palestine, in the northern West Bank, located southeast of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) census, the village had a population of 238 in 2007 and 439 by 2017.
Siris is a Palestinian town in the Jenin Governorate in the western area of the West Bank, located 32 kilometers south of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 5400 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 6,020 by 2017. Siris has an area of about 12,495 dunums, including 2,500 dunums of state land, about 7,500 dunums planted with olive trees, about 1,500 dunums of land, and the rest used for construction.
Jarba is a Palestinian village in the Jenin Governorate.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link). 1997 Census. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). 1999.