Al-Sarafand

Infobox Former Arab villages in Palestine
name=al-Sarafand


imgsize=
caption=
arname=الصرفند
meaning=
altSp=Sarepta Yudee
district=hf
population=290
popyear=1945
area=5,409
areakm=5.4
date=16 July 1948
cause=M
*=E
curlocl=Tzrufa, Geva Carmel

Al-Sarafand ( _ar. الصرفند) was an Arab village near the Mediterranean shore south of Haifa. In Ottoman tax records, it is shown that the village had a population of 61 inhabitants in 1596. According to a land and population survey by Sami Hadawi, al-Sarafand's population was 290 in 1945, entirely Muslim.

History

Al-Sarafand was known to the Crusaders as "Sarepta Yudee", but is not known when the village was founded, or how the name originated. However, from Ottoman records it is known that in the 16th century it was a small village with eleven households. The inhabitants primarily grew wheat, barley, summer crops such as corn, beans, melons, and vegetables, and raised goats.cite journal | author=Efrat Ben-Ze'ev and Issam Aburaiya | title="Middle-ground" politics and the re-Palestinization of places in Israel | journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies | year=2004 | volume=36 | pages=639–655]

Capture by Israel

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the inhabitants fled in several stages. Most fled in early May towards al-Tira and then al-Tira was depopulated they left for Jenin. Some returned and remained in al-Sarafand until Israeli forces — composed of the Carmeli and Alexandroni Brigades assaulted the village on July 16, 1948. At the time, Arab Liberation Army volunteers and local militia were defending al-Sarafand. [cite book | author=Benny Morris | title=The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited] Most of the inhabitants fled to the southeast line of Wadi Ara, where the Iraqi Army was stationed. Later, they crossed the Jordan River, and since then the majority of al-Sarafand’s refugees have been living in Jordan. Only one former resident of al-Sarafand remained in Israel. The village houses were not immediately demolished by the Israelis and remained empty for many years. When they were eventually destroyed, the mosque was the only building spared.

Mosque restoration

In 1999, the 'Aqsa Society for the Preservation of Islamic Holy Sites decided to restore al-Sarafand’s mosque. In May 2000, while restoration was on the verge of completion, the mosque was destroyed overnight by a bulldozer. The perpetrator was never identified. The activists covered the ruins by a large tent and maintained a vigil at the site. Removal of the tent was negotiated with the Israeli authorities. It was agreed that the site would be fenced to protect it, but that did not happen and the activists built a more permanent structure. The latter was demolished by the police in March 2002, but the ruined mosque continues to be used for Friday prayers. [1] According to the Or Commission report, Israeli authorities did not grant a license for rebuilding the mosque after the demolition; a decision that contributed to the souring of relations between local Muslim residents and the authorities. The Or Commission report also claims that activities by Islamic organizations such as the aforementioned society may be using religious pretenses to further political aims. The commission describes such actions as a factor in 'inflaming' the Muslim population in Israel against the authorities, and cites the Sarafand mosque episode, with Muslims' attempts to restore the mosque and Jewish attempts to stop them, as an example of the 'shifting of dynamics' of the relationship between Muslims and the Israeli authorities.

References

See also

* List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war