Rafat, Salfit

Rafat (Arabic: رافات‎) is a Palestinian town located in the Salfit Governorate in the northern West Bank, 38 kilometers southwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 1,861 in 2007.[3]

For the town in the Jerusalem Governorate, see Rafat, Jerusalem.
Rafat
Municipality type D (Village council)
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicرافات
 • LatinRafat (official)
Rafat in the front, az-Zawiya behind
Rafat
Location of Rafat within Palestine
Coordinates: 32°04′41″N 35°02′43″E
Palestine grid154/164
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateSalfit
Government
 • TypeVillage council
Elevation293 m (961 ft)
Population
 (2007)
 • Total1,861
Name meaningRafat, personal name, meaning "acts of kindness"[2]

Location

Rafat is located 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) west of Salfit. It is south of az-Zawiya, north east of Deir Ballut, north west of Kafr ad-Dik, and east of Kafr Qasem.[1]

History

Sherds from the Iron Age II, Persian, Hellenistic/Roman, Byzantine, Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk eras have been found here.[4][5]

A white mosaic pavements has been found here.[4]

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 here.[4] It appeared in the 1596 tax-records as 'Arafat, located in the Nahiya of Jabal Qubal of the Liwa of Nablus. The population was 6 households, all Muslim. They paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues and a fixed tax for people of Nablus area; a total of 3,100 akçe.[6]

In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village, in Jurat Merda, south of Nablus.[7] Extensive ruins were also noted here.[8]

In 1870 Guérin found a number of ancient cisterns, and a rectangular birket cut in the rock and measuring 15 paces long by 10 broad. He also speaks of 'several' tombs.[9]

In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Rafat as "a semi-ruinous stone village on a ridge, apparently an ancient site, with a very conspicuous Mukam on a piece of rock west of the village, and rock-cut tombs. The water supply is from wells and cisterns."[10] They further noted: "On the north-west of the village is a steep rocky descent, in which are two tombs of the kind called 'rock-sunk', one of which is cut in a square block of rock, the top of which is levelled."[11]

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Rafat had a population of 92, all Muslim,[12] increasing in the 1931 census to 127, still all Muslim, in a total of 31 houses.[13]

In the 1945 statistics the population of Rafat was 180, all Muslims,[14] while the total land area was 8,125 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[15] Of this, 1,889 dunams were used for cereals,[16] while 24 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas.[17]

  • Rafat 1943 1:20,000
  • Rafat 1945 1:250,000

Jordanian era

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

In 1961, the population was 375.[18]

Post-1967

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

After the 1995 accords, 7.5% of the village land was classified as Area B, the remaining 92.5% as Area C. According to ARIJ, Israel has confiscated 101 dunams of land from Rafat and land from Zawiya for the Israeli quarry of "Mazor Atiqa". This quarry is now on the Israeli side of the separation wall, and Israel exports 94% of the materials extracted from it to Israel. This in a clear violation of the international law, which does not permit any civil occupation to exploit natural resources in occupied territories for their economic favour.[19]

Notable people

References
  1. Rafat village profile, ARIJ, p. 4
  2. Palmer, 1881, p. 240
  3. 2007 PCBS Census Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. p. 112
  4. Finkelstein et al, 1997, pp. 254-255
  5. Dauphin, 1998, p. 815
  6. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 134
  7. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 126
  8. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, p. 20
  9. Guérin, 1875, pp. 129 -130; as given in Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 367
  10. Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 286
  11. Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 367
  12. Barron, 1923, Table IX, p. 26
  13. Mills, 1932, p. 64
  14. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 19
  15. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 60
  16. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 107
  17. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 157
  18. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 26
  19. Rafat village profile, ARIJ, p. 17

Bibliography
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