Salama, Jaffa
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 Salama
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| Arabic | سلمة |
| Also Spelled | Selmeh |
| Sub-district | Jaffa |
| Coordinates | 32°02′56.94″N 34°48′18.03″E / 32.04915°N 34.8050083°ECoordinates: 32°02′56.94″N 34°48′18.03″E / 32.04915°N 34.8050083°E |
| Population | 3,691 (1931) |
| Area | 6,782 dunums |
| Date of depopulation | 25 April 1948[1] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Tel Aviv |
Salama (Arabic: سلمة) was a Palestinian Arab village, located five kilometers east of Jaffa, that was depopulated in the lead up the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The town was named for Salama Abu Hashim, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His tomb, two village schools, and ten houses from among the over 800 houses that had made up the village, are all that remain of the structures of the former village today.[2][3]
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[edit] History
[edit] Ottoman rule
In 1596, under Ottoman rule, Salama was a village in the nahiya of Ramla (liwa of Gaza), with a population of 94. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat and barley, as well as on other types of property, such as goats and beehives.[4] In the late nineteenth century, the village was described as being built of adobe brick, with a few gardens and wells.[5]
In 1931, the town had a population of 3,691 inhabitants according to a census conducted by the British Mandate authorities.[6]
An elementary school for boys was opened in 1920, and by 1941 it had 504 boys enrolled. In 1936 an elementary school for girls was opened, which had 121 girls enrolled by 1941.[7]
In 1944/45 the town had 6,730 inhabitants, of whom 6,670 were Muslims and 60 Christians.[8]
[edit] 1948 War
In January and February 1948 Palmah raiders destroyed houses in Yazur and Salama. Their operational orders for Salama were:
The villagers do not express opposition to the actions of the [Arab] gangs and a great many of the youth even provide [the (Arab) irregulars with] active cooperation ... The aim is ... to attack the northern part of the village ... to cause deaths, to blow up houses and to burn everything possible. A qualification stated: 'Efforts should be made to avoid harming women and children.'[9]
Morris goes on to explain, "The destruction of most of the sites was governed by the cogent military consideration that, should they be left intact, irregulars, or, come the expected invasion, Arab regular troops, would reoccupy and use them as bases for future attacks. An almost instant example of this problem was provided at Qastal in early April."[10]
The village of Salama finally got depopulated in the weeks leading up to the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, during Haganah's offensive Mivtza Hametz (Operation Hametz) 28–30 April 1948. This operation was held against a group of villages east of Jaffa, including Salama. According to the preparatory orders, the objective was to "opening the way [for Jewish forces] to Lydda". Though there was no explicit mention of the prospective treatment of the villagers, the order spoke of "cleansing the area" [tihur hashetah].[11] The final operational order stated: "Civilian inhabitants of places conquered would be permitted to leave after they are searched for weapons." It cautioned against looting and "'undisciplined acts [maasei hefkerut], robbery, or harming holy places.'" Prisoners were to be moved to headquarters.[12]
During 28–30 April, the Haganah took Salama without a fight, the HIS attributed the non-resistance of the inhabitants to prior Arab defeats and added that "it is clear that the inhabitants have no stomach for war and ... would willingly return to their villages and accept Jewish protection."[13]
According to an AP article of 1 May 1948,
Jewish troops moved into Salama, key Arab position in the Jaffa perimeter, without firing a shot after maneuvering the Arabs into a position where they had no choice but to withdraw. Streets and houses in Salama were deserted when the Jews arrived. The Arab troops and the 12,000 civilians there had fled down a narrow escape corridor which the Jews purposely had kept open.[14]
When David Ben-Gurion visited Salama on 30 April he encountered "only one old blind woman".[15] A day or two later, "hooligans" from Tel Aviv's Hatikva Quarter torched several buildings.[16]
Settlement of the abandoned village with Jewish war refugees, and later by new immigrants, began two weeks after its conquest.[17] On 10 December 1948, Salama and some of its agricultural land was annexed to Tel Aviv.[17] Today the village site is part of the Kfar Shalem neighborhood of Tel Aviv.[3]
[edit] See also
- Kafr 'Ana
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestinian exodus
- List of villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict
[edit] People from Salama
[edit] References
- ^ Morris, 2004, p. XVIII, village #208. Also gives the cause of depopulation.
- ^ Khalidi, 1992, p.254, 255
- ^ a b "Welcome to Salama". Palestine Remembered. http://www.palestineremembered.com/Jaffa/Salama/. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ Hütteroth, Wolf-Dieter and Kamal Abdulfattah (1977), Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. p. 154. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 254.
- ^ SWP, Vol. II, p.254. Quoted in Khalidi, 1992, p. 254
- ^ Jaffa District Stats from Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine (1970) Hadawi, Sami. The Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center
- ^ Khalidi, 1992, p. 255.
- ^ Khalidi, 1992, p. 254, 255.
- ^ 12: Battalion OC to platoons, etc., 'Operational Order', undated but from early January 1948, and unsigned, 'Report on Salama Operation', 3 Jan. 1948, both in IDFA (=Israel Defence Forces and Defence Ministry Archive) 922∖75∖∖1213. Quoted in Morris, 2004, pp. 343–344.
- ^ Morris, 2004, p. 345
- ^ HGS\Operations to Alexandroni, etc., "Orders for Operation "Hametz", 26 Apr. 1948. IDFA 6647\49\\15. Cited in Morris, 2004, p. 217, 286
- ^ Operation Hametz HQ to Givati, etc., 27 Apr. 1948, 14:00 hours, IDFA 67\51\\677. See also Alexandroni to battalions, 27 Apr. 1948, IDFA 922\75\\949. Cited in Morris, 2004, pp. 217, 286
- ^ Alexandroni to brigades, etc., 8 May 1948, IDFA 2323\49\\6. Cited in Morris, 2004, pp. 217, 286
- ^ Carter L. Davidson, AP (1 May 1948). "Truce in Effect Temporarily In Jerusalem". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8GEsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LMsEAAAAIBAJ&dq=middleeast%20news%20jews%20arabs&pg=6318%2C3682. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ 372: Entry for 30 Apr. 1948, David Ben-Gurion Yoman Hamilhama (the war diary) II, 377. Quoted in Morris, 2004, p. 217
- ^ 373: Unsigned logbook entry, "2.5.48", HA (=Haganah Archive) 105∖94. Quoted in Morris, 2004, p. 217
- ^ a b Arnon Golan (1995), The demarcation of Tel Aviv-Jaffa's municipal boundaries, Planning Perspectives, vol. 10, pp. 383–398.
[edit] Bibliography
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salama |
- Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener (1881): The Survey of Western Palestine: memoirs of the topography, orography, hydrography, and archaeology. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. vol 2
- Hadawi, Sami (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center. http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html.
- Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. ISBN 0-88728-224-5
- Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-00967-7, 9780521009676
[edit] External links
- Welcome To Salama
- Salameh from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- Salama by Rami Nashashibi (1996), Center for Research and Documentation of Palestinian Society.
- A Palestinian Village in the Heart of Tel Aviv? by Omer Carmon, 15 August 2005
