Statistic/Fact	Value
Israeli occupation date	May 14, 1948
Distance from district center	19 (km) North of Acre
Elevation from the sea	65 (meters)
Map location	See location number #1 on the map
Israeli military operation	Operation Ben-Ami
Village defenders	Village militiamen and possibly some ALA.
Israeli acts of terror	See Stories & Memories section for an eye witness account of a cold blooded execution style murder by the Haganah.
Exodus Cause	Expulsion by Jewish troops
Village remains after destruction by Israelis	al-Bassa was mostly destroyed with the exception of few houses, the church, and a Muslim shrine.
Ethnically cleansing by Israelis	All remaining residents of al-Bassa inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed on May 27th, 1949, who mostly were pushed north towards Lebanon. However, few were ethnically cleansed to Arab Nazareth (see Stories & Memories section for more details).
Terminating refugee camps	al-Bassa inhabitants were mostly concentrated in Dbyha refugee camp nearby Junyah, Lebanon. However, at the outbreak of the civil war in 1975, this camp was mostly ethnically cleansed by the Maronites Militias.
Land ownership before occupation	Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums) Arab 25,258 Jewish 4,178 Public 99 Total 29,535
Land usage in 1945	Land Usage Type Arab (Dunum) Jewish (Dunum) Area planted w/ citrus 614 0 Irrigated & Plantation 4,699 76 Area planted w/ olives 3,500 0 Planted W/ Cereal 10,437 1,197 Built up 132 0 Cultivable 15,750 1,273 Non-Cultivable 9,475 2,905
Population before occupation	Year Population 1596 572 19th century 1,050 1914 1,720 1931 1,948 1945 3,100 (150 Jewish) 1948 3,422 Est. Refugees 1998 21,015
Number of houses	In (1931): 479, and in (1948): 700
Town's name through history	The Canaanites referred to al-Bassa by Bissah (meaning swamp), the Romans called it as Bezeth, and soon after the Crusades defeat in the 13th century the village was known by 'Ayn al-Bassa.
Schools	The village had a public elementary school for boys (built by the Ottomans in 1882), a private secondary school, and a public elementary school for girls.
Local council	In 1922, the people of al-Bassa founded a local council which was responsible for managing its local affairs.
Religious institutions	Two mosques and two churches (one of the churches remains standing, but it needs renovations guys)
Shrines/maqams	al-Bassa had several shrines, some were holy for Muslims (one shrine remain standing), some were for Christians, and two other shrines were considered holy by both groups.
Water supplies	The village local council constructed a water network that secured potable water for the village homes.
Archeological sites	al-Bassa contains an ancient Christian burial place and 18 other archeological sites.
Exculsive jewish colonies on town's lands	A military airport, Kefar Ro'sh ha-Niqra, Leman, Shelomi, Matzuva, Betset, & Khanita.
Related Maps	خرائط تفصيلية للمحافظة View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia
More Information	Language External Links Arabic PalGates Hebrew Nakba-Online

Bibliography and References

Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
"Only two of the main buildings of the village, a Greek Catholic church and a Muslim shrine, are extant. The church, made of stone, is rich in architectural features. This church is now collapsing on one side and its walls are cracking. The Muslim shrine is domed and stands deserted in the midst of many trees, including two palms. A number of village houses remain, some occupied by Israelis. One of them is a large two storey building that has both rectangular and arched doors and windows."

• Video Nakba Oral History: Interview with Abdullah Salih al-Salhai