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District of Jerusalem
Ethnically cleansed days ago |
العربية Google Earth |
Gallery (213) |
Statistic & Fact | Value | |||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation Date | October 21, 1948 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance From District | 8.5 (km) West of Jerusalem | |||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 750 (meters) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Before & After Nakba, Click Map For Details![]() |
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Pre-Nakba Aerial View![]() |
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Map Location | See location #30 on the map View from satellite |
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Military Operation | Either Operation Dani or Operation Ha'ar | |||||||||||||||||||||
Attacking Units | Eighth Battalion of the Etziyyoni Brigade | |||||||||||||||||||||
Defenders | Egyptian Muslim Brotherhoods, some Arab Liberation Army volunteers, and some local Palestinian militia. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Exodus Cause | Military assault by Zionist troops | |||||||||||||||||||||
Village Temains | Walaja was completely destroyed, only few deserted and partially destroyed houses remain standing to this date. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ethnically Cleansing | al-Walaja inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Clans | In 1850, Walaja was the home village of the powerful Darwish family, which controlled the district of Bani Hasan (Nablus) and ten other villages. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-Nakba Land Ownership |
**Town Lands' Demarcation Maps |
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Land Usage As of 1945 |
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Population |
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Number of Houses |
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Near By Towns![]() |
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Schools | One elementary school | |||||||||||||||||||||
Places of Warship | Walaja had a mosque known by the Arba'in Mosque | |||||||||||||||||||||
Nearby Wadies & Rivers | Walaja is situated on the north side of Wadi al-Sarar. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Water Supply | Many abundant wells around the village, especially in the southern parts of its lands; most of the village crops were watered by irrigation from these wells and springs, see Picture section for details. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Exculsive Jewish Colonies Who Usurped Village Lands |
'Amminadav | |||||||||||||||||||||
Featured Video | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Village Before NakbaThe village stood on a large hill on the side of a mountain, on the north side of Wadi al-Sarar, through which the Jerusalem−Jaffa railway passed. A secondary road linked it to a highway leading to Jerusalem. The name of the village (which meant 'the opening' in Arabic) probably referred to the natural opening in the mountain chain through which transportation routes passed. In 1596, al-Walaja was a village in the nahiya of Jerusalem (liwa' of Jerusalem) with a population of 655. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, olives, and fruits, as well as on other types of produce and property, such as goats, beehives, and vineyards. In 1850 al-Walaja was the home village of the powerful Darwish family, who controlled the sub-disctrict of Bani Hasan and its ten other villages. The village was damaged in November of 1853 in the course of fighting between the Darwish family and their rivals to the south, the Lahham family. In the late nineteenth century, al-Walaja was described as a 'good-sized' village built of stone that was nestled in a recess along the slope of a hill. The residents tended vegetable gardens in a ravine that ran north of the village; they also cultivated vineyards and olive trees. The village benefitted from five groups of springs which flowed nearby.The village houses were clustered together, separated only by narrow, winding alleys, and were built of stone, adobe, and cement. Towards the end of the Mandate the village had expanded considerably; new houses were constructed northeast and southeast of the village core. The people of al-Walaja were Muslims and attended a mosque known as the Arba'in mosque ('the mosque of forty'). The village had several shops and an elementary school. Quarries near the village supplied the building stone that was characteristic of the Jerusalem area. Wells were abundant around the village, especially in the southern parts of its lands; most of the village crops were watered by irrigation from these wells and springs, although some crops were watered only by rainfall. Grain was planted in the low, flat areas, while fruit trees were planted on the slopes. Olive trees yielded the village's most the important agricultural product. In 1944/45 a total of 6,205 dunums was allotted to cereals; 2,136 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Village Occupation and Ethnic CleaningOn the night of 21 October 1948, the Eighth Battalion of the Etziyyoni Brigade attacked and captured the village of al-Walaja. The attack was part of Operation Ha-Har (see 'Allar, Jerusalem sub-disctrict). An Associated Press report of 20 October stated that Egyptian and Israeli forces based southwest of Jerusalem had been 'locked in bloody fighting for the past five days.' The story said: 'The battle began with a full-scale Israeli attack on the Egyptian-held towns of El Walaja and Sharafat… when three Israeli battalions attempted to encircle the Egyptians at Bethlehem and Beit Jala….' These were Egyptian irregulars fighting alongside Palestinian guerrillas.However, the occupation of al-Walaja was not permanent, and a New York Times report on 20 October stated that the Israelis were driven out of the village by successful Arab counterattacks. The History of the War of Independence corroborates this account, noting that the village was later handed over to Israel according to the terms of the armistice agreement signed with Jordan on 3 April 1949. The Israeli army entered the village, along with three other villages in the Jerusalem area (Bayt Safafa, Battir, and al-Qabu), in the weeks following the signing of the agreement. Zionists Colonies on Village Lands'Amminadav (163128) was established on village lands in 1950.Village TodayA few stone houses still stand on the village site. Otherwise, the site is covered with stone rubble, and with almond trees that grow on the western terraces of the village and to the north. A spring in a valley west of the site still flows out of a stone-and-concrete structure (see photos). The 1948 Armistice line passed through the southern lands of the village. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) built refugee shelters and an elementary school on the land that became part of the West Bank. There is a white marker on the grave of one village woman; her first name, Fatima, is visible on it, but her last name is illegible. The village area is used as an Israeli picnic site; the Israeli Canada Park now lies north of it.SourceDr. Walid al-Khalidi, 1992: All That Remains. |
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Related Maps | Town Lands' Demarcation Maps خرائط للقضاء توضح حدود القرى والاودية Town's map on MapQuest View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia |
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Related Links | Wikipedia's Page Facebook Page Google Search Google For Images Google For Videos |
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More Information | في كتاب كي لا ننسى في كتاب بلادنا فلسطين المزيد من موقع هوية |
Display Name | Clan/Hamolah | Country of Residence |
علي الشيخ علي | الاعرج | القدس, فلسطين |
فاطمة ابو عثمان | عبد ربه - ابو عثمان | عمان, الاردن |
walajyeh | الوهادنة | عمان |
اسحاق الدراس | حجاجلة | الكويت, الكويت |
عطيه | walaji | riyadh |
Hasan Khalifa | الحجاجلة | Amman, Jordan |
صلاح الدين طارق صبحه | الوهادنة | الزرقاء, الاردن |
احمد | عبد ربه | الرصيفة |
حسين خليل شحاده | الاعرج | الكويت |
razan saifi | عبد ربة | - |
basel sabha | whdane | jordan, al-walja |
بشار صبحا | الوهادنه | عمان, عمان |
talal sabha | الوهادنه | amman |
علاء اسحق | رباح | الاردن, الاردن |
yasar daoud | - | - |
layth hamdan | - | - |
محمد صالح محمود شلعب | الأعرج | عمان, الأردن |
Bayan Abu Ali | Al-23raj | Jordan/Amman |
محمود اسماعيل خليل أبو عثمان | عبد ربه - أبو عثمان | عمان, الاردن |
سعد الصيفي | - | jordan |
ابو سلطان | الوهــادنــة - الولجي | الاردن, الولجة - القدس |
كفاح | - | عمان, الاردن |
محمد داود | عبدربه | - |
jefree | - | dubai, dubai |
شرف | عوده الصالح | JORDAN, JORDAN |
فداء دغش | عبد ربه | california, U.S.A |
Saad Abu Sheikhah | - | Dubai, UAE |
wisam shihadeh | - | - |
mohammed shihadeh | shihadeh | - |
abu teen | abu teen | - |
m7mad 7amdan | - | - |
Anaam Irsheid | Wahadneh | Amman, Jordan |
Manal Irsheid | Wahadneh | 1896, Jordan |
Moh'd AlSaifi | Abed Rabbuh | Amman |
fadwa darras | Hajajleh | california, usa |
Issam | - | ILLINOIS, USA |
مح عوض الله | الحجاجله | - |
علي الشيخ علي | الأعرج | دبي, الإمارات |
Omar Abu Dayyeh | Wahadneh | Amman, Jordan |
Basheir.Darras | hajajleh | amman, jordan |
Dua'a Al Saifi | abd rabbu | - |
wala' abukhyarah | - | الولجة |
a | Hajajlah | - |
a | Hajajlah | - |
ماهر محمد محمود دغش | عبد ربه | عمان |
حسين الجعيدي | - | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
Khaled Flaifel | - | Amman, Jordan |
anas al absi | abedrabuo | dmmam, KSA |
محمد رباح | الاعرج | الدوحة, قطر |
abla Al a'raj | Al A'raj | Amman, Jordan |
Ibrahim Abuhasan | Ala3raj | Boson, Ma, USA, USA |
ENG_ASHRAF WHDAN | whdan | jordan_amman |
عبير عمر | عبد ربه | عمان , الاردن |
محمد خضر ابو التين | - | florida |
maher rabah | - | amman |
علي الامام علي | الوهادنه | - |
ابو التين | الاعرج | - |
Muneer Al-Saifi | Abed Rabbu | Amman, Jordan |
وهيب أبو التين | الأعرج | Amman, Jordan |
محمد نظام دغش | عبد ربه | الزرقاء, الاردن |
Mahmoud Darras | Hajajleh | Amman, Jordan |
Mahmoud Al Haj | - | jordan, Amman |
ابو عادل ارشيد | وهدان | الرياض, السعودية |
اراهيم | عبد ربه | عمان, الاردن |
gigi_walajeeya | Awadallah | nj, usa |
ALBERTO DARRAS | HASSAN | Cochabamba, Bolivia |
وجيه ابوعلي | الاعرج | - |
مهندالاطرش | الاطرش | - |
yazan zahi al-shalabi | صبيح | jordan, kufor ra3i |
اية احمد ابو حسين | عبد ربه | الاردن, الاردن |
رياض عبد النبي | عبد النبي | القدس |
Aziz Ali Abu-Khiarah | Hajajleh | JORDAN |
Ali Aziz Abu-Khiarah | HAJAJLEH | JORDAN |
حاتم المصري الشيخ علي | - | - |
abo alteen | ابو التين | الولجه |
mahdi abu dahab | جمهور | بيت عنان, بيت عنان |
Rasheed Darras | Al-Hajajlah | - |
Azmi Al sheikeh | - | - |
Mohammad Hasan Khalifa | Al-Hajajleh | - |
Jamil Darras | Hajajlah | - |
Khalil Al Saifi | عبد ربه | - |
Sulieman Sabha | Wahdan | amman, Jordan |
areen fayes kamal abu keshek | - | - |
alaa azmi ibrahim alshiekh | al-araj | ramallah, plaestine |
SAID ABDELHADI DARRAS | Hajajleh | ALBERTA, CANADA |
ABO OMAR DARRAS | HAJALI | UAE, UAE |
Nabil Sari | Al-Hajajlah | Amman, Jordan |
Awad abu ali Abu Ali | al - araj | - |
Raba'a Salameh | Salameh | Jordan, Jordan |
Mohammed Abu-Khiarah | Hajajleh | Frankfurt, Germany |
Jamil Al-Saifi | Abed Rabbu | Amman, Jordan |
kuba3ee | wahdan | amman, jordan |
Ahmad Jubran | Wahadnah | Valencia, Espaٌa |
ali darras | hajajlah | amman, jordan |
khaled | wahdadneh | Zarka, jordan |
Tareq Absi | Abed Rabbu | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
Mohammed El Aydi | Wahadneh | Amman, Jordan |
yousef darras | hajajleh | jordan, jordan |
AZZAM KHALIFA | HAJAJLEH | VIRGINIA, USA |
Ra'ed Abu Rizeq | Al-A'araj | Amman, Jordan |
Moawia khalifeh | Hajajlah | - |
Nidal Khalifa | Hajajlah | - |
Alex Ali Irshaid | Wehadneh | CA, USA |