Beit Safafa
Encyclopedia
Beit Safafa is an Arab
neighborhood in south Jerusalem midway between the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Patt
and Gilo
, on the outskirts of Bethlehem
. Beit Safafa had a population of 5,463 in 2000. It covers an area of 1,577 dunam
s.
of Quds. It had a population of 41 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, grapes or fruit trees, and goats or beehives.
In the wake of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, the neighborhood was divided - with half in no man's land
and the other half in the Jordanian-occupied West Bank
. In 1967, after Israel
's victory in the Six-Day War
, the two parts of Beit Safafa were reunited. The Palestinian residents of eastern Beit Safafa hold Jerusalem ID cards and the residents of the western part hold Israeli citizenship. This has created a unique and challenging situation where Palestinians in one neighborhood hold different residency statuses.
curriculum and the Palestinian Tawjihi
curriculum. In 1997, the Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education
was founded in Beit Safafa. The school, supported by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality
, offers a bilingual curriculum in Hebrew and Arabic, with joint classes for Jewish and Arab children. The student population in 2007-2008 was 410, half Jewish and half Arab.
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
neighborhood in south Jerusalem midway between the Jerusalem neighborhoods of Patt
Pat (Jerusalem)
Pat is a neighborhood in southwestern Jerusalem, Israel, located between Katamon and Beit Safafa.-History:The Pat neighborhood is named for Yaacov Pat, a commander of the Haganah....
and Gilo
Gilo
Gilo is a neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem with a population of 40,000, mostly Jewish. It is one of the five ring neighborhoods of Jerusalem and is built on land in the West Bank that was annexed to Israel in 1980 under the Jerusalem Law. The international community regards it as an...
, on the outskirts of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. Beit Safafa had a population of 5,463 in 2000. It covers an area of 1,577 dunam
Dunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
s.
History
In 1596, Beit Safafa appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the LiwaLiwa (arabic)
Liwa or Liwa is an Arabic term meaning district, banner, or flag, a type of administrative division. It was interchangeable with the Turkish term "Sanjak" in the time of the Ottoman Empire. After the fall of the empire, the term was used in the Arab countries formerly under Ottoman rule...
of Quds. It had a population of 41 Muslim households and paid taxes on wheat, barley, olives, grapes or fruit trees, and goats or beehives.
In the wake of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, the neighborhood was divided - with half in no man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
and the other half in the Jordanian-occupied West Bank
Rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan
The West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied by Jordan for a period of nearly two decades starting from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In 1950, the British extended formal recognition to the union between the Hashemite Kingdom and of that part of Palestine under Jordanian occupation and control -...
. In 1967, after Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's victory in the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, the two parts of Beit Safafa were reunited. The Palestinian residents of eastern Beit Safafa hold Jerusalem ID cards and the residents of the western part hold Israeli citizenship. This has created a unique and challenging situation where Palestinians in one neighborhood hold different residency statuses.
Education
Beit Safafa has three schools: Beit Safafa Elementary School, Beit Safafa High School and al-Salam School, a school for special needs children. Beit Safafa schools follow both the Israeli BagrutBagrut
Te'udat Bagrut is the official Israeli matriculation certificate. The bagrut is similar to the British A-levels, German Abitur, French Baccalauréat, and Austrian Matura...
curriculum and the Palestinian Tawjihi
Tawjihi
Tawjihi is the general secondary examination in Jordan, West Bank and Gaza, part of education in Jordan and education in Palestine.Upon graduation, the ministry of Higher Education, through a system similar to that of the United Kingdom tariff points, transforms the Grades/Marks of these foreign...
curriculum. In 1997, the Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education
Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish Arab Education in Israel
Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel is a network of award-winning bilingual schools where Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel can study together...
was founded in Beit Safafa. The school, supported by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality
Safra Square
Safra Square is Jerusalem's city hall public square named after Jacob and Esther Safra, parents of Edmond J. Safra, a Jewish philanthropist who contributed generously to the renovation of downtown Jerusalem.-Location:...
, offers a bilingual curriculum in Hebrew and Arabic, with joint classes for Jewish and Arab children. The student population in 2007-2008 was 410, half Jewish and half Arab.