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Revision as of 01:16, 8 March 2006 by 68.214.35.104 (talk) (rv bad edits)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Until 1948, Al-Sarafand was an Arab village close to the Mediterranean shore south of Haifa.
It is not known when the village was founded, or how the name originated. However, from Ottoman records it is known that in the 16-th century it was a small village with 11 households. The inhabitants grew wheat, barley, summer crops such as corn, beans, melons, and vegetables, and raised goats.
In 1948 the population was about 300, predominantly Muslim. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the inhabitants fled in several stages. Most left in early May but some returned and remained until they were expelled in July. Most of the inhabitants fled to the southeast line of Wadi Ara, where the Iraqi army was stationed. Later, they crossed the Jordan River, and since then the majority of al-Sarafand’s refugees have been living in Jordan. Only one former resident of al-Sarafand remained in Israel. The village houses were not immediately demolished by the Israelis and remained empty for many years. When they were eventually destroyed, the mosque was the only building spared.
In 1999, the al-Aqsa Foundation, an organ of the Islamic Movement responsible for maintaining what it terms the “holy places,” decided to restore al-Sarafand’s mosque. Al-Aqsa activists were on the verge of completing the restoration in May 2000 when one night the mosque was destroyed by a bulldozer. The perpetrator was never identified. The activists covered the ruins by a large tent and maintained a vigil at the site. In 1999, removal of the tent was negotiated with the Israeli authorities. It was agreed that the site would be fenced to protect it, but that did not happen and the activists build a more permanent structure. The latter was demolished by the police in March 2002, but the ruined mosque continues to be used for Friday prayers.
- ^ Efrat Ben-Ze'ev and Issam Aburaiya (2004). ""Middle-ground" politcs and the re-Palestinization of places in Israel". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 36: 639–655.
- Benny Morris. The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited.