Occupation date; 14th of July 1948. The village has been mostly destroyed with the exception of the two village churches and
the village mosque.
According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are: “The village site is now covered with a pine forest planted by the Jewish National Fimd and dedicated to the memory of prorninent Jews and some non-Jewish Americans and Europeans. A military base is also on the site. The mosque and two churches still stand, and are used intermittently as cow sheds by the residents of Kibbutz Kefar ha-Choresh. Overlooking Wadi al-Halabi, between the village site and the site of al-Mujaydil, is an Israeli plastics factory. Cactus, olive trees, and fig trees grow on the site, which is strewn with piles of stones. A few tombs in the Muslim cemetery across from the mosque can be seen. The main village site also contains the remains of houses.”
The Crusaders referred to the village by Maula. The village had a magnificent Roman mausoleum sometimes called Qasr al-Dayr. Migdal ha-‘Emeq, Kefar ha-Choresh, Timrat, and an Israeli military base.
Ma’lul inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Land ownership before occupation
| Ethnic Group | Land Ownership (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| Arab | 1,949 |
| Jewish | 2,719 |
| Public | 30 |
| Total | 4,698 |
Land usage in 1945
| Land Usage Type | Arab (Dunum) | Jewish (Dunum) |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated & Plantation | 650 | 0 |
| Area planted w/ olives | 700 | 0 |
| Planted W/ Cereal | 784 | 2,678 |
| Built up | 29 | 35 |
| Cultivable | 1,434 | 2,678 |
| Non-Cultivable | 516 | 6 |
Population before occupation
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1596 | 77 |
| 19th century | 280 |
| 1912 | 296 |
| 1922 | 346 |
| 1931 | 390 |
| 1945 | 690 |
| 1948 | 800 |
| Est. Refugees 1998 | 4,915 |
Bibliography:
– History of Palestine – The Last Two Thousand Years by Jacob De Haas
– All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 194 by Dr.Khalidi, Walid
