Israeli occupation date: May 15, 1948 . No traces of Arab houses are left behind. ‘
Atlit inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed. According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
“No traces of Arab houses are left. A railroad station that used to serve the village is still in use. A prison in the vicinity was used by Israel in 1989 for holding Lebanese and Palestinian detainees.”
During the Hellenistic period, ‘Atlit was known by Adarus. In 1296, descendants of the ‘Uwayrat tribe (a Tatar tribe) settled in ‘Atlit and its vicinity. Wadi al-Tabun, wadi al-Sukhul, and Wadi Falah are bordering the village. ‘Atlit contained a Crusades Castle called Castle Peregrinorum (castle of the pilgrims), and a Muslim cemetery east of the Crusader castle which has an Arabic inscription dating to 1800s.
Israeli settlements on town lands: ‘Atlit and Newe Yam. The number of houses in 1931 were 193.
Land ownership before occupation
| Ethnic Group | Land Ownership (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| Arab | 15 |
| Jewish | 5,262 |
| Public | 3,806 |
| Total | 9,083 |
Land usage in 1945
| Land Usage Type | Arab (Dunum) | Jewish (Dunum) |
|---|---|---|
| Irrigated & Plantation | 11 | 1,262 |
| Planted W/ Cereal | 247 | 3,169 |
| Built up | 0 | 124 |
| Cultivable | 258 | 4,431 |
| Non-Cultivable | 3,563 | 707 |
Population before occupation
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 19th century | 200 |
| 1931 | 452 |
| 1945 | 660 (510 Jewish) |
| 1948 | 174 |
| Est. Refugees 1998 | 1,069 |
Source: Palestineremembered.com
