Nabi Ilyas (Arabic: قرية النبي الياس) is a Palestinian village in the Qalqilya Governorate of the State of Palestine, in the western West Bank, located two kilometers east of Qalqilya. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, an Nabi Ilyas had a population of 1,399 inhabitants in 2017.[2] 25.6% of the population of an Nabi Ilyas were refugees in 1997.[4]

Nabi Ilyas
Arabic transcription(s)
 • Arabicقرية النبي الياس
 • LatinNabi Ilyas (official)
Kherbit an-Nabi al-Yas (unofficial)
Nabi Ilyas is located in State of Palestine
Nabi Ilyas
Nabi Ilyas
Location of an Nabi Elyas within Palestine
Coordinates: 32°11′04″N 35°00′57″E / 32.18444°N 35.01583°E / 32.18444; 35.01583
Palestine grid151/176
State State of Palestine
GovernorateQalqilya
Government
 • TypeVillage council
Elevation187 m (614 ft)
Population
 (2017)[2]
 • Total
1,399
Name meaningThe prophet Elias[3]

The health care facilities for an Nabi Ilyas are in Qalqilya designated as MoH level 4 there are also two clinics one run by the UNRWA and one run by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.[5]

Location

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An Nabi Ilyas is located 5.06 km east of Qalqiliya. It is bordered by ‘Izbat at Tabib and ‘Isla to the east, Ras at Tira and ‘Izbat al Ashqar to the south, ‘Arab Abu Farda to the west, and Jayyus to the north.[1]

History

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The village is situated on an ancient site. Cisterns, and graves cut into rock have been found here, together with ceramics from the Byzantine era.[6]

Ottoman era

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Nabi Ilyas was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 it appeared in the tax registers under the name of Ilyas, as being in the Nahiya of Bani Sa'b of the Liwa of Nablus. It was noted as hali, empty, but a fixed tax rate of 33,3% was paid on agricultural products; a total of 1,200 akçe.[7]

In 1882 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Neby Elyas (under "Archæology") as: "Walls and wells, with a ruined kubbeh."[8]

British Mandate era

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In the 1945 statistics, during the British Mandate of Palestine, the population was counted under Azzun.[9][10][11][12]


 
Nabi Ilyas 1943 1:20,000

Jordanian era

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In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Nabi Ilyas came under Jordanian rule.

In 1961, the population of Nabi Ilyas was 223.[13]

 
Portion of West Bank showing Qalqilya and Hableh-Ras Atiya enclaves

1967-present

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Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Nabi Ilyas has been under Israeli occupation.

After the 1995 accords, 2.7% of Nabi Ilyas land has been defined as Area B land, while the remaining 97.3% is Area C.[14]

Israel confiscated 1,943 dunums of village land (43.8% of the total village lands) for the Israeli settlement of Alfei Menashe, in addition to confiscating land from other neighbouring Palestinian villages. The Separation Wall would further separate the village from much of its land.[15]

By 2009 Israeli consumers were using Nabi Ilyas for bargain hunting. Jewish shoppers, who were kept out of the main Palestinian cities by Israeli security regulations, were drawn by the cheap prices for groceries, furniture and dental treatment that are on offer in Nabi Ilyas.[16][17]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b An Nabi Elyas Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 4
  2. ^ a b Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  3. ^ Palmer, 1881, p. 188
  4. ^ Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
  5. ^ "Health care Facilities West Bank" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2006-03-13. Retrieved 2016-05-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ Dauphin, 1998, p. 801
  7. ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 140
  8. ^ Conder and Kitchener, 1882, p. 210
  9. ^ Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 20
  10. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 74
  11. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 124
  12. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 174
  13. ^ Government of Jordan, 1964, p. 27
  14. ^ An Nabi Elyas Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 16
  15. ^ An Nabi Elyas Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 17
  16. ^ Mohammed Assadi (April 26, 2009). "Palestinian village welcomes Israeli shoppers". Reuters.
  17. ^ Palestinian village profits from influx of Israeli shoppers Haaretz

Bibliography

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