Info
District: Tulkarm
Population 1948: 530
Occupation date: 01/04/1948
Jewish settlements on village/town land before 1948: None
Jewish settlements on village/town land after 1948: Ganot Hadar, Shikun Vatikim (Netanya)
Background:
Before 1948:
The village lay on a slightly elevated hill on an undulating terrain that overlooked the coastal plain. Secondary roads link the village to nearby highways that crossed the country from north to south and east to west, providing the village with full connection to Tulkarm. The village lays 0.5km north of the Crusader village of Arthabec, which is situated in the site of al-Mughayr.
The people of Khirbat Bayt Lid were Muslims and maintained a mosque. A unique function of the village was the community elementary school, which was maintained totally by the villagers themselves. Water was drawn from a deep well and the village relied primarily on agriculture based on grain, melons, peanuts, potatoes, and olives.
Occupation and Depopulation:
The earliest incident at the village during the war was reported on 14 February by the Palestinian press. On that day the newspaper Filastin stated that a village woman was shot and wounded by unknown assailants. Israeli historian Benny Morris says that the villagers of Khirbat Bayt Lid evacuated “out of fear and isolation” on 5 April. Morris also states that many residents of the coastal area were forcibly expelled over the following weeks, and that the village had already been targeted by Plan Dalet for occupation by the Alexandroni Brigade.
Israeli Settlements on Village Lands:
Nordiyya was established on the village site in 1948. Gannot Hadar was established in 1964, which is about 0.5 km northeast, just off village lands.
The Village Today:
The village site is covered with orchards (mainly citrus). A few olive trees remain, while the surrounding land is planted in citrus and other fruits.
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Source: al-Khalidi, Walid (ed.). All that remains: the Palestinian villages occupied and depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington DC: 1992.
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