al-Bikai'a
al-Bikai'a | |
|---|---|
Village Cluster | |
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | البقيعة |
| • Latin | al-Buqei'a (official) |
al-Bikai'a Location of al-Bikai'a within Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 32°15′53.38″N 35°26′12.98″E / 32.2648278°N 35.4369389°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Tubas |
| Founded | 1500 BCE |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village Cluster (from 1996) |
| Area | |
• Total | 29.5 km2 (11.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 1,850 |
| • Density | 62.7/km2 (162/sq mi) |
Al-Bikai'a also spelled al-Buqei'a (Arabic: البقيعة) is a Palestinian village cluster in the Tubas Governorate of the State of Palestine, that includes the three hamlets of Khirbet al-'Atuf, al-Hadidiyah, and Khirbet Humsa al-Fawqa. The area spans 29,250 dunams, most of which is covered by Khirbet al-'Atuf. It is situated on a flat plain surrounded by mountains and with an altitude of 50 meters above sea level. The total population of al-Bikai'a was 227 in 1997 and 1,850 in 2005.[1] According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Hadidya had a population of 183 inhabitants.[2]
The Abu Bakr as-Sadiq Mosque is the only mosque in al-Bikai'a and is located in Khirbet al-'Atuf. There is one school, and one kindergarten. Most residents go to nearby Tammun for education. About 72.3% of the inhabitants are literate with women comprising nearly two-thirds of the literate population. Agriculture constitutes 95% of the labor force while the remaining 5% work in Israeli construction.[1]
History
Al-Bikai'a has been settled since the Ottoman era of rule in Palestine. The villages in the area were abandoned including one named al-Sakaif. Eventually Arabs from nearby Tammun, mainly the Bani Odeh and Bsharat families settled in the area. Khirbet al-'Atuf was named after 'Atif, an Ayyubid soldier who died during the Crusades and al-Hadidiya was named after its black soil.[1]
Government
Khirbet al-'Atuf is the only locality in the al-Bikai'a cluster that has a governing committee. It consists of four elected members and one paid employee. Its responsibilities include purchasing and distributing water to its residents, opening roads and providing electricity to the residents.
Israeli Settler violence
On 16 and 22 December 2025, settlers linked to a newly established outpost carried out two separate raids on Al Hadidiya, which has about 70 residents. In the 16 December incident, settlers cut and damaged electrical wiring connected to a donor-funded solar power system that provides electricity to two of the roughly nine households in the community’s western section. [3]
On 22 December, settlers were reported to have entered animal shelters, harassed residents, and compelled families to remove fodder and water troughs, claiming these were positioned too close to fencing surrounding the outpost. Local sources said settlers scattered the livestock using all-terrain vehicles and stole at least seven watering troughs. OCHA reported that incidents in Al Hadidiya increased following the establishment of an outpost within the community’s boundaries on 24 November 2025, after which residents described near-daily raids, harassment, and threats.[3]
References
- ^ a b c Al-Bikai'a Villages Profile Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem. February 2006.
- ^ Projected Mid -Year Population for Tubas District by Locality 2004- 2006 Archived 2008-04-24 at the Wayback Machine Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ a b "Humanitarian Situation Update #350". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Occupied Palestinian Territory. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
External links
- Survey of Western Palestine, 1880 Map, Map 12: IAA, Wikimedia commons