Burqa, Ramallah

Burqa is located {{convert|5|km|mi|sp=us}} (horizontally) east of Ramallah. It is bordered by Deir Dibwan to the east and north, Beitin to the north, Al-Bireh to the west, and Mukhmas and Kafr 'Aqab to the south.

In 1596, Burqa appeared in Ottoman tax registers as being in the Nahiya of Quds of the Liwa of Quds. It had a population of 28 Muslim households. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, olives, fruit trees, goats and/or beehives; a total of 4,940 akçe.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 112

In 1838 Edward Robinson noted it as a Muslim village, Burka, located in the area immediately north of Jerusalem,Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, 2nd appendix, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/122/mode/1up 122] seeing it "high up on the hill-side".Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearc00smitgoog#page/n140/mode/1up 118]

In 1863 Victor Guérin found it to contain about thirty houses. A Muslim shrine devoted to Sheikh Youseph was also noted.Guérin, 1869, p. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr06gugoog#page/n70/mode/1up 57]

An Ottoman village list from about 1870 showed that Burka had a population of 152, with a total of 31 houses, though the population count included men, only.Socin, 1879, p. [https://archive.org/stream/zeitschriftdesde01deut#page/149/mode/1up 149] It was also noted to be in the Bire district, located {{frac|1|1|2}}-hours southeast of the townHartmann, 1883, p. [https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_BZobAQAAIAAJ#page/n935/mode/1up 127] also noted 31 houses In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Burkah as "a good-sized village standing high on a bare hillside, with a spring in the valley to the south."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/9/mode/1up 9]

In 1896 the population of Burka was estimated to be about 270 people.Schick, 1896, p. [https://archive.org/stream/zeitschriftdesde19deut#page/n228/mode/1up 121]

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Burqa had a population of 268, all Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n18/mode/1up 16] increasing in the 1931 census, to 320, still all Muslim, in 66 houses.Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 48].

In the 1945 statistics, the population was 380, all Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p26.jpg 26] while the total land area was 6,001 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Ramallah/Page-064.jpg 64] Of this, 1,297 dunams were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 2,460 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Ramallah/Page-111.jpg 111] while 22 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Ramallah/Page-161.jpg 161]

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

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 582 inhabitants.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p24.pdf 24]

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

After the 1995 accords, 8.5% of the village land was defined as Area B land, while the remaining 91.5% was defined as Area C.[https://web.archive.org/web/20171019000836/http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/vprofile/Burqa_vp_en.pdf Burqa Village profile], ARIJ, p. 16 Israel has confiscated land from Burqa for the construction of the Israeli settlement of Kokhav Ya'akov.

The outpost Migron, Mateh Binyamin was located east of Burqa, on land registered as privately owned by inhabitants of Burqa and Deir Dibwan. In 2012 Migron was evacuated and since then the area is deserted.{{Cite web|url=http://www.peacenow.org.il/site/en/peace.asp?pi=370&docid=2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023034239/http://www.peacenow.org.il/site/en/peace.asp?pi=370&docid=2006 |title=Peace now|archive-date=October 23, 2007}}[http://www.haaretz.com/news/state-migron-outpost-to-be-evacuated-within-six-months-1.237835 State: Migron outpost to be evacuated within six months], 23 January 2008, By Yuval Boaz, Ha'aretz[http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Settlers-leaders-to-vote-on-moving-Migron-outpost Settlers leaders to vote on moving Migron outpost] 7 August 2008, By Tovah Lazaroff, Jpost[https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/24/world/in-battle-over-a-settlement-it-s-israelis-vs-israelis.html?pagewanted=all In Battle Over a Settlement, It's Israelis vs. Israelis] 24 December 2003, By Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

The village often experiences harassment from settlers that includes armed invasions of the village and attacks on residents,burning cars and houses{{Cite web |date=April 2024 |title=Under Israeli army watch: Illegal settlers attack village near Ramallah |url=https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/under-israeli-army-watch-illegal-settlers-attack-village-near-ramallah-17871689}} and destruction of crops and livestock.{{Cite web |title=Ramallah: Settlers burn vast areas of land in the village of Burqa |url=https://www.alquds.com/en/posts/124014 |website=7 June 2024}} In August 2023, a resident of the village was killed by a settler who entered with a herd a private field belonging to the local resident.{{Cite web |title=Protection of Civilians Report {{!}} 25 July – 7 August 2023 |url=https://www.ochaopt.org/poc/25-july-7-august-2023#:~:text=On%204%20August%2C%20armed%20Israeli,and%20the%20injury%20of%20others. |website=OCHA}}

File:Arson of fields by settlers in Burqa.webm

{{reflist|25em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book | editor =Barron, J.B. | title = Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922|url=https://archive.org/details/PalestineCensus1922 | publisher = Government of Palestine | year = 1923}}
• {{cite book|last1=Conder|first1=C.R.|author-link1=Claude Reignier Conder|last2=Kitchener|first2=H.H.|author-link2=Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|year=1883|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp03conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology|location=London|publisher=Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund|volume=3}}
• {{cite book | title = First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population | author = Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics | year = 1964|url=http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf}}
• {{cite book|title=Village Statistics, April, 1945 |url=http://web.nli.org.il/sites/nli/Hebrew/library/Pages/BookReader.aspx?pid=856390|author=Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics|year=1945}}
• {{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|author-link=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr06gugoog|volume=1: Judee, pt. 3|year=1869|publisher= L'Imprimerie Nationale|location=Paris|language=fr}}
• {{cite book|title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|first=S.|last=Hadawi|author-link=Sami Hadawi|year=1970|publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center}}
• {{cite journal | last = Hartmann | first =M.| author-link = Martin Hartmann | title = Die Ortschaftenliste des Liwa Jerusalem in dem türkischen Staatskalender für Syrien auf das Jahr 1288 der Flucht (1871) | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 6 | pages = 102–149 | url =https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_BZobAQAAIAAJ | year = 1883}}
• {{cite book | last1= Hütteroth |first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth |first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah| title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ | year = 1977 | publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft|isbn= 3-920405-41-2}}
• {{cite book | editor = Mills, E. | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas | publisher = Government of Palestine | location = Jerusalem | year = 1932}}
• {{cite book|last=Palmer|first=E.H.|author-link=Edward Henry Palmer|year=1881|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp00conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer|publisher=Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund}}
• {{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearc00smitgoog |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838| location=Boston|publisher=Crocker & Brewster|volume=2}}
• {{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838| location=Boston|publisher=Crocker & Brewster|volume=3}}
• {{cite journal | last = Schick | first =C.| author-link = Conrad Schick | title = Zur Einwohnerzahl des Bezirks Jerusalem | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 19 | pages = 120–127 | url =https://archive.org/details/zeitschriftdesde19deut | year = 1896}}
• {{cite journal | last = Socin | first =A.| author-link = Albert Socin | title = Alphabetisches Verzeichniss von Ortschaften des Paschalik Jerusalem | journal = Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins | volume = 2 | pages = 135–163 | url = https://archive.org/details/zeitschriftdesde01deut | year = 1879}}

{{refend}}

• [http://www.palestineremembered.com/GeoPoints/Burqa_930/index.html Welcome To Burqa]
• Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: [http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8379 IAA], Wikimedia commons
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170911210318/http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/factsheet/Burqa_vp_en.pdf Burqa Village (fact sheet)], Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20171019000836/http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/vprofile/Burqa_vp_en.pdf Burqa Village profile], ARIJ
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205211/http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/images/english/Burqa_ap_en.jpg Burqa - aerial photo], ARIJ
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140907122835/http://vprofile.arij.org/ramallah/pdfs/needsfordevelopment/Burqa_vp_en.pdf Locality Development Priorities and Needs in Burqa Village], ARIJ
• [http://poica.org/2008/10/the-delusion-of-evacuating-migron-outpost/ The Delusion of evacuating Migron Outpost], 15, October, 2008, POICA
• [http://poica.org/2011/05/israeli-colonists-uproot-olive-trees-in-burqa-ramallah-governorate/ Israeli Colonists Uproot Olive Trees in Burqa – Ramallah Governorate] 14, May, 2011, POICA
• [http://poica.org/2012/07/colonists-use-fraud-to-capture-lands-2/ Colonists Use Fraud to Capture Lands] 05, July, 2012, POICA
• [http://poica.org/2014/02/meron-colonists-destroy-31-olive-trees-in-burqa-village/ Me'ron colonists destroy 31 olive trees in Burqa Village], 07/02/2014, POICA
• [https://unispal.un.org/DPA/DPR/unispal.nsf/vDateDoc/?SearchView&Query=%20and%20Burqa&Start=1&Count=20 Unipal: Burqa]

{{Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate}}

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Category:Villages in the West Bank

Category:Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate

Category:Municipalities of Palestine