Beit She’an during the British Mandate

Abstract

This article discusses an eighty year period of the rise and fall of Beit She’an (Beisan), especially during the British Mandate (1918-1948), and arrives at a number of conclusions.

Beisan’s population tripled from 1,941 (1922) to 6,009 (1948) because of two main factors: land ownership reform and the construction of the Hejaz railway that linked Beisan to the Port of Haifa on the Mediterranean. The land reform transferred large tracts to the private property of the Turkish Sultan Abdul al Hamid, who exploited the abundance of water, fertile soil, and ideal climate to develop agriculture. Beisan sat on the crossroads between Palestine, Jordan, and Syria, which also led to the influx of new families.

Beisan’s social structure differed from that of other cities: it lacked the typical urban ‘notables’ class. Most of the population worked in agriculture rather than commerce.

The population was not particularly politically active. The dominant political movement in the city identified with the Palestinian opposition, which explains the considerable influence that Amir Abdullah of Transjordan wielded over the city. Beisan’s leaders mainly focused on internal issues.

Beisan was relatively quiet during the 1948 War, partly because of its geographical distance from the center of national activity. Although the city signed a surrender treaty, the majority of its residents were forced to leave their homes and seek safety in Jordan where they and their descendents still dwell. Only a few hundred live in Nazareth today and only a few isolated buildings remain of this once prosperous Arab city.