Lazzaza
Population :
1931 :
176
1944/45 : 330(230 Arabs, 100 Jews) (includes Beyt
Hillel)
Lazzaza Before 1948
The village was located on flat terrain
next to the al-Hasibani River, in the northern section of the al-Hula
Plain. In the late nineteenth century,
travelers described Lazzaza as a village built of adobe bricks and situated on
a plain near a river. The population was about 70. The village had its own
elementary school, in which 26 students were enrolled in 1945. Most of the
residents of Lazzaza were Muslims. Their land was fertile and well-suited for
agriculture, which was their main source of livelihood. Onions, corn, and
fruits were their main crops, although they also raised live-stock, kept bees,
and fished. In 1944/45 they allocated a total of 95 dunums to cereals; 235
dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
The depopulation of Lazzaza is attributed
to the “whispering campaign” (a form of psychological warfare) that was devised
by Palmach commander Yigal Allon and implemented during Operation Yiftach (see
Abil al-Qamh, Safad District). According to Israeli historian Benny Morris,
threats were conveyed to villagers in the eastern Galilee while Operation
Yiftach was in progress. But there is some doubt as to the plausibility of this
account. While the people of Lazzaza were reported to have fled on 21 May 1948,
the “whispering campaign” was implemented somewhat earlier, between 10 and 15
May, according to Allon himself
The settlement of Beyt Hillel was established in 1940, just to the northwest of the village site but not on village land.
The Vifiage Today
Only a few scattered stones remain on the village site. The surrounding lands are cultivated by the residents of Beyt Hillel.
Source(s):
al-Khalidi. All That Remains
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