Population :
1931 : 527
1944/45 : 740
The village was situated on the southeastern slope ol Mount Kan’an, and overlooked Ghawr ( the low—lying area
around the Jordanr( between Lakes Tiberiits and al-Hula. It
was known by its present name during the
Crusader period. In 1596,
Fir’im was a village in the nahiya of Jira (Liwa` of Salad) with
a population of 446. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat,
barley, and olives, as well as on other types of produce and property such as goats, beehives, and a press that was used for processing
either olives or grapes. Travelers in the late nineteenth century described
Fir’im as a stone—built village, situated at the end of a ridge. The villagers,
who numbered about 200, cultivated small gardens and grew olives and figs.
The village was densely populated. Its stone houses
were laid out in a northwest—southeast orientaion The entire population was
Muslim. A village council, composed of representatives of the village
families, (leall with issues that affected the community. The village had a
boys’ elementary school and two olive presses. Its economy was based on
agriculture; fruit was the main crop, followed by grain. In the 1942/43 season, 700 dunuins were planted
with olive trees. Fruit trees were grown on
all sides of the village, and especially in the northeast, north, west,
and southwest. In 1944/45 a total of 700 dunums was allocated to cereals and
935 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Springs and wells provided
water for agricultural and domestic use. An archaeological site near Fir’im
contained the ruins of buildings and rock-hewn tombs.
Occupation and Depopulation
In accordance with the
plan of Operation Yiftach (see Abil al-Qamh, Safad District), Fir’im and two
other villages were sporadically mortared on the night of 2 May 1948. The
attacks were mounted on the three villages ‘‘in order that in the end the Arabs
would lice from them,” according to an Israeli military report on the
operation. But some villagers appear to have remained, for a military
intelligence report filed in June 1948 indicated that the village was evacuated
on 26 May, as a result of a direct assault. It was the declared intention of
Operation Yiftach to “cleanse” eastern Galilee of its inhabitants during the month of May. Palestinian
historian ‘Arif al-’Arif adds that the
fall of Fir’im demoralized the city of Safad.
Israeli Settlements on
Village Lands
There are no Israeli
settlements on village land. The settlement of Chatzor ha-Gelilit, established
in 1953, is about 1 km southeast of the village.
The Village
Today
The rubble of destroyed village
houses is scattered across the site. Some terraces with olive trees remain. Olive trees and cactuses
grow on the site and the surrounding lands.
Source(s):
al-Khalidi.
All That Remains