- I'billin
Infobox Israel municipality
name=I'billin
imgsize=
hebname=אעבלין
arname=إعبلين
meaning=
founded=
type=lc
typefrom=
stdHeb=
altOffSp=
altUnoSp=
district=north
population=11,000
popyear=2006
area_dunam=18000mayor=
I'billin ( _he. אעבלין, _ar. إعبلين) is a local council in the Northern District of
Israel . The municipality was established it 1960. The municipality's area is 18,000dunam s. The population was estimated at 11,000 residents (estimate of December 2006). The annual population growth rate was 0.8%. Most of the residents areArab Israelis ; 51.1% of whom areMuslim and 48.9%Christian .The economic status of the population is much lower than average (2 out of 10). The proportion of high school students who achieve a passing grade at the matriculation exams is 50.0% (2000). The mean income was NIS 3,539 (over the year 2000), as compared to a national average of NIS 6,835.
History
The village existed in ancient times. It is mentioned in the
Talmud and theMishna under the name "Avlayim".During the Crusades, the village was named "Beit Abelin".The village is sacred to local Catholics, as it is believed by them that during the 19th century a girl named Miriam of
Hurfeish saw theVirgin Mary in the village.In the village
Akilla Aga , a Bedouin ruler of the area is buried, as well as the family ofDhaher el-Omar .In 1965 Abuna
Elias Chacour , aPalestinian fromKafr Bir'im who later became theArchbishop ofGalilee , arrived as a young priest. He saw the lack of educational opportunities for Arab youth beyond the 8th grade, and he set about creating a school open to all local children, regardless of religious affiliation. This developed into theMar Elias Educational Institutions .See also
*
List of Arab localities in Israel
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