Kafr Yasif

Infobox Israel municipality
name=Kafr Yasif

---

imgsize=250
caption=Downtown Kafr Yasif
hebname=כפר יאסיף
arname=كفر ياسيف
meaning="Joseph's village"
founded=
type=lc
typefrom=1925
stdHeb=
altOffSp=Kfar Yasif
altUnoSp=Kafar Yasef
district=north
population=8,300
popyear=2005
area_dunam=3194
mayor=Awni Toma

Kafr Yasif also spelled "Kfar Yasif" or "Kafar Yasef", ( _he. כפר יאסיף; _ar. كفر ياسيف "Kufr Yaseef") is an Arab local council in the North District in Israel. It is located a few kilometers northeast of the city of Acre and adjacent to Abu Sinan. Christians make-up the majority of the population at 57%, while Muslims constitute 40% and the remaining inhabitants are Druze.

History

In 1925, Kafr Yasif was one of the few Arab villages to receive local council status during the British mandate era. In 1939 the British Army burned down half of the village in response to an attack on British soldiers. It was later discovered the militiamen were not from Kafr Yasif and the town was rebuilt with a school and a renovated city hall, which are still in use in the present-day. Prior the 19th century, there also existed a small Jewish community and cemetery. [http://www.fotw.net/flags/il-lckys.html Kafr Yasif (Israel)] Municipality Flags and Descriptions]

Kafr Yasif was captured by Israel in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War during the Haganah's offensive Operation Ben-Ami which also took control of Acre. Unlike many captured Arab towns, the majority of the Arab population did not flee the area. However during the war some residents of nearby villages mostly from al-Birwa, al-Manshiyya and Kuwaykat took refuge in Kafr Yasif. On February 28, 1949, most of the 700 refugees that had taken refuge in the town "were put into trucks and driven to the front lines, where they were forced to cross the frontier border into Lebanon." [C. Freeman, Evacuation of Refugees from Kafr Yasif March 25, 1949] [Sabri Jiryis." The Arabs in Israel" (1968). page 57.] Kafr Yasif is one of the few Arab towns in the Galilee today that has been in complete Arab ownership without confiscation of land by Israel. [ [http://www.springerlink.com/index/G318232MX841H705.pdf Arabs versus Jews in Galilee: Competition for regional resources] Ghazi Fallah]

The tomb of the monotheistic prophet, al-Khadr is located in Kafr Yasif and is annually visited by Druze on January 25. [ [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/druze.html The Druze, by Naim Aridi] Jewish Virtual Library] Al-Khadr is the Arabic name for St. George in Christianity. There are three churches and two mosques in the town. The main bishop of the town's Greek Orthodox community is Atallah Makhouli.

People associated with Kafr Yasif

* Jawad Bolous - former resident, political lawyer in East Jerusalem
* Habeeb Bolous - former resident, writer and lecturer.
* Mahmoud Darwish - received secondary education in Kafr Yasif
* Amal Murkus - resident, popular Arabic singer in Israel
* Ahmed Safia - former resident, political lawyer in East Jerusalem
* Haseeb Shehadeh - former resident, fled in 1948 and is now a researcher

See also

*List of Arab localities in Israel

References

External links

* [http://www.kfar-yasif.co.il Kfar yasif]