Jib, Jerusalem

Infobox Palestinian Authority muni
name=al-Jib


imgsize=
caption=
arname=الجيب
meaning=none; root is similar to that of Gibeon
founded=
type=mund
typefrom=
altOffSp=al-Jib
altUnoSp=al-Jeeb, el-Jib, el-Jeeb
governorate=jl
latd=31|latm=51|lats=06.26|latNS=N
longd=35|longm=11|longs=01.39|longEW=E
population=about 4,700
popyear=2006
area=9,879
areakm=9.9
mayor=

al-Jib ( _ar. الجيب, pronounced 'Al Jeeb') is a Palestinian village in the Jerusalem Governorate, located ten kilometers northwest of Jerusalem,cite book|author=Mariam Shahin|title=Palestine: A Guide|year=2005|publisher=Interlink Books|isbn=156656557X|page=335] in the seam zone of the West Bank.cite web|title=West Bank Closures - Jerusalem|publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|date=March 2004|accessdate=2007-05-12|url=http://www.osa.ceu.hu/galeria/the_divide/cpt18files/jerusalem_closure0304_600.pdf] According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Jib had a population of approximately 4,700 inhabitants in 2006. [ [http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/populati/pop08.aspx Projected Mid -Year Population for Jerusalem Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics] The modern town is identified with the ancient city of Gibeon.

History

The identification of al-Jib with the ancient Canaanite city of Gibeon, conjectured since the 17th century, was attested to by Hebrew inscriptions unearthed in 1956.E. Stern (ed.), "The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land", article "Gibeon", Israel Exploration Society & Carta (1993), Vol 2, pp511-514.]

The present village of al-Jib has existed at least since 1225, when it was described by the geographer Yâkût as having two fortresses standing close together. [Guy Le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems (Palestine Exploration Fund, 1890).]

Al-Jib is on the list of "Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites in the West Bank Governorates" compiled by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOCIP) of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) due to the excavations of ancient Gibeon.cite web|title=List of Palestinian Cultural & Archeological Sites|publisher=Jerusalem Media and Communication Center|accessdate=2007-05-12|url=http://www.jmcc.org/palculture/go.htm#jib] During the second Intifada, the Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE) brought together Palestinian youth and elders from the surrounding villages to repair and restore the ancient water pool and other sites around the village.cite web|title=Palestinian Work to Preserve Historic Sites|author=Adel Yahya|publisher=The Daily Star's Outlook Magazine|date=18 February 2004|accessdate=2007-05-12|url=http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~bporter/yahya.pdf]

Recent developments

After the 1948 termination of the British Mandate of Palestine, Jordan took over al-Jib as part of the West Bank, whose control passed to Israel after the 1967 Six-Day war. The large urban Israeli settlement bloc of Giv'at Ze'ev-Giv'on, established in 1977-1978, and Giv'on Hadashah, established in 1985, is located to the village's west.cite web|title=Israel's Segregation Wall Encircles Three Palestinian Villages in Northwest Jerusalem|publisher=Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ)|date=7 May 2005|accessdate=2007-05-12|url=http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=566] The Oslo Accords of the mid-1990s saw al-Jib come under the PNA's control as 'Area B'.These Accords designated al-Jib as part of Area B, giving the PNA control over civilian matters, with Israel retaining control over security matters.

Part of the construction route proposed for the Israeli West Bank barrier during the al-Aqsa Intifada would completely surround al-Jib and two other villages, forming an enclave. One effect is that it would prevent the Palestinian residents without Israeli citizenship or permanent residency cards from using the nearby road-system serving Jerusalem and nearby Israeli settlements. [http://www.btselem.org/english/Separation_Barrier/20061126_Bir_Nabala.asp Separation Barrier: High Court approves Bir Nabalah enclave] , B'Tselem, November 26, 2006]

Israel announced that it intends to build two alternate roads that will link the enclave to the rest of the West Bank to prevent its complete isolation. One will connect the enclave with Ramallah, which lies to its north, while the other will connect al-Jib to the Bedouin area, which lies to its west, by means of three underground passageways and two bridges. The road's construction will require complex engineering work and will cost tens of millions of shekels, so it is likely that the project will take a long time, if ever, to complete.

B'Tselem argues that because thousands of the enclave's residents hold Israeli identity cards, they are entitled to free access to East Jerusalem by law, and that the barrier thus "will severely impair [their] human rights" by cutting off direct access.

References