Beit Ijza (, also spelled Bayt Ijza); is a village in the Jerusalem Governorate in the central West Bank with an area of 2,526 dunams. Located approximately six miles north of Jerusalem, it had a population of 698 in 2007 and 854 by 2017.Population, Housing and Establishment Census 2007. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). 2008. Retrieved on 2012-02-27.

Location Beit Ijza is located north-west of Jerusalem, bordered by Al Jib to the east and Al Jib lands to the north, Beit Duqqu to the west, and Biddu to the south.

History Ottoman era Beit Izja has its earliest mention in a record from 1538/9, where it was listed as a mazra'a (farm).Grossman, D. (1986). "Oscillations in the Rural Settlement of Samaria and Judaea in the Ottoman Period". in Shomron studies. Dar, S., Safrai, S., (eds). Tel Aviv: Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House. p. 361 In 1596 it appeared in the tax registers as being in the nahiya of Al-Quds in the liwa of Al-Quds under the name of Bayt Iza. It had a population of 6 household;Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 119 who were all Muslims. They paid a fixed Ziamet tax-rate of 33.3% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, vineyards, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 2,500 akçe.

In 1738 Richard Pococke named it Beteser, seeing it "on the hill to the east of the valley".Pococke, 1745, vol 2, p. 49 NB "east" is probable typo for "west"

In 1838, it was described as a Muslim village, located in the Beni Malik area, west of Jerusalem.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 124

In 1883 the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Beit Izza as: "a village of moderate size on a hill with a spring at some distance to the west."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 16

British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, "Bait Izza" had a population of 59 Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Jerusalem, p. 15 decreasing slightly in the 1931 census to 54 Muslims, in 14 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 38

In the 1945 statistics Beit Ijza had a population of 70 Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 24 with a total of 2,550 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 56 Of this, Arabs used 122 dunams for plantations and irrigable land, 922 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 101 while 8 dunams were built-up (urban) land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 151

Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Beit Ijza came under Jordanian rule.

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 129 inhabitants in Beit Ijza.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 23

Post 1967 Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Beit Ijza has been under Israeli occupation.

Under the 1995 Oslo II Accord, 6.7% of the total village area was classified as Area B, and the remaining 93.3% classified as Area C, under full Israeli control. Israel has confiscated land in Beit Ijza for settlements, including Giv'at Ze'ev and Giv'on Ha'hadasha. In addition, the separation wall extends onto Beit Ijza land, leaving 980 dunums, (or 38.1% of the total village's area), behind the wall, on the Israeli side. The Palestinian owners of the land must rely on Israeli permission to access their land. Permission is only granted to the property owner, often elderly people, leaving them unable to hire help to work the land. Beit Ijza village profile, 2012, ARIJ, pp. 16-17 One family in Beit Ijza lives with walls on all sides of its property due to extensive land expropriations by Israel.

Shrine Tawfiq Canaan found a Maqam (shrine) for en-nabi Yusif, on a spot which dominated Beit Ijza.Canaan, 1927, pp. 4, 17, 294, 295

References

Bibliography

(pp. 17 - 18: this shows Beit Ijza, according to Pringle, 2009, p. 234) (p. 234)

External links Welcome to Bayt Ijza Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons Bayt Ijza village (fact sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Beit Ijza village profile, ARIJ Beit Ijza aerial photo, ARIJ Locality Development Priorities and Needs in Beit Ijza, ARIJ POICA