Baraashit (), also spelt Brashit,A proper noun used to designate a place, according to Palmer 1881, p. 19 is a municipality located in the Nabatiye Governorate, in the Bint Jbeil District of southern Lebanon, ca. southeast of Tibnin and about from Beirut. Baraachit, Lebanon – General Facts The village sits on an elevation of above sea level. The town has a mixed population of Shi'a and Christians.

History Baraashit is identified with Barashta (), a place referenced in the Baraita on the "Boundaries of the Land of Israel" as part of the delineation of the northwestern border of Jewish resettlement following the return from Babylonian exile. Scholarly analysis suggests that this text likely describes a later era, possibly the Hasmonean or Herodian periods, during the 2nd or 1st century BCE. Additionally, the place is documented in the 3rd-century Mosaic of Rehob.

By 64 BCE, the region had come under the control of the Roman Empire.The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 1, Chicago 1982, p. 151; The World Book Encyclopedia, vol. 12, Chicago 2002, p. 172; Jūrj Marʻī Ḥaddād, Baalbak, North and South Lebanon: Description, History and Tourist Guide, Damascus 1956, p. 10 The area was also known since the Muslim conquest as Jabal 'Amilah, and later as Jabal 'Amil (Jabal Amel), an area that shoulders the Galilee and overlooks Land of Israel, with a predominant Shi'ite population.Carole H. Dagher, Bring Down the Walls: Lebanon's Post-War Challenge, New York 2000, p. 32

Ottoman era In 1596, the village Bra'sit was named in the Ottoman nahiya (subdistrict) of Tibnin under the Liwa Safad, with a population of 45 households and 7 bachelors, all Muslim. The villagers paid taxes on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, olive trees, fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to "occasional revenues" and a fixed sum; a total of 13,370 akçe.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 179Note that Rhode, 1979, p. 6 writes that the register that Hütteroth and Abdulfattah studied was not from 1595/6, but from 1548/9

In 1875, Victor Guérin visited, and found here "a cistern partly cut in the rock, and partly constructed, seems ancient.", as given in He found 400 Metawileh and 60 Greek Orthodox.

In 1881, British explorers, C. R. Conder and H. H. Kitchener, surveyed parts of southern Lebanon, mentioning ten villages in the Belad Besharah region, among which is listed Ber'ashit (sic): "A large village, containing about 500 Metawileh and 200 Christians. It is situated on the side of a hill, and surrounded by figs, olives, and arable cultivation. There is a good spring and several cisterns in the village."

Modern era The current Bint Jbeil province was created in 1922 by French colonials.Ahmad Rida, Memoirs of History (مذكرات للتاريخ), Dar An-Nahar: Beirut 2009, pp. 138, 179, 180, 183, 227.

Following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Baraashit remained part of the Israeli security zone and became the scene of recurring incidents. On 10 January 1987 an Irish soldier serving with UNIFIL was killed by Israeli tank fire near Baraashit. At the time there were 750 Irish troops with UNIFIL.Middle East International No 298, 17 April 1987; Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Editor Michael Adams; John Keane p.11 A further three Irish soldiers were killed, 21 March 1989, by a landmine on the road to their outpost near Baraashit. Officers on the ground are reported as believing that the Israeli backed SLA were responsible and that UNIFIL were being deliberately targeted.Middle East International No 347, 31 March 1989; John Keane pp.15-16 On 11 October 1990 a member of Amal was killed in a clash with the South Lebanon Army (SLA).Middle East International No 386, 11 October 1990, Fourteen days in brief p.15 On 23 August 1991 two SLA fighters were killed by members of Amal. The Israeli Army responded the following day with shelling which killed one civilian. Two Irish soldiers serving with UNIFIL were amongst the wounded.Middle East International No 408, 13 September 1991, Fourteen days in brief p.15

IDF shelling killed a schoolboy in Baraashit on 24 January 1993.Middle East International No 469, 18 February 1994; January chronology p.16

There was a SLA outpost a few hundred yards from Baraashit and whenever it came under attack the town was shelled. The town was extensively damaged during Operation Accountability, July 1993. The head of one family who had five houses completely destroyed is reported as complaining "How many Ministers from Beirut came down here to see the damage? Rabin visits Kiryat Shimona the minute one Katuysha hits it."Middle East International No 462, 5 November 1993, Cherif J. Cordahi 'Letter from South Lebanon' p.24

On 8 April 1996 two boys were killed by an IED concealed in a wall near Baraashit, three others wounded. Hezbollah responded by firing twenty-eight rockets at Kiryat Shimona, wounding thirteen residents. The incident is regarded as one of the triggers of Operation Grapes of Wrath later in the month which caused massive destruction across the south of Lebanon.Middle East International No 523, 12 April 1996; No 524, 26 April 1996; Michael Jansen p.8; Crisis chronology p.4

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Israel conducted an airstrike at the town. Later it was discovered that one of the homes struck was rented by Hezbollah, who used its basement to store weapons. When rumors of this activity spread, the organization acknowledged its actions and offered compensation to the family.

Demographics In 2014 Muslims made up 93.40% and Christians made up 6.32% of registered voters in Baraashit. 92.19% of the voters were Shiite Muslims. The Christian population is mostly Greek Catholic.

In 2009, there were 55 members of the Lady of the Assumption parish of the Melkite Church in the village.

Climate

Baraashit enjoys a temperate climate which is characteristic of south Lebanon: Mild rainy winters and arid summers with a few excessively warm days.

References

Bibliography

(published post-mortem)

External links Baraachit (Ber'ashit) in the Palestine Exploration Fund Map of 1878, Map 2: IAA, Wikimedia commons Baraachit, Localiban;