Beita

Beita (بيتا, translit. Home) is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate in the northern West Bank located 13km southeast of Nablus. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 8,800 in mid-year 2006. It consists of five clans which branch out to thirty families. There are many houses and prisons dating back to the Roman era. The current mayor that was elected in 2004 is Arab ash-Shurafa.

In 1952, Beita opened an elementary school (before, most teaching was done in mosques), which served the town and surrounding villages. In 1954, an elementary school for girls only was established and since then, four other schools have been built - including two secondary schools. The town contains four mosques and three clinics.

The town was considered a Fatah stronghold, however Arab ash-Shurafa, a member of Hamas was elected mayor in 2005. Shurafa was arrested by the Israeli Defense Forces, along with Nablus mayor Adly Yaish and Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Nasser al-Shaer in 2006 for their membership with Hamas.

Beita was the one of the first to participate in the First Intifada uprising and a confrontation with Israeli settlers occurred on June 6, 1988. Arab stone throwers attacked a rifle-toting settler who in defense killed two residents Munira Da'ud and Musa Salih as well as another Israeli settler, Tirza Porat. The Israeli Defense Forces responded by demolishing thirteen houses and in clashes they killed three residents.

References