al-Mansura

Classification and Location
Al-Mansura was classified as a farm in the Palestine Index Gazetteer (PALESTINE INDEX GAZETTEER). It was situated on the northern slope of a mountain in the Upper Galilee, with the summit of the mountain rising behind the village to its south. Large expanses of land stretched at lower elevations to the east, west, and north of the village.

Al-Mansura remained part of Lebanon until 1923, when the British and French delineated the international borders of the area and annexed it to Palestine. A secondary road linked it to the coastal highway between Acre (Akka) and Ras al-Naqoura. The village’s houses were spaced apart.

Al-Mansura was predominantly inhabited by Christians and had its own church. Drinking water was accessed from a source located to the south of the village. The village’s economy relied primarily on agriculture and animal husbandry. Olive trees were planted on 900 dunums of land belonging to the residents of al-Mansura, while an additional 6,475 dunums (also including land belonging to the nearby village of Fassuta) were irrigated or used for orchards.

Near the village were two archaeological ruins containing building foundations, wine presses, cisterns, and remains of a castle.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing
It is likely that al-Mansura was attacked in October 1948, during Operation Hiram. Later, in mid-November 1948, the Israeli army decided to evacuate the Arab population residing on the Israeli side of the newly established Israeli-Lebanese border.

Orders were issued for the residents of al-Mansura to evacuate. Some of them crossed into Lebanon, but the majority were transported by truck to the village of al-Rama, located to the south. In February 1949, the Maronite Church appealed to the Israeli government on behalf of the displaced villagers, requesting permission for them to return to their homes, but the appeal was rejected.

For many years thereafter, the displaced residents of al-Mansura who remained within the occupied Palestinian territories continued to petition the Israeli authorities for their right to return, but these efforts were unsuccessful.

The Village Today
The houses of al-Mansura were completely destroyed. Most of the rubble has been piled at the northern edge of the site. Among the large pieces of cement, steel reinforcement bars are visible. The area is currently used as a cattle pasture and is surrounded by a wire fence.

To the west of the site stands a chicken coop belonging to the Israeli settlement of Tziv’on. The only remaining structure of the original village is the Church of St. John, located approximately 200 meters south of the site, on the mountainside. The church’s roof has collapsed, and part of its wall is also in ruins.

A military airstrip and base have been established on the southern slope of the mountain and to the south of the site.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands
The settlement of Tziv’on (grid ref. 180274), established in 1966, lies on the village lands less than one kilometer from the original site. The settlement of Eshhar (Akkosh) (grid ref. 180271) was established in 1949 on part of the village’s lands. The settlement of Baranit (grid ref. 181274) was also established on village land in the early 1950s; its original name was al-Mansura.

Additionally, the settlements of Mattat (grid ref. 183217), founded in 1979, and Abbirim (grid ref. 177271), founded in 1980, are located on land that belonged to al-Mansura.