Yiftah colony

Yiftah is a kibbutz located in the north of the occupying state, near the Lebanese border and Kiryat Shmona. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Upper Galilee Regional Council. As of 2017, the settlement had a population of approximately 520 settlers.

The kibbutz was established on August 18, 1948, by demobilized members of the Palmach who had served in the Yiftach Brigade, after which the kibbutz was named. It is situated near the area of Jahula, on land that originally belonged to the Palestinian village of Qadas, which was depopulated and destroyed by armed Zionist militias.

Qadas was located 17 kilometers northeast of Safad. On May 28, 1948, the village—home to 452 residents at the time, the majority of whom were Shi’a Muslims—was attacked, and its population forcibly displaced. By 1998, the number of refugees originating from Qadas was estimated at 2,778.

The village was located in the Upper Galilee mountains at an elevation of 470 meters above sea level, in the Tibnin subdistrict of the Safad district. It lay on a spur projecting southeastward, with Wadi al-Ghusun running north and northeast of it, about one kilometer away, ending in the marshes north of Lake Hula. The village had a compact layout, stretching from northwest to southeast. In 1931, it included 56 homes, and by 1945, its built-up area was 20 dunums, while its total land area reached 14,139 dunums.

The surrounding lands belonged to the Palestinian villages of al-Buwayziyah, Jahula, Nabi Yusha’, al-Hirriyah, Dishum, al-Malkiyya, as well as Lebanese territories. In 1931, Qadas had 272 Arab residents, and by 1945, including nearby Blida, a Lebanese village located 3 km to the north, the population was around 390. Qadas was historically known for its vibrant traditional clothing and mountain craftsmanship, and Lake Hula, located 7 km southeast of the village, was often referred to as Lake Qadas.

Sources:
Due to the scarcity of Arabic-language sources, Hebrew sources were used, including:

• The official Hebrew website of the settlement
• The “Israeli” Central Bureau of Statistics
• Information on the village of Qadas from Palestine Remembered