Jubata ez-Zeit


Jubata ez-Zeit was a Syrian village situated in the far north of the Golan Heights. According to an Arab resident of a nearby town, it had a population of around 1,500 to 2,000 people prior to the forced population transfer of the town in 1968.

Etymology

Jubata ez-Zeit is an Arabic name that translates into English as "olive oil pit," and refers to the olive trees that grew in the village which remain present today.

History

Long after the Six-Day War in June 1967, the area was declared a closed military zone in 1968. About half of the residents of Jubat ez-Zeit fled during the fighting. The remaining half were expelled to Syria by the Israeli Army after the war, and the village was razed. In the early 1970s, the Israeli settlement of Neve Ativ was built on the site of the former village.

Geography

Jubata ez-Zeit was located in a wadi whose name was transcribed by Edward Robinson and Eli Smith as Wady Khǔshābeh during their travels in the region in the mid-19th-century. The wadi extends out to the southwest from the base of the southwestern peak of Jabal esh-Sheikh.

Notable residents