Kafr Qasim

Kafr Qasim כפר קאסם كفر قاسم Kafar Qasem
Kafr Qasim Location within Israel
Coordinates: 32°06′N 34°58′E / 32.1, 34.967
Country	Israel
District	Center
Founded	17th century
Area
- Local council	{{formatnum:9154 dunams (9.2 km² / 3.5 sq mi) }}
Population (2005)
- Local council
Time zone	IST ([[UTC+2]])
- Summer (DST)	IDT ([[UTC+3]])
Website: Kufur-Kassem home page

Kafr Qasim (Arabic: كفر قاسم, also known as Kafr Qassem, Kufur Kassem and Kafar Kassem), is a hill-top Israeli Arab local council located about 20km east of Tel Aviv, near the Green Line separating Israel and the West Bank, on the southern portion of the "Little Triangle" of Arab-Israeli villages. The town became notorious for the Kafr Qasim massacre, in which the Israel Border Police killed 48 civilians on October 29, 1956.

History

The town's area was populated in ancient times, with archaeological ruins dating back to Roman times. The modern town was founded in the 17th century by inhabitants of the nearby village Mes'ha. In 1917, during World War I, Kafr Qasim (together with the rest of the area) was captured from the ruling Ottoman Empire by the British Army and was later placed under the British Mandate of Palestine. Kafr Qasim is known as the village where the Israeli military advances came to a halt in the central part of Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In 1949, Israel annexed the town in accordance with the armistice agreements, which ended the war.

Kafr Qasim became known because of the massacre that was committed by the Israel border police (MAGAV) in October 29, 1956, during which 49 civilians were shot dead. This massacre remains an open wound between the villagers and rest of the Israeli society.

In recent years, the town became known as the place where Sheik Abdullah Nimir Darwish started the Islamic Movement. Israeli parliamentarian Sheikh Ibrahim Sarsur, a native of Kafr Qasim, served for a decade on the town council and heads the southern faction of the Islamic Movement of Israel since 1999.

Demographics

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had 17,200 mostly Muslim inhabitants as of September 2005. The town's official website states that its 2005 population is 18,000. There are 936 females for every 1,000 males. The population increases at an annual rate of 2.7%.

The social-economic rank of the town is relatively low (3 out of 10). Only 50.2% of 12th graders were eligible for graduation (Bagrut) certificates in 2000. The average monthly wage in 2000 was 3,633 NIS, as opposed to the national average of 6,835 NIS at that time.

People from Kafr Qasim

• Abdullah Nimir Darwish
• Ibrahim Sarsur
• Walid Badir

See also

• List of Arab localities in Israel

External links

• Kufur-Kassem home page
• Kufur-Kassem official home page
• the village location
• Material in English
• Material in Hebrew כפר קאסם בעברית

• Maps and aerial photos for 32°′″N 34°′″E / 32.1151, 34.9751Coordinates: 32°′″N 34°′″E / 32.1151, 34.9751

Center District
Cities	Hod HaSharon | Kfar Saba | Lod | Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut | Ness Ziona | Netanya | Petah Tikva | Qalansawe | Ra'anana | Ramla | Rehovot | Rishon LeZion | Rosh HaAyin | Tayibe | Tira | Yavne | Yehud-Monosson
Local councils	Be'er Ya'akov | Beit Dagan | Bnei Ayish | El'ad | Elyakhin | Even Yehuda | Gan Yavne | Gedera | Giv'at Shmuel | Jaljulia | Kafr Bara | Kafr Qasim | Kfar Yona | Kiryat Ekron | Kokhav Ya'ir | Mazkeret Batya | Pardesiya | Ramot HaShavim | Savyon | Shoham | Tel Mond | Tzoran-Kadima | Zemer
Regional councils	Brenner | Gan Rave | Gederot | Gezer | Drom HaSharon | Hefer Valley | Hevel Modi'in | Hevel Yavne | Hof HaSharon | Lev HaSharon | Lod Valley | Nahal Sorek
Boroughs	Neve Monosson | Maccabim-Re'ut

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