Dura al-Qar' () or Dura al-Qari'a is a Palestinian town in the central West Bank, part of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Dura al-Qar' had a population of 3,032 inhabitants in 2017.
The town's total land area is 4,016 dunams, of which 2,891 dunams have been appropriated by Israel mostly for the purpose of building a by-pass road. According to Dura al-Qar's village council, 142 families have been directly affected by the confiscations and 58% of the town's population depend on those lands as main sources of income.
Geography Dura el Qar' is located on the Samarian hills, north-east of Ramallah. It is bordered by Ein Yabrud to the east, Ein Siniya to the north, Jifna, Al-Jalazun Camp and Surda to the west, and Al Bireh to the south.
The village is located atop irrigated terraces, constructed within a valley, accompanied by multiple private reservoirs.
History Potsherds from the Roman and Roman/Byzantine era have been found in the village.Finkelstein et al., 1997, p. 552
Ottoman era Potsherds from the early Ottoman era have been found here.
In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village, Durah, in the Beni Harit district, north of Jerusalem.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. iii, 2nd appendix, p. 124
In 1863 Victor Guérin found the village to have 250 inhabitants. He further described that old oaks shaded for ancient springs, which were used to irrigate the fields. Several houses in the village were built, at least in part, with ancient stones.Guérin, 1869, p. 42 An Ottoman village list from about 1870 found that the village had a population of 120, in 22 houses, though the population count only included men.Socin, 1879, p. 153. It was also noted that it was in the Beni Harit DistrictHartmann, 1883, p. 126, also noted 22 houses
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Durah as "a small village on the side of a valley, with springs on the south, and olives".Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 294 In 1907, it was described as "a small, healthfully located Moslem village. Its inhabitants have a good reputation for peaceful relations with the Jifna Christians. The Durah people raise many vegetables."Grant, 1907, p. 219
In 1896 the population of Dura el-kara was estimated to be about 246 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 123
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Dura el Qare''' had a population of 191, all Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramallah, p. 16 increasing in the 1931 census to 303, still all Muslims, in a total of 71 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 48
In the 1945 statistics the population was 370, all Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 while the total land area was 4,166 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64 Of this, 1,762 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 1,253 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 112 while 18 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 162
Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Dura al-Qar' came under Jordanian rule.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 576 inhabitants in Dura Qar'''.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 24
1967 and after Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Dura al-Qar' has been under Israeli occupation.
After the 1995 accords, 23.3% of the village‟s total area has been classified as Area B land, while the remaining 76.7% is classified as Area C. Israel has “confiscated” 680 dunum of village land for constructing the Israeli settlement of Beit El. Dura el Qar’ Village Profile, ARIJ, p. 17
On August 14, 1995, Kheir Abdel Hafid Qassem, a 24-year-old Palestinian man, was shot dead by an Israeli settler from Beit El, and many people were arrested, while he and about a 100 other residents of Dura al-Qar' were attempting to drive away settlers by tearing down Israeli canvas shelters and cinder-block buildings outside of the village. Settlers' Gunfire Kills Palestinian at West Bank Protest Greenberg, Joel. The New York Times. 1995-08-14.
Demographics Residents of Dura al-Qar', along with people in the nearby villages in the Ramallah Governorate such as al-Tira, Beit 'Anan and Beit Ur al-Fauqa, trace their origins to the town of Dura, southwest of Hebron. A former leader of Dura al-Qar' claimed that before they settled in the village, the inhabitants used to live in the Faria' Basin.
Notable people Rabiha Diab (1954–2016)
References
Bibliography
External links Welcome To Dura al-Qari' Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: IAA, Wikimedia commons Dura el Qar’ Village (Fact Sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Dura el Qar’ Village Profile, ARIJ Dura el Qar’ aerial photo, ARIJ Locality Development Priorities and Needs in Dura el Qar’ Village, ARIJ