al-Manshiyya

The village was situated on a flat stretch of land near the Jordan River, approximately two kilometers from the point where the river exits the Sea of Galilee, close to the main road leading north toward Samakh by the lake. It was located only half a kilometer south of Khirbat Umm Junieh (grid reference 203233). In most sources, it is not distinguished from Khirbat Umm Junieh as of 1881. The population of Khirbat Umm Junieh at that time ranged between 250 and 330 inhabitants. It was situated on the eastern bank of the Jordan River.

In the 1880s, Baháʼu'lláh, the leader of the Bábí sect which later developed into the Baháʼí Faith, purchased Al-Manshiyya. The residents cultivated the land as tenant farmers at least until the first decade of the 20th century, when the Baháʼís sold the land to the Jewish National Fund in 1922. At that time, 79 Arabs were still living in Khirbat Umm Junieh. No population figures are available for the adjacent village of Al-Manshiyya.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

It is most likely that the village was depopulated around the same time as the nearby village of Al-‘Ubaydiyya (Tiberias District), located only 2 kilometers to the southwest.

The Village Today

The site is now overgrown with grass, with a few palm and kinan trees growing. No traces of the village houses remain. The surrounding lands are cultivated by Israelis.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

The settlement of Beit Zera (grid reference 204232), established in 1926, is located about one kilometer southeast of the village. It was built on lands taken by the Jewish National Fund in 1911.