al-Nuqayb

The village of Al-Naqeeb was located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, on a relatively flat area of land overlooked by the Golan Heights. The city of Tiberias was visible across the lake to the west. The waters of Wadi al-Muzaffar flowed into the lake about one kilometer north of the village site, and the deep Wadi Samakh lay about three kilometers to the east. The fortress of Qal‘at al-Husn (grid reference 212242) is believed to have been built on the site of the ancient city of Hippos. The Greek name of the city meant "Cattle"—which was also the meaning of its Aramaic name, Sussita. Hippos was one of the cities of the Decapolis, a federation of ten Greco-Syrian cities during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The fortress contained ruins of the ancient city, including walls, roads, a church, buildings, cisterns, and tombs.

In the 1880s, Baháʼu'lláh, the leader of the Bábí sect that later evolved into the Baháʼí Faith, purchased 13,000 dunums of land in the village. The residents of Al-Naqeeb continued to work the land as tenant farmers at least until the early 20th century, when the Baháʼís sold most of the land to the Jewish National Fund, retaining 200 dunums.

Modern Al-Naqeeb was located approximately 15 kilometers from the Syrian-Palestinian border. The village had a rectangular layout, with homes scattered along the lakeshore. It was named after its residents, the Arab al-Naqeeb clan of Bedouin origin. Some villagers still lived in tents, while others had built homes using stone, mud, and cement. Most residents were Muslims, and their primary livelihoods were livestock raising, cereal farming, and vegetable cultivation. In 1944–1945, a total of 789 dunums were devoted to cereals, and 131 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. The area surrounding the village also included four archaeological sites.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

Reports published in the international press regarding the entry of Syrian forces into Palestine on May 15, 1948, indicate that Al-Naqeeb was one of the villages targeted by those forces. The New York Times reported that Syrian troops surrounded and shelled Al-Naqeeb by land and air, suggesting that the village had already been under the control of the Haganah.

The exact events that took place in the village during the remainder of the war are unclear. However, the residents who remained in Al-Naqeeb until the end of the conflict were later forced to leave by Israeli forces between 1949 and 1965.

Under the terms of the Armistice Agreement, the village fell within the demilitarized zone along the Israeli-Syrian border. As such, its residents were entitled to protection under the provisions of that agreement. Nevertheless, for military, economic, and agricultural reasons, the Israeli government sought the removal of the village’s population, along with the populations of six other villages in the demilitarized zone. The exact methods used to implement this policy remain unclear. Israeli historian Benny Morris refers to a combination of economic pressure, policing measures, and religious persecution. Most of the displaced villagers were transferred to Syria, although some were relocated to the Palestinian village of Sha‘b near Acre.

The Village Today

No structures remain at the village site, which is now overgrown with thorny vegetation and various trees, including Christ's thorn jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi). Stone piles and remnants of walls are still visible. Part of the surrounding land is cultivated by a nearby settlement, while the rest is used by Israelis for livestock grazing.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

In 1937, Jewish immigrants from the Baltic and East-Central Europe established Kibbutz Ein Gev (grid reference 210243) on village lands, about 1.5 kilometers south of the original village site.