Tabsur

The village of Tabsur was situated on undulating terrain in the coastal plain and was connected to the town of Qalqilya, approximately 8 kilometers to the east, by a secondary road that intersected with the coastal highway a short distance from the village. Tabsur was established before the mid-19th century on an archaeological site. By the late 19th century, it was classified as a medium-sized farm—later officially designated as such in the Index Gazetteer of Palestine. A well was located in its northern corner.

The village was laid out in a rectangular shape extending from the north to the west, and its houses were built of mud and cement. During the British Mandate period, the village’s residents established a boys' primary school. There were also several small shops. Drinking water was obtained from nearby wells, particularly one located to the north of the village.

Agriculture was based on the cultivation of grains, legumes, watermelon, and cucumbers. In 1944–1945, a total of 1,602 dunums were allocated to cereals, and 24 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. The village also contained archaeological remains, including building foundations, a threshing floor, a well, mosaic flooring fragments, and graves.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, Tabsur was the first village in the area—densely populated with Jewish settlements just north of Tel Aviv—to experience a mass exodus of its residents. Most of the population reportedly fled on 21 December 1947 out of fear of Jewish attacks. Although several raids were carried out in the area in the weeks preceding this date, there is no specific mention of a raid on Tabsur. However, evidence suggests that at least some residents remained in the village for up to three additional months, until April.

At that point, a number of residents were expelled by order of the Haganah during the final cleansing operation of that coastal region, as documented in a report by Israeli military intelligence.

The Village Today

Israeli citrus orchards now cover the entire site, making it difficult to distinguish it from the surrounding lands. Citrus and cypress trees grow on the former village lands.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

In 1921, the Zionists established the settlement of Ra'anana (grid reference 138176) to the south of the village, near the boundary between the Jaffa and Tulkarm subdistricts. It later expanded into a town, with some of its suburbs now situated on village lands. The settlement of Batzra (138179), founded in 1946, is located north of the village site on lands that belonged to Tabsur.