Qalqilyah

Qalqilyah (Arabic ???????; Standard Hebrew ??????? Qalqilya) is an Arab city in the West Bank. Most of the residents are farmers, and constant contact with Israeli farmers has made Qalq?lyah a bilingual town. The town is located in the West Bank's closest point to the Mediterranean Sea, some 12 km away. As of 1996, its number of inhabitants was estimated at 28,300.

Related Topics:
Arabic - Standard Hebrew - Arab - West Bank - Farmers - Israeli - Bilingual - Mediterranean Sea - 1996

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The town's area has been populated from prehistoric times, and prehistoric flint tools were found in the modern town's area. In Roman times, a way-station existed in the location called Kalkaliya. During the subsequent Muslem rules of the area, the town was populated with Arab inhabitants. In World War I, a few Jewish families settled in the town after being evicted from Tel Aviv by the ruling Turks.

Related Topics:
Prehistoric - Flint - Roman - World War I - Tel Aviv

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In the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and Jordan, the town was included in the Jordanian-occupied area, together with the rest of the West Bank. The town came under Israeli occupation in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Related Topics:
1949 Armistice Agreements - Israel - Jordan - 1967 - Six-Day War

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Following the Oslo Accords, the town came under the juristriction of the Palestinian Authority. Qalqilya was the scene of the first fireclash in the Al-Aqsa Intifada, on September 29, 2000 (a day after Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem), when a Palestinian police officer working with Israeli police on a joint patrol opened fire and killed his Israeli counterpart. Since then Israeli security forces routinely enter the town and arrest suspects.

Related Topics:
Oslo Accords - Palestinian Authority - Al-Aqsa Intifada - September 29 - 2000 - Ariel Sharon - Temple Mount - Jerusalem

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Since 2003, the Israeli West Bank barrier has been built to completely encircle Qalq?lyah, separating the city from lands on both sides of the fence, leading to anger and protests from many of the citizens of the city.

Related Topics:
2003 - Israeli West Bank barrier

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