Beit Furik () is a town located nine kilometers southeast of Nablus, in the Nablus Governorate of the northern West Bank, Palestine. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 13,477 inhabitants in 2017.

Location Beit Furik is located 8.24 km south east of Nablus. It is bordered by Al Jiftlik to the east, Ar Rajman, Yanun, and 'Awarta to the south, Rujeib and Nablus to the west, and Beit Dajan, Salim and Deir al Hatab to the north.Beit Furik town profile, ARIJ, p. 4-7

History Bayt Furik was an ancient Samaritan village. Old tombs have been found here.Dauphin, 1988, p. 848

The place is mentioned in the Samaritan Tolidah and in the Continuatio of the Samaritan Chronicle of Abu l-Fath. It has also been suggested that this place is mentioned in the Samaritan Chronicle.Conder, 1876, p.196 Neubauer, and others, suggested that it was the place called Ferka in the Talmud,Neubauer, 1868, p. 275; cited in Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p.229Conder, 1877, p. 29 but Abel suggested locating that at Farkha.Abel, 1938, p. 407; cited in Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 814

Samaritan author Benyamim Tsedaka lists two Samaritan families, Maarhib and Qaakai, who resided in Beit Furik before their eventual disappearance through destruction or conversion.

In the Crusader era, it was known as Bethflori,Conder, 1890, p. 32Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 814 and in 1241 CE there was fought a battle here, according to Ibn el-Jawzi.

Ottoman era In 1517, the village was included in the Ottoman Empire with the rest of Palestine, and in the 1596 tax-records it appeared as Bayt Furik, located in the Nahiya of Jabal Qubal, part of Nablus Sanjak. The population was 68 households, all Muslim. They paid a fixed tax rate of 33,3% on agricultural products, such as wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees, goats and beehives, a press for olive oil or grape syrup, in addition to occasional revenues and a fixed tax for people of Nablus area; a total of 16,665 akçe.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 132

In 1838, Edward Robinson noted it on his travels in the area,Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol. 3, p. 102 and as part of the El-Beitawy district, east of Nablus.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 128

In 1870, Victor Guérin noted Beit Foureik sitting on the slopes of a hill, with a belt of olives surrounding it.Guérin, 1874, p. 455

In 1882, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as: "A small village in a nook of the hills near the plain of Salim. It has a well to the east."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p.229

During the 19th century and mid-20th century, Beit Furik was the main supplier of lime to the Nabulsi soap industry based in Nablus.Doumani, 1995, Soap, Class, and State

British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Bait Furik had a population of 744 MuslimsBarron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. 24 increasing in the 1931 census, where Beit Furik (together with the smaller location Kh. Beita) had a population of 867 Muslims, in a total of 262 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 60

In the 1945 statistics Beit Furik (including Kh. Kafr Beita) had a population of 1,240, all Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 18 with 36,663 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 59 Of this, 2,645 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 12,453 used for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 105 while 53 dunams were built-up land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 155

Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Beit Furik came under Jordanian rule.

In 1961, the population of Beit Furik was 1,997 persons.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 25

1967, aftermath Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Beit Furik has been under Israeli occupation along with the rest of the Palestinian territories. The population in the 1967 census conducted by Israel was 2,416, of whom 7 originated from the Israeli territory.

Under the interim Oslo Peace Accords, areas of the West Bank were divided into various categories. According to ARIJ, 45% of the village land is in Area B, while the remaining 55% is in Area C.Beit Furik town profile, ARIJ, pp. 16-17

Israel has confiscated 441 dunums from Beit Furik for the two Israeli settlements of Itamar and Michola. In addition it has confiscated land for Israeli military bases, Israeli settlement roads, and Israeli fence.

Demography The inhabitants of Beit Furik belong to various families, such as the Al-Haj Mohammad, Hanani, Khatatbah, Mletat, and Nasasrah families.

References

Bibliography

(p. 205) ( p. 30, no. 121)

External links Welcome to Bayt Furik Beit Furik Welcome to Palestine Survey of Western Palestine, Map 12: IAA, Wikimedia commons Beit Furik town profile, Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Beit Furik, aerial photo, ARIJ Development Priorities and Needs in Beit Furik, ARIJ IDF admits barring Palestinians' access to own fields Admission was made in the state's response to a High Court petition filed last year by Beit Furik residents. By Chaim Levinson, Apr.11, 2012, Haaretz Settler attacks raise West Bank tension ahead of U.N. Reuters, Sep 15, 2011