Zemer (, ) is an Arab local council in the Central District of Israel. It is located in the Arab Triangle area, between Baqa al-Gharbiyye and Bat Hefer on Road 574. Zemer is the result of a merger of four villages – Bir al-Sika, Ibtan, Marja and Yama - in 1988.
History Archaeological work in Yama brought to light settlement remains ranging from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) to the Ottoman period. At Ibtan, potsherds dating from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine period have been found.Abu Fana, 2006, Ibthan
Metal Ages Middle Bronze Age II findings from Yama have been tentatively identified to belong to the ancient site of Yaham. Yaham was mentioned in Egyptian sources regarding pharaohs Thutmose III and Shoshenq I. The 15th century BCE annals describing the campaign of Thutmose III against a coalition of Canaanite city-states recount how the pharaoh camped at Yaham before marching on through the pass of Aruna (today's Wadi Ara), at whose exit he attacked and captured the city of Megiddo.
Middle Ages and Ottoman Empire In 1265, two of the villages were mentioned among the estates which the Mamluk sultan Baibars granted his emirs after he had defeated the Crusaders: The whole of Ibthan (Bathan) was given to his emir 'Alam al-Din Sanjar al-Halabi al-Salihi,Ibn al-Furat, 1971, pp. 81, 209, 249 (map) while Yamma was divided equally between the emirs Saif al-Din Itamish al-Sa'di and Shams al-Din Aqsunqur.Ibn al-Furat, 1971, pp. 81, 210, 249 (map)
Yama and Ibtan appeared in Ottoman tax registers compiled in 1596, in the Nahiyas of Qaqun and Jabal Sami, respectively, of the Nablus Liwa. Yama had a population of 18 Muslim households and 5 bachelors, while Ibtan was indicated as empty even though it paid taxes.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 127, p. 138.
In 1882, in the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine, only Khurbet Ibthan was noted, with "traces of ruins and a well."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 196
British Mandate and Israel In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Bir al-Sikka had a population of 36, Ibthan 56 and Yamma 48, all Muslims.Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Tulkarem, p. 28 Until 1948, all four villages were administratively related to the modern-day Palestinian town of Deir al-Ghusun.Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 20Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 74
Zemer's population at the end of 2009 was 5,700, and its jurisdiction is 8,203 dunams. The population increased to 6,375 in 2014. The mayor of Zemer is Yassin Harzalla.Continuing to improve personal security in the Arab sector
Voting Patterns In the 2022 election, 98 percent of voters in Zemer voted for the Arab parties, while 1 percent voted for the parties of the center-left coalition led by Yair Lapid and 0.4 percent voted for the parties of the right-wing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Among the voters for the Arab parties, 57 percent voted for Balad, while 27 percent voted for Ra'am and 16 percent voted for the Hadash–Ta'al list.
References
Bibliography
pp. 439-440
External links Welcome To Bir al-Sikka Welcome To Kh. Ibthan Welcome To al-Marja Welcome To Khirbat Yamma Survey of Western Palestine, Map 11: IAA, Wikimedia commons