Immatin (), sometimes spelled Immatain, is a Palestinian village located in the northwestern West Bank, in the Qalqilya Governorate of the State of Palestine, about seventeen kilometers southwest of Nablus.
Since 2012, the village of Farratin is included in Immatin.
Location Elmatan (including the Far’ata locality) is located west of Qalqiliya. It is bordered by Tell to the east, Deir Istiya to the south, Jinsafut, Al Funduq and Hajja to the west, and Kafr Qaddum and Jit to the north. The Israeli settlement of Kedumim, which is considered illegal under international law, is about to the north.Daniella Weiss: 62, mayor of the Jewish settlement of Kedumim, near Nablus, in the West Bank The Guardian, June 4, 2007Mass arrests create new foes for Israel The Guardian. March 15, 2002
History
Immatin has been identified with the Israelite village of Elmatan, which was mentioned in one of the Samaria Ostraca.
Ceramics dating from the Byzantine period have been found in the village.Dauphin, 1998, p. 800
According to a tradition recalled by a Samaritan High Priest in the 20th century, two hundred Samaritans in Immatin were reportedly forced to convert to Islam by Saladin; however, written sources make no further reference to this event.
Ottoman era Immatin was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517 with all of Palestine, and in 1596 Immatin appeared in the tax registers as Matin, being in the Nahiya of Jabal Qubal of the Liwa of Nablus. It had a population of 20 households and 1 bachelor, all Muslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, summer crops, olives, goats and beehives; a total of 3,000 akçe.Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 136
In 1838, Amatin was noted as located in Jurat Amra, south of Nablus.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 127
In 1870/1871 (1288 AH), an Ottoman census listed the village with a population of 33 households in the nahiya (sub-district) of Jamma'in al-Awwal, subordinate to Nablus.
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine Immatin was described as "a village of moderates size on the slope of the hill, with a few olives."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 162
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Immatin had a population of 234, all Muslim,Barron, 1923, Table IX, Sub-district of Nablus, p. 25 increasing in the 1931 census to 334 Muslims in 67 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 62
In the 1945 statistics the population of Immatin was 440, all Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 18 while the total land area was 7,155 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 60 Of this, 967 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 3,067 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 106 while 32 dunams were classified as built-up (urban) areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 156
Land ownership of Immatin in 1945 The following is a breakdown of land ownership in 1945. Ethnic groupLand ownership (dunams)Land ownership (%)Arab 7,15299.9%Jewish00%Christian00%Public30.0004%
Land usage of Immatin in 1945 The following is a breakdown of the land usage during 1945 in the dunams. Land usage typeArab dunamsPercentageIrrigated and plantation9678%Area planted with olives1,0429%Area planted with cereal3,06725%Built-up320.3%Cultivable4,03433%Non-cultivable3,08924.7%Total12,240100%
Jordanian era In the wake of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the 1949 Armistice Agreements, Immatin came under Jordanian rule. It was annexed by Jordan in 1950.
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 782 inhabitants in Immatin.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 25
Post-1967 Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Immatin has been held under Israeli occupation.
In 1992, 19-year-old Bilal Ahmed Ghanan from Immatain was killed by Israeli soldiers. A photograph of Ghanan's stitched-up body accompanied a Aftonbladet 2009 news article about illegal organ removal allegations in the Israeli Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.
After the 1995 accords, 58.3% of the total village land of Immatin/Far'ata was classified as Area B, while the remaining 41.7% was classified as Area C. Immatin Village Profile (including Far’ata Locality), ARIJ, p. 16 Israel has expropriated 163 dunams of land from Immatin for the construction of the Israeli settlement of ‘Sha’ar Emmanuel’, part of the Immanuel settlement. Immatin Village Profile (including Far’ata Locality), ARIJ, p. 17
In 2013, complaints were made over "training exercises" which the Israeli army held in the village. The Guardian reported that “[t]he troops spread out through the village for several hours, withdrawing just before midnight." According to the Israeli army, the exercise was a "navigating run … whose purpose was to acquaint the forces more closely with the relevant sector, as well as demonstrating IDF presence in the area".
Population According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Immatain had a population of approximately 2,450 inhabitants in mid-year 2006 and 2,755 by 2017.Projected Mid -Year Population for Qalqilya Governorate by Locality 2004- 2006 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Almost double the amount live abroad for political and economic reasons. Each year, on average two family units emigrate from Immatin. Immatin has four families: Sawwan, Ghanim, Albarree, and Matanee.
Family name Population est. Percent of the population Sawan 1220 49.8% Ghanim 850 34.7% Albaree 255 10.4% Matanee 125 5.1%
Population growth (1922–2007)
Source:
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links
Welcome To Immatin Survey of Western Palestine, Map 11: IAA, Wikimedia commons Immatin Village (including Far’ata Locality) (Fact Sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Immatin Village Profile (including Far’ata Locality), ARIJ Immatin, aerial photo, ARIJ Development Priorities and Needs in Imatin (including Far’ata Locality), ARIJ Israeli Hoax of Barriers removal 22, June, 2004 New Palestinian Enclaves created by the Israeli updated wall map around Ariel Settlement Bloc. 14, June, 2006, POICA Testimony: Settlers attack Palestinian farmers on their land, Jan. '09, B'Tselem Gilad Zoher colony: a source of continuous aggression against Palestinian farmers, 20, May, 2009, POICA Harvest under Fire, This week in Palestine