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Beitunia (), also Bitunya, is a Palestinian city located west of Ramallah and north of Jerusalem, in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate of Palestine, in the central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 26,604 in 2017, making it the third largest locality in its governorate after al-Bireh and Ramallah.
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine suggested that Beitunia was the Crusader states village Uniet, which was one of 21 villages given by King Godfrey as a fief to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 11 However, in 1887, Röhricht identified Beitunia with Beitiumen, another fief given by the King to the Holy Sepulchre.Röhricht, 1887, p. 205de Roziére, 1849, pp. 98, 102: Beituimen; both cited in Röhricht, 1893, RRH, pp. 16- 17, No 74 Conder found this to be "evidently correct" and hence "very doubtful" that Beitunia was Uniet.Conder, 1890, pp. 30, 32 Abel, writing in 1931, suggested that Beitunia was Beit Uniet, mentioned in an early 12th-century text.Finkelstein et al, 1997, pp. 346-7
A large vaulted building in the town, named Badd al Balad ("oil press of the village") has been dated to the Crusader era.Pringle, 1997, p. 29Pringle, 2009, pp. 235-240
In 1738 Richard Pococke called it "a place called Bethany to the north."Pococke, 1745, vol 2, p. 49 NB "east" is probable typo for "west"
The American scholar Edward Robinson noted it in 1838,Robinson & Smith, 1841, vol 2, pp. 133, 135 as a Muslim village, part of the El-Kuds district.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 121
In 1870 the French explorer Victor Guérin found that Beitunia contained six hundred inhabitants.Guérin, 1875, p. 46 Albert Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about the same year (1870) that Beitunia had a total of 147 houses and a population of 481, though the population count included men, only.Socin, 1879, p. 144 It was also noted to be in the El-Kuds districtHartmann, 1883, p. 127 noted 148 houses
Several inscriptions, dating to 1873-74 and forwards, have been described from the house of the village Mukhtar.Sharon, 1999, p. 240 ff
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described Beitunia as "A good-sized village of stone, surrounded by olives, standing high on a flat rocky ridge, with a plain to the east. To the east are , , and a pond (el Baliia), which contains water in winter. On the north and east are rock-cut tombs with well-cut entrances, but blocked up."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 8
In 1896 the population of Betunja was estimated to be about 1,056 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 121
Due to a lack of economic opportunities in the early 20th century, many people emigrated. Some went to the Chicago area, and were involved in the startup of the Bridgeview Mosque. Hard-liners won battle for Bridgeview mosque, February 8, 2004 Chicago Tribune Forget Poles: Palestinians find a home in suburban Chicago , February 7, 2013, webz.org
In the 1945 statistics the population was 1,490, all Muslims,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 26 while the total land area was 23,366 , according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 64 Of this, 7,854 were allocated for plantations and irrigable land, 8,381 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 111 while 77 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 161
In 1961, the population of Beituniya was 2,216.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 15
According to the Oslo Accords, the IDF is prevented from entering areas A (an area under full Palestinian Authority control), but Operation Defensive Shield in 2002 abolished this distinction when the IDF searched that year in Beitunia for a suspect who wanted to make himself a "martyr."Nahum Barnea, 'Beitunian nights: The IDF in the West Bank', Ynet 18 March 2016. The IDF-search extended to Qalandiya, Beit Surik, Bayt Deko, , and Hizma.
Two boys, Nadim Nawarah and Mohammad Odeh, were shot and killed in the Beitunia killings on 15 May 2014. One Israeli policeman was arrested for Nawarah's death, Israeli policeman arrested in Palestinian teen's death, CNN and was later under a plea deal sentenced to 9 months in jail. Even forensics can't stop Palestinian teen's killer walking free, Brad Parker Israeli cop sentenced to 9 months for killing Palestinian teen, Gross and Staff, 25 April 2018, The Times of Israel
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