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Hizma () is a Palestinian town in the Jerusalem Governorate, seven kilometers from Jerusalem's Old City. The town, mostly located in Area C of the West Bank, borders four Israeli settlements, Neve Yaakov and Pisgat Ze'ev (both officially considered part of East Jerusalem), Geva Binyamin and Almon.
Hizma is identified with the biblical town of Azmaveth of the Israelites tribe of Benjamin. Archaeological findings confirm a Jews presence during Roman Empire times, marked by a thriving stoneware industry, and the discovery of a burial cave housing Ossuary inscribed in the Hebrew alphabet. Byzantine Empire period ceramics were also found at the site. Throughout Ottoman Empire, British, and Jordanian rule, Hizma was a small village inhabited by Muslims.
Since 1967, Hizma has been occupied by Israel. The village is cut off from Jerusalem by the Israeli West Bank barrier in the west and from the West Bank by settlements in the east. As of 2017, Hizma had a population of about 7,118 residents.
Shimon Gibson, after surveying the village in 1981, questioned this identification, citing the lack of archaeological remains from the necessary time period.Gibson, 1983, p. 176 However, another survey conducted two years later by Uri Dinur yielded Iron Age II pottery.
Dinur and Feig found sherds from Iron Age II, Persian and Hellenistic period. Based on the findings, Finkelstein asserts that Hizma can be positively identified with Azmaveth.
A burial cave from the first centuries BCE and CE was found in Hizmeh in 1931. Six ossuaries were present, two of which had inscriptions, which bear the names Hoshea and Mariam in Hebrew language and Aramaic using the Hebrew alphabet. In 1983, an ancient Jewish ossuary said to be from Hizma appeared in the Jerusalem antiquities market and was acquired by the Department of Antiquities. This ossuary is inscribed in Aramaic, indicating it belonged to "Yehoḥanah, Granddaughter of the High Priest Theophillus". Josephus, the historian, references a high priest of the same name, appointed by Vitellius in the brief period before he was informed of Tiberius' death, approximately around 37 AD.
In 1838, Edward Robinson found the village had been deserted for two months, as the villagers had "fled across the Jordan River" to escape conscription.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 2, pp. 111-112 He further noted it as a Muslim village, located in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 122
In 1863 Victor Guérin found the village to have 200 inhabitants. He further noted that some of the houses, particularly the lower part, seemed to be built from ancient materials, and some also looked ancient.Guérin, 1869, pp. 74-75
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed 51 houses and a population of 150, though the population count included only the men.Socin, 1879, p. 155 he also noted it in the dschebel el-kuds districtHartmann, 1883, p. 127, also noted 51 houses In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Hizma as a "small stone village, standing high on a prominent hill, the slopes of which are covered with olives. It has a well to the west."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III; p. 9
In 1896 the population of Hizma was estimated to be about 192 persons.Schick, 1896, p. 121
In the 1945 statistics the population of Hizma was 750 Muslims, Village Statistics, Government of Palestine. 1945, p. 24 and the total land area was 10,438 of land according to an official land and population survey. Village Statistics, Government of Palestine. 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 57 Of this, 200 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 2,338 for cereals, Village Statistics, Government of Palestine. 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 102 while 45 dunams were built-up (urban) land. Village Statistics, Government of Palestine. 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 152
In 1961, the population of Hizme was 1,134. First Census, Government of Jordan. 1964, p. 23
In the 1970-1980s 19% of the village's total area were expropriated by Israel in order to establish three Israeli settlements which are considered illegal by the international community:
After the 1995 accords, about 9% of the village area was classified as Area B, while the remaining 91% became Area C.
There is a bypass road connecting the settlements with the neighboring Israeli settlements. There is also a buffer zone of 75 meters along the roads on each side. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are prohibited from using these roads, only Israelis and foreign nationals can use them, the status purpose being security concerns.
The village has on occasion been sealed off with road blocks in response to reported stone-throwing and rioting, characterized by many rights groups as a form of collective punishment. Btselem: Siege on Hizma
Hizma village is known for the cultivation of olives; 112 dunums of land were cultivated with olive trees in 2010. Cereals were grown on 233 dunums.
West Bank barrier
The Israel-West Bank barrier cuts off 40% of the village's area, with the Israeli side incorporating the settlements and surrounding forests, agricultural lands, open spaces, and a small part of the Palestinian residential area. As of 2012, an Israeli checkpoint located west of the village at an opening in the controls the passage to and from Hizma. Palestinians living outside Jerusalem must have a special permit that is reportedly hard to obtain.
Israeli citizens (including settlers) and permanent residents (including Palestinians in East Jerusalem) are allowed to pass in and out without any permits.
Israeli administration
Israeli authorities demolish the homes of Palestinians built without permits. Strict conditions for Palestinians applying for permits must be fulfilled and the permits are usually denied.
Economy
In 2010, more than half of the workforce was working in the government or private employees sector; 22% was working in the Israeli labor market, 14% on agriculture, and 7% worked in the trade sector.
People from Hizma
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
(1977). 9783920405414, Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. . ISBN 9783920405414
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