Betzet

Betzet בֶּצֶת‎
Betzet Show map of Northwest Israel Betzet Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 33°4′15″N 35°8′9″E
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Mateh Asher
Affiliation	Moshavim Movement
Founded	1951
Founded by	Yugoslav and Romanian Jews
Population  (2022)[1]	449

Betzet (Hebrew: בֶּצֶת) is a town in the Western Galilee in northern Israel. Located near Shlomi and Nahariya, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Asher Regional Council. As of 2022 its population was 449.^[1]

History

Antiquity

Mosaic of Rehob

Betzet is known in historical records as one of several places along the route to Tyre where produce transported from the Land of Israel was often sold in the local marketplaces, mentioned as such in the Tosefta (Shevi'it 4:8-ff.) and in the 3rd century Mosaic of Rehob.^[2] Betzet is listed in the Tosefta and the Jerusalem Talmud as subject to the laws of Shmita.^[3]

State of Israel

Building the road to Betzet, 1950s

Moshav Betzet was founded in 1951 on land formerly belonging to the Palestinian village al-Bassa, which was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.^[4] The founders were immigrants to Israel from the Balkan states, especially Yugoslavia and Romania. The community retains the name of the ancient village of Betzet, which is estimated to have existed nearby.

On 12 August 1968, two Syrian MiG-17F aircraft landed at Betzet by mistake. The aircraft would go on to serve in the US Defense Intelligence Agency project HAVE DRILL.

2023 Israel–Hamas war

During the 2023 war between Hamas and Israel, northern Israeli border communities, including Betzet, faced targeted attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian factions based in Lebanon, and were evacuated.^[5]

Landmarks

Tel Betzet (Tel means "hill" or "archaeological site") is located south of the village. It has pottery vessels from the Copper Age and the middle Canaanite period. Likewise wine-pressing holes and graves from the Roman and Byzantine imperial eras are preserved.

Betzet Aerodrome, a disused World War II British aerodrome, is located to the west of Betzet. A helipad has been built on the north-western part of the runway by the Israeli Air Force. There are numerous derelict structures from the British era on site; they include AA gun mounts, hardened aircraft shelters, and hangars. The aerodrome grounds are used today as agricultural land and contain banana, olive and pomegranate groves. The Israeli Air Force uses the helipad occasionally and the local radio control flying model club has its activity on the helipad on weekends.

Economy

The area is about 2,200 dunams (approx. 1,743 acnuas). Most of the residents work in farming bananas, avocadoes and turkeys.

References

1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
2. Michael Avi-Yonah, Gazetteer of Roman Palestine, Jerusalem 1976, p. 42.
3. Neubauer, 1868, p 22. References: Tos. Shebiit 4:9, Yer. Demai 2:1 (Heb. 8b). For the identification with al-Bassa, also see Grootkerk, 2000, pp. 2–3 or Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 167
4. Khalidi, Walid (1992). All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948. Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies. pp. 8–9. ISBN 0-88728-224-5. ISBN 0-88728-224-5.
5. IDF to evacuate civilians from 28 communities along Lebanese border amid attacks

External links

• Betzet Authority for Development of the Galilee (in Hebrew)