‘Azzun Town Profile (including ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib Localities) Prepared by The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem Funded by Spanish Cooperation 2013 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Acknowledgments ARIJ hereby expresses its deep gratitude to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) for their funding of this project. ARIJ is grateful to the Palestinian officials in the ministries, municipalities, joint services councils, village committees and councils, and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) for their assistance and cooperation with the project team members during the data collection process. ARIJ also thanks all the staff who worked throughout the past couple of years towards the accomplishment of this work. 1 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Background This report is part of a series of booklets, which contain compiled information about each city, town, and village in the Qalqiliya Governorate. These booklets came as a result of a comprehensive study of all localities in Qalqiliya Governorate, which aims to depict the overall living conditions in the governorate and presenting developmental plans to assist in improving the livelihood of the population in the area. It was accomplished through the "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment;" the project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment" was designed to study, investigate, analyze and document the socio-economic conditions and the needed programs and activities to mitigate the impact of the current unsecure political, economic and social conditions in Qalqiliya Governorate. The project's objectives are to survey, analyze and document the available natural, human, socioeconomic and environmental resources, and the existing limitations and needs assessment for the development of the rural and marginalized areas in Qalqiliya Governorate. In addition, the project aims to prepare strategic developmental programs and activities to mitigate the impact of the current political, social, and economic instability with the focus on the agricultural sector. All locality profiles in Arabic and English are available online at http://vprofile.arij.org. 2 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Table of Contents Location and Physical Characteristics _________________________ 4 History ___________________________________________________________ 5 Religious and Archaeological Sites _____________________________ 6 Population _______________________________________________________ 8 Education ________________________________________________________ 8 Health Status ____________________________________________________ 9 Economic Activities ____________________________________________ 10 Agricultural Sector _____________________________________________ 12 Institutions and Services _______________________________________ 14 Infrastructure and Natural Resources ________________________ 15 Environmental Conditions _____________________________________ 17 Impact of the Israeli Occupation ______________________________ 18 Development Plans and Projects ______________________________ 30 Implemented Projects __________________________________________ 30 Proposed Projects ______________________________________________ 31 Locality Development Priorities and Needs ___________________ 33 References ______________________________________________________ 34 3 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate ‘Azzun Town Profile1 Location and physical characteristics ‘Azzun (including ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib localities) is a Palestinian town in Qalqiliya Governorate, located 7-9km west of Qalqiliya City. It is bordered by Kafr Laqif village and Wadi Qana to the east, Kafr Thulth town to the south, An Nabi Elyas village to the west, and Jayyus and Khirbet Sir to the north (ARIJ-GIS, 2013) (see map 1). Map 1: ‘Azzun location and borders Source: ARIJ - GIS Unit, 2013 ‘Azzun is located at an altitude of 226-244m above sea level with a mean annual rainfall of 587-589 mm. The average annual temperature is 19oC whilst the average annual humidity is approximately 62% (ARIJ-GIS, 2013). Until 2012, ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib localities had been governed by a Projects Committee. However, in 2012, upon a decision by the Palestinian Ministry of Councils and the Ministry of Local 1 The information listed in this profile includes the information of each of ‘Azzun town and ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib localities; based on the Local Government's decision in 2012 to merge the three localities under one local council. 4 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Government, ‘Isla & ‘Izbat at Tabib localities were merged with the bigger locality of ‘Azzun town under ‘Azzun Municipal Council. The classification of the residential areas borders has been adopted in this profile based on the administrative division of Palestinian communities, according to the Palestinian National Authority(PNA). This administrative division system has been developed by the Palestinian Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Local Government, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics(PCBS), and the Central Election Commission (CEC). Since 1996, ‘Azzun has been governed by a Municipal Council which is currently administrated by 11 members appointed by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). There are also 37 employees working in the council, whose permanent headquarters is included within the ‘Middle Joint Services Council.’ The Council possesses two vehicles for the collection of solid waste, a pick-up car and a small hammer truck (‘Azzun Municipal Council, 2012). It is the responsibility of the Municipal Council to provide a number of services to the residents of ‘Azzun, including: The establishment and maintenance of the drinking water and electricity networks. Waste collection and street cleaning. Road rehabilitation, construction and paving. Implementation of projects and studies for the town. Organization of license processes. Protection of historical and archeological sites. Protection of governmental properties. Provision of educational kindergartens. Provision of offices for governmental services. Provision of transportation. Provision of an ambulance service. Provision of part of the sewerage network. Provision of a firefighting service. (‘Azzun Municipal Council, 2012) History ‘Azzun town used to be called “’Ein al ‘Ezz” meaning the spring of welfare, due to the large number of fruit trees located there. However it was later changed to ‘Azzun. ‘Isla locality (from the word ‘asal’ meaning honey, in indication to sweetness), was named due to the village being famous for the production of molasses which is produced from grapes. As for ‘Izbat at Tabib village; the word ‘‘izbat’ means estate while the word at ‘tabib’ (literally meaning the doctor) was taken in relation to the grandfather of the At Tabib family. It should be noted that ‘Izbat at Tabib village includes the locality of Mahattat Tahseen Mansur. The town was established in 1187 A.D., with its residents descending from the Qaysar (lands of 1948) and Al Hijazz areas (‘Azzun Municipal Council, 2012). 5 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Photo of ‘Azzun Religious and archaeological sites There are nine mosques in the town (‘Azzun Grand, the Old, Huthaifa ben al Yaman, Salah ad Din, Omar ben al Khattab, Al Mansoor, As Sahaba, ‘Isla Old and ‘Izbat at Tabib Mosques). The town has several sites of archaeological interest including As Salah House, the martyrs’ graves and Barshona archeological area. All of these sites are in need of restoration in order to be deemed tourist sites, as determined by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (‘Azzun Municipal Council, 2012) (see map 2). 6 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Map 2: Main locations in ‘Azzun Town Source: ARIJ - GIS Unit, 2013 7 Palestinian Localities Study Qalqiliya Governorate Population According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the total population of ‘Azzun in 2007 was 8,650, of whom 4,469 were male and 4,181 female. There were 1,486 households registered as living in 1,621 housing units. Age groups and gender The General Census of Population and Housing carried out by the PCBS in 2007 showed that the distribution of age groups in ‘Azzun was as follows: 43.1% were less than 15 years of age, 52.8% were between 15 and 64 years of age, and 3.4% were 65 years of age or older. Data also showed that the gender ratio of males to females in the town was 106.9:100, meaning that males and females constituted 51.7% and 48.3% of the population respectively. Families ‘Azzun residents are from several families, including ‘Adwan, Radwan, Salim, Hussein, Sweidan, Abu Hanniya, Odah, Hawashah, Tabib, Suleiman, Radi, Mas’ood and Abu Dayyah (‘Azzun Municipal Council, 2012). Immigration The field survey conducted by ARIJ staff showed that approximately 25 people from different families have left the town since Al Aqsa Intifada in 2000 (‘Azzun Municipal Council, 2012). Education According to the results of the PCBS Population, Housing and Establishment Census - 2007, the illiteracy rate amongst the population of ‘Azzun is approximately 5.4%, of whom 86% are females. Of the total population, 12.5% could only read and write with no formal education, 25.1% had elementary education, 26.3% had preparatory education, 18.9% had secondary education, and 11.7% had completed higher education. Table