State of Israel
The village was depopulated between 19–24 October 1948, after the Harel Brigade captured the village as part of Operation HaHar. This operation was complementary to Operation Yoav, a simultaneous offensive on the southern front. Most of the village population fled southwards, towards Bethlehem and Hebron. Many refugees from Bayt 'Itab, and other Palestinian villages clustered together on the western slope of the Judean mountains, ended up in Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank, roughly 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from their former homes.
In 1950, the Israeli village of Nes Harim was established north of the village site on village land. In 1992, Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi found the site strewn with rubble and the remains of a Crusader fortress. He noted two cemeteries that lay east and west of the village, and the fact that some of the surrounding land was cultivated by Israeli farmers.
In 2002, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority established a 130-dunam national park in the area, known as Horvat 'Itab.Remains at the site include a Crusader fortress, vaults, remnants of a wall and towers, tunnels, a columbarium and an olive press. A conservation project was undertaken to stabilize the vaulted building utilizing traditional technology.
Read more about this topic: Bayt 'Itab
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