Bint Jbeil - History

History

The area around Bint Jbeil has been inhabited for millennia. Archaeologists have suggested that the ancient fortified city of En-hazor, which the Book of Joshua describes as having been occupied by the Biblical Tribe of Naphtali, was located in the vicinity.

According to some historians, the name of the town is derived from a Yemeni name. They argue that the name is linked to Yemeni tribes that immigrated to the Levant centuries ago from Yemeni towns such as Jibla, Jabalan Al Ardaba, and Jabalan Al Raymah, or the two territories of the Jubail lowland and Jubail highland. Other historians claim that the founders of Bint Jbeil were the Phoenicians, who came from the northern Lebanese town of Jbeil (Byblos); they may have been Shia Muslims escaping the Seljuk occupation of Byblos. Bint Jbeil literally means 'Daughter of Byblos.'

The town is predominately inhabited by Shia Muslims (90%), though the surrounding area also has a significant Christian (10%) minority . It has been the site of violent conflict on several occasions during the last century.

Bint Jbeil was occupied by Israel in 1978 during Operation Litani, and again from 1982 until 2000 during the 1982-2000 South Lebanon conflict, during which time it was severely depopulated; as much as 75% of the population was reported to have left for other parts of Lebanon. It was the scene of occasional violent attacks on Israeli forces (that were occupying the Lebanese border regions of Israel), such as a deadly suicide car bombing carried out by a Hezbollah member on 25 April 1995. Hezbollah took control of the town following the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.

As the largest town in the area, Bint Jbeil is sometimes known as the "Capital of the Liberated South" (among Lebanese Shi'ites), or the "Capital of Hezbollah" (among Israelis). It is considered one of the centers with symbolic history for Hezbollah. Under Lebanon's complicated system of sectarian electoral representation, Bint Jbeil's electoral district is allocated 3 Shi'ite seats in the country's parliament. Hezbollah did well in the area in the 2005 elections in Lebanon, winning the local seats to add to its nationwide tally of 14.

Bint Jbeil was again contested by Israeli and Hezbollah forces in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, during which it suffered heavy damage (See Battle of Bint Jbeil). Reconstruction as of early 2007 had been going very slowly, leading to reports of dissatisfaction among the residents. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the town in 2010 to show solidarity for Hezbollah and the local victims of Israel's attacks.