Rafat

Picture ancient stones whispering secrets. You stand before Rafat a Palestinian village nestled near Ramallah. Rafat’s history stretches back centuries. Byzantine ceramics hint at a vibrant past. Under Ottoman rule in 1596 Rafat had 27 Muslim households. They paid taxes on wheat barley summer crops goats and beehives. Life in Rafat was tied to the land. Victor Guerin visited in 1863. He noted a mosque dedicated to Sheikh Ahmed. He found ancient-looking stones in houses a fragment of a broken column. An 1870 list showed 35 houses and a population of 100 men. The Palestine Exploration Fund described Rafat in 1883 as a small hamlet with a spring and rock-cut tombs. The British Mandate era saw Rafat’s population fluctuate. The 1922 census recorded 219 Muslims. The 1945 census counted 280. After the 1948 war Rafat fell under Jordanian rule. Then came the Six-Day War. Rafat has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Israel confiscated land for Camp Ofer later Ofer Prison. More land was taken for the West Bank barrier. Rafat’s story is one of resilience. A story etched in stone in its ancient houses. A story written in the earth its fields and the lives of its people. A story that continues to unfold.