British Mandate period Deir Yassin

deir yassin in 1930s

during world war i, ottomans fortified hilltop of deir yassin part of defense system of jerusalem, on december 8, 1917, these fortifications stormed allied forces under edmund allenby. following day jerusalem fell british. until 1920s, deir yassin s inhabitants depended on agriculture , livestock income, extensive building projects in jerusalem in british mandate period transformed basis of economy.

deir yassin s prospered mining, main source of employment. rich vein of hard yellow limestone, known mizi yahudi prized resistance rigors of jerusalem s climate. quarry (hajar yasinik or yasin s stone ) supplied jerusalem market, , wealth allowed village develop spacious housing, 2 elementary schools , mosques. late 1940s, there 4 stone crushers functioning in village. business encouraged wealthier inhabitants invest in trucking while others became truck drivers. in 1935, local bus company established in joint venture neighboring arab village of lifta. deir yassin prospered, houses radiated hara uphill , eastward, towards jerusalem.

family deir yassin, 1927.

in days of british mandate, deir yassin had no school of own , children attended school @ lifta or in qalunya. 1943, 2 elementary schools built—one boys , 1 girls. girls school had resident headmistress jerusalem. @ time, deir yassin had bakery, 2 guesthouses, , social club—the renaissance club , thrift fund, 3 shops, 4 wells , second mosque built mahmud salah, affluent resident. many inhabitants employed outside village in nearby british army camps waiters, carpenters, , foremen; others clerks , teachers in mandatory civil service. time, no more 15% of population engaged in agriculture.

relations between deir yassin , jewish neighbors had started reasonably under ottomans, particularly on when arabic-speaking sephardic yemenite jews comprised of surrounding population. relations rapidly deteriorated growth of zionism in palestine , reached apex during arab revolt in 1936-1939. relations picked again during economic boom years of full employment of world war ii. thus, in 1948, deir yassin prosperous, expanding village @ relative peace jewish neighbors whom business done.