Antiquity Beit Ummar is believed to be the site of
Biblical village of Maarath. Another early name is Beit 'Amra. Locals say they trace their origins back to the era of
Abraham.
Ben-Zvi raises the possibility that remnants of an ancient
Jewish population may exist in the village. A church, tentatively dating to the 5th century CE, (but with changes probably done in the 8th century) was excavated in the 1930s at
Khirbat Asida, to the east of the centre of Beit Ummar.
Middle ages According to some traditions, the town was named after the
Islamic
Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab because he supposedly frequented the town. Many of the town's predominantly
Muslim residents are descendants of
Arab Christian families who converted during the 7th century
Muslim conquest. Christian ruins in the old city are a testament to this conversion over 1,000 years ago. In 1226, the
Ayyubid sultan
al-Mu'azzam built a mosque with a
minaret under the supervision of
Jerusalem governor Rashid ad-Din al-Mu'azzami. The
Mamluks constructed some additions to the mosque and engraved several inscriptions on its surface. In the latter part of the 16th century, its residents were moved to Kuffin, tasked with defending the road.
Victor Guérin visited the village in 1863, and found it to have about 450 inhabitants. Swiss orientalist
Albert Socin, noting an official Ottoman village list circa 1870, wrote that Beit Ummar had a total of 44 houses and a population of 133, though the population count included only men.
Hartmann found that
Bet Ummar had 60 houses. In 1883, the
PEF's
Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Beit Ummar as a "small but conspicuous village standing on the watershed, and visible from some distance on the north. An ancient road passes through it. Half a mile north-east is a good spring, ‘Ain Kufin. The mosque has a small tower to it. The surrounding neighbourhood is covered with brushwood."
British Mandate In the
1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the
British Mandate authorities, Bait Ummar had a population of 829 inhabitants, all Muslims, increasing in the
1931 census to 1,135, still entirely Muslim, in 217 inhabited houses. In the
1945 statistics the population of Beit Ummar was 80 Jews and 1,600 Muslims, and the total land area was 30,129
dunams of land, according to the official land and population survey. 2,912 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 12,879 were for cereals, while 55 dunams were built-up (urban) land.
Jordanian rule In the wake of the
1948 Arab–Israeli War, and after the
1949 Armistice Agreements, Beit Ummar came under
Jordanian rule. It was
annexed by Jordan in 1950. In 1961, the population of Beit Ummar was 2,103.
Post-1967 Since the
Six-Day War in 1967, Beit Ummar has been under
Israeli occupation. The population in the 1967 census conducted by the Israeli authorities was 2,630. Beit Ummar became a municipality on April 17, 1997, after the dismantlement of the Israeli village council and Hussein Badr was appointed by the
Palestinian National Authority. The town is currently located in
Area B (civil affairs administered by the PNA) and
Area C (civil and military affairs controlled by
Israel). or
expropriated approximately 4,000
dunams of village land in order to construct Israeli bypass roads and several
Israeli settlements:
Karmei Zur,
Migdal Oz,
Kfar Etzion and
Efrat. The town is governed by a
municipal council consisting of thirteen members including the mayor. Several people in the village have been shot and killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers during
Israeli occupation. • In January 2011, 17-year-old Yousef Ikhlayl was shot and killed during an altercation with
Israeli settlers from
Bat Ayin. • In August 2014, 3 Palestinians were killed on the same day by an IDF sharpshooter during a local protest: Abdul Hamid Bregeith, a 32-year-old father of three, Sultan Zaqiq, 29, a father of two, and Hashem Abu Maria, aged 45. • In April 2015, Ziyad Awad, aged 27, was shot and killed in a demonstration which started after the funeral of his cousin. • In July 2015, Falah Abu Maria, aged 52, was shot and killed by Israeli forces. • In July 2021, Mohammed al-Alami, aged 12, was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier while he was riding in a car with his father and sister. Shawqat 'Awad, aged 22, was shot and killed during al-Alami's funeral. == Jala ==