Before Their Exile: The Transformation of Palestininan Villages in Western Galilee, 1918–1948

Abstract

This article examines the developments and changes that took place in the Western Galilee Palestinian Arab villages during the British Mandate period. The article shows that this coastal area has underwent a major transformation, as in most coastal areas of Palestine. These include economic, demographic, and urban transformations. The study of this group of Palestinian villages shows the extent of the development of the Palestinian countryside, which contradicts many of the historical narrative that described villages and rural areas as backward. The presence of developed economic branches in some of the villages, such as tourism, small hotels, fishing, leisure culture, are proof of this.