Background information on the City of Ramle

Ramle's History
Ramle is the only city in Israel that was founded as a Muslim Arab city by the Khalifa Suleiman ibn Abd al-Malik in 716 AD. The city served as the regional capital (Jund) of Palestine, which was one of the five districts of the ash-Sham (Syrian) province of the Arab-Muslim Empire. For a period of approximately 400 years by virtue of its strategic location as the main crossroads linking Syria in the north and Egypt in the south as well as Jerusalem to the coast, Ramle was very important both economically and politically.

After the First Crusade Ramle became the seat of a seigneury in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. At the start of the Ottoman period, Ramle was described as a large town which lay mostly in ruins, with a small population. In the year 1548, it was recorded to have 528 Muslim and 82 Christian households. Not much change in this size or composition occurred until late in the 19th century, when a period of expansion began. During the British Mandate the population grew steadily, up to about 12,000 Muslims and 3,000 Christians in 1944.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Ramle's geographical location (especially its position on the main supply route to the Jerusalem region) made it an inevitable point of conflict. The city was captured by the Israeli army in July 1948 and most of the Arab population which had not fled during the hostilities were forcibly expelled on Ben-Gurion's orders.

The Situation Today
Over the past 55 years, the natural increase in the surviving Arab population together with internal Arab migration and Jewish resettlement in the town has resulted in a population that now reflects the demographics of the country as a whole (20% Arab, 80% Jewish).

Ramle has also become one of the most impoverished locales in Israel with a per capita income of 2,468 shekels and 43% of all wage earners earning below minimum wage. (Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, January 2004: http://www.cbs.gov.il/hodaot2004/13_04_22.htm#tabsgraphs)

The low quality of life of the residents is further compounded by a poor record of Arab/Jewish relations. Arab and Jewish populations in the city live separately, in separate residential neighborhoods, schools and community centers. It seems that Ramle's Arab/Jewish dynamic reflects the situation throughout Israel of separation and alienation between the communities.

Old City of Ramle
The Old City neighborhood of Ramle embraces the city's historical sites such as the ruins of the White Mosque constructed some 1,300 years ago in honor of Salah al-Nabi; The Pool of Arches, the most complete known Abbasid dynasty structure in Israel, a subterranean structure that was built in 789 during the time of Caliph Harun al-Rashid as part of the city's water distribution system;  the Great Mosque originally constructed in the 12th century as a crusader church, the Franciscan church, dedicated to Joseph of Arimathea, who had donated his burial lot to Jesus, boasting an original El Greco painting and Ramle's Greek Orthodox Church which is dedicated to St. George. Many of the other properties in the area too, including "abandoned property"  have traditional Arab architectural design of rare and interesting historical value.

Today this ancient heart of Ramle is slowly crumbling into ruin and neglect. The old city quarter, located in the south of the city, has a predominantly Arab population of approximately 3,000 inhabitants. The neighborhood suffers from overcrowding and has a real housing shortage. It is defined as a slum in all matters pertaining to the housing type, development and infrastructures, education and employment, as well as cultural life.

Over the years, the neighborhood went through an evacuation-construction process that effectively negated the city's historical character. Managed by Amidar, most of the historical structures are incompatible with the outline plans applicable to the place and are therefore deemed illegal. Moreover, the existing outline plans continue to disregard the city's historical identity.