Umm al-Faraj

Umm al-Faraj (أم الفرج, known to the Crusaders as La Fierge) was a Palestinian village, depopulated in 1948.

Location
The village was situated on a flat spot in the Acre plain, 10.5 km northeast of Acre.

History
The village was known to the Crusaders as Le Fierge.

An inscription in marble, built into the wall above the gate of the village mosque, dates this building to 1254 H, (1838-39 C.E.).

During the late Ottoman period, in May 1875, the French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village. He described it as being surrounded by "delightful" gardens, irrigated  with water from Nahr al-Mafshukh. Many houses were build with great care, and some had old pieces of stone built into them. All the villagers were Muslim. In 1881, the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as being built of stone and with a population of 200. The villagers planted fig, olive, mulberry and pomegranate trees.

The older houses in the village were built close together and formed a circle, while the homes build after 1936 were scattered among the orchards. The entire population of Umm al-Faraj were Muslim, and lived by agriculture. In 1944/45 a total of 745 dunam was used for citrus and bananas, 18 dunam were used for cereals, while  42 dunam were irrigated or used for orchards.

1948 War and aftermath
During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Umm al-Faraj was assaulted by Israel's Carmeli Brigade in the second stage of Operation Ben'Ami. The operational order, issued 19 May 1948, was to "attack with the aim of conquest, the killing of adult males, destruction and torching." The assault came on the 20–21 May 1948, when Carmeli forces attacked Umm al-Faraj together with Kabri, al Tell and Nahar, and then "demolished them," according to Morris.

The Israeli settlement of Ben Ami was established in 1949, in part on village land.

The Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the village remains in 1992:  "Only the stone mosque remains. It is shut and stands in a state of decay amid tall wild grass. Many trees that might predate the village's destruction can be seen. The nearby lands are cultivated; a banana grove belongs to the Ben Ammi settlement."