Shebaa

Shebaa (Arabic: شبعا, French: Chebaa) is a town on the south-eastern tip of Lebanon. It has a largely Sunni Muslim population of 25,000 people. It is situated at an altitude of approximately 1,700 m (5,600 ft) above sea level; spread across two steep rocky mountainsides.[1] It lies adjacent to the contested Shebaa farms—which sit between the town and the Golan Heights.[2] Before 1967, residents of Shebaa farmed in the disputed Shebaa farms territory.[3]

Shebaa shown in an early 20th-century German map
Not to be confused with Shebaa farms or Shabaa.
Shebaa
شبعا
Village
Shebaa, in 1998
Shebaa, in 1998
Map showing the location of Kfarhamam within Lebanon
Map showing the location of Kfarhamam within Lebanon
Shebaa
Location within Lebanon
Coordinates: 33°20′55″N 35°44′55″E
Country Lebanon
GovernorateNabatieh Governorate
DistrictHasbaya District
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Dialing code+961

History
Chebaa, in the 1880s[4]

In 1838, Eli Smith noted Chebaa's population as being Sunni Muslim and Greek Orthodox Christians.[5]

Following the 1982 invasion Chebaa became part of the Israel’s security zone with Norwegian soldiers from UNIFIL stationed in the area. One night, late January 1989, the Israeli backed SLA expelled 40 villagers, ordering them not to return. This brought the total over a period of several months to around 80. In the words of the UNIFIL spokesperson those expelled were “mostly women and children”. There was outrage when a Norbat Colonel compared IDF actions to those of the Nazis.[6]

As of 2015, the town housed several thousand Syrian refugees.[7]

Educational Establishments
Educational establishmentsChebaa (Hasbaiya) (2005-2006)Lebanon (2005-2006)
Number of Schools42788
Public School21763
Private School21025
Students schooled in the public schools435439905
Students schooled in the private schools145471409

References
  1. Nour Samaha (2 Jul 2013). "The strange case of Lebanon's Shebaa". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. Saady Wiegand (2011). Enduring Territorial Disputes: Strategies of Bargaining, Coercive Diplomacy, and Settlement (illustrated ed.). University of Georgia Press. p. 146. ISBN 9780820337388.
  3. Krista Eileen Wiegand (2011). Enduring Territorial Disputes: Strategies of Bargaining, Coercive Diplomacy, and Settlement (illustrated ed.). University of Georgia Press. pp. 157–8. ISBN 9780820337388.
  4. Wilson, 1881, vol 2, p. 129
  5. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 138
  6. Middle East International No 346, 17 March 1989, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Jim Muir p.8
  7. Samya Kullab; Ghinwa Obeid (27 Feb 2015). "Shebaa, the town caught in the middle". The Daily Star. Retrieved 12 June 2015.

Bibliography
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