Bayt Nattif
| Bayt Nattif | |
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Bayt Nattif after capture, 1948
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 Bayt Nattif
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| Arabic | بيت نتّيف |
| Name meaning | The house of Nettif |
| Subdistrict | Hebron |
| Coordinates | 31°41′43.9″N 34°59′45.6″E / 31.695528°N 34.996000°ECoordinates: 31°41′43.9″N 34°59′45.6″E / 31.695528°N 34.996000°E |
| Palestine grid | 149/122 |
| Population | 2150 (1945) |
| Date of depopulation | October 21, 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Netiv HaLamed-Heh,Aviezer,Neve Michael |
Bayt Nattif or Beit Nattif (Arabic: بيت نتّيف, Hebrew: בית נטיף and בית נתיף alternatively) was a Palestinian Arab village, located some 20 kilometers (straight line distance) southwest of Jerusalem, midway on the ancient Roman road between Beit Guvrin and Jerusalem, and 21 km northwest of Hebron.
In Roman times the town was known as Bethletepha or Pella, and commonly known by its Greek equivalent, Bethletephon. The original Arabic version of the name was Bayt Lettif.
The village lay nestled on a hilltop, surrounded by olive groves and almonds, with woodlands of oak and carobs overlooking Wadi es-Sunt (the Elah Valley) to its south.
During the British Mandate it was part of the Hebron Subdistrict. Bayt Nattif was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on October 21, 1948 under Operation Ha-Har.
In 1945 Bayt Nattif had a population of 2,150 Muslims. It contained several shrines, including a notable one dedicated to al-Shaykh Ibrahim. Roughly a dozen khirbas lay in the vicinity.
Bayt Nattif stood on the much-traveled ancient road connecting Eleutheropolis (Beit Guvrin) with Jerusalem, about midway between the two towns.
The city had been assigned the status of toparchy, one of eleven toparchies or prefectures in Judaea given certain administrative responsibilities.
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Wikipedia