Jaba, Jenin
| Jaba' | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | جبع |
 Jaba'
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| Coordinates: 32°19′26″N 35°13′20″E / 32.32389°N 35.22222°ECoordinates: 32°19′26″N 35°13′20″E / 32.32389°N 35.22222°E | |
| Palestine grid | 171/192 |
| Governorate | Jenin |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Bassam Jarrar |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 8,942 |
| Name meaning | "Hill" |
Jaba' (Arabic: جبع) is a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of the city of Jenin. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 8,942 in the 2007 census. The village's name translates as "hill" and it is situated on the slopes of the Jabal Dabrun mountain. The village and its immediate vicinity contain a number of archaeological sites, including a tomb for a certain Neby Yarub. During the Ottoman era, Jaba' served as a throne village of the powerful Jarrar clan. The town is administered by a municipal council, currently headed by Bassam Jarrar.
The village's name Jaba' is the word for "hill". Biblical scholars Edward Robinson and Eli Smith believed that the village's name made it "decidedly another ancient Geba or Gibeah", but they were not aware of the existence of an ancient village with either of those names in Jaba's vicinity. A possibility, they noted, was that Jaba' was the "Gabe", mentioned by the Byzantine historian Jerome, that was located 16 Roman miles from the coastal city of Caesarea. Others identify this Jaba with the Geba of the Mishnah, explicitly noted as being in Samaria.
Sherds from Middle Bronze Age II, Iron Age I & II, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman through Byzantine era have been found in Jaba'. The town is not mentioned in Medieval sources, although the old core of the village appears to date back sometime during the Mamluk and/or Ottoman periods.
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