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Druze villages
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Julis
The Druze village of Julis is the community's spiritual center. Located 9.3 miles from the northern border and 6.8 miles north-east of Acre, the 915-acre village is built on several chalk hills, at an elevation of 360 feet above sea level. It has been inhabited by Druze since the 16th century. At the time the area was ruled by the Druze emirs of the house of Ma'an. In 1878 the village numbered 360 people, with some evidence of Jewish settlement as well.
Today there are some 5,100 inhabitants in Julis, and the annual growth rate is 1.1%; a great majority of the population belongs to the Druze community.
Julis was declared a local council in 1967. In 2003, as with many other Druze settlements, it was merged with several neighboring villages (Abu Sinan, Yanuh, Jat and Yirka) to form a single local council as part of the emergency economic plan. Local opposition, however, had the merger dissolved the following year.
It is thought that the name Julis originated with the Latin name Julius and is in some way connected with Julius Caesar and his imperial heirs of the Julean dynasty. Such an explanation would indicate that the village was in existence as early as the 1st century BC. Another possible source is the Arab verb Jalas, meaning to sit or to settle; this alludes to the village's relatively low elevation. Since Independence the village has been undergoing transformation, urbanization and modernization. Throughout the years the heads of the local council worked hard to devise a comprehensive plan for the development of the local education system, industrial area and tourism industry. This liberalization is manifested in many aspects of village life. Apart from its resilient education system the village also boasts an all-encompassing health system, postal services and diverse recreational and sports facilities. The Israeli defense forces are the main employer in the village, followed by various industrial, trade and transportation enterprises.
A small number of local residents still pursues agriculture.
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