The total area of the village was 24,620 dunams, of which 96.1% was Arab-owned, the remainder being public property. Of the village's lands, 2,671 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 11,054 dunams for cereals, while 42 dunams were built-up (urban) areas. After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Jaba' came under Jordanian rule. It was annexed by Jordan in 1950. In 1961, the population of Jaba' was 2,507. Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Jaba' has been under Israeli occupation. In the 2005 municipal elections, Fatah won the largest number of seats (seven), followed by Hamas (five). Political independents won one seat. The mayor is Bassam Jarrar. Jaba' is located in the Jenin Governorate in the northern West Bank. It is about 8 kilometers southwest of the governorate's capital, Jenin. The nearest localities are Fandaqumiya and Silat ad-Dhahr to the west, Rama and Ajjah to the northwest, Anzah to the north, Sanur and Meithalun to the northeast, Siris to the east, Yasid to the southeast, Beit Imrin to the south and Burqa to the southwest. Jaba' is partially situated on the northern slopes of Jabal Dabrun and partially in the agriculturally-rich valley below the mountain. The old core of the village is situated on a formerly fortified tell, which consists of roughly 30 dunams, at the summit of Jabal Dabrun. The summit of the Jabal Hureish mountain is 3.5 kilometers east of Jaba'. The elevation of old Jaba' is 540 meters above sea level, and it is 40 meters higher than its immediate surroundings. Jabal Dabrun's summit is 651 meters above sea level. To the east and west of the village are springs, including Ein al-Gharbi. In 1882, the SWP found "East of the village is a tomb, very rudely cut in white soft rock. The entrance on the north-east leads to an ante-chamber with two coats of plaster on the walls ; the inner chamber has three "kokim"; the door between is a rude arch of small masonry." There are four archaeological sites in the vicinity in Jaba', namely Khirbet al-Naqb, Khirbet Jafa, Khirbet Sabata and Khirbet Beit Yarub.