according to a 1945 census, there were 1500 muslims living in the area. khirbat jiddin land totaled 7587 dunums, of which however all but 34 were officially listed as non-cultivable; 4238 were owned by arabs and 3349 dunums owned by jews. kibbutz yehiam was established in the area in 1946. the establishment of the kibbutz is described on its own wikipedia page.