bassa has been identified with the border town betset (בצת) listed in the tosefta and the jerusalem talmud as subject to the laws of shmita. it was called "bezeth" during the roman period, and its arabic name is "al-basah". in the period of crusader rule in palestine, it was known as "le bace" or "lebassa". imad ad-din al-isfahani (d. 1201), a chronicler and advisor to saladin, referred to the village as "ayn al-bassa".