al-bassa was one of the largest, most developed villages in the north of the country, covering a land area of some 20,000 dunams of hills and plains, 2,000 of which were irrigated. a regional commercial center, it contained over sixty shops and eleven coffeehouses, a few of which sat along the haifa-beirut highway. the active village council had paved roads, installed a system of running water, and oversaw the convening of a wholesale produce market there every sunday. an agricultural cooperative in the village counted over 150 members that promoted agricultural development, while also providing loans to local farmers. the population of about 4,000 was divided almost evenly between muslims and christians. among the village institutions were a government run elementary school, a "national high school", a greek orthodox church, a catholic church, and a mosque. the village was situated in the territory allotted to the arab state under the 1947 un partition plan.