Ishwa
| Ishwa | |
 Ishwa
|
|
| Arabic | إشوع |
| Sub-district | Jerusalem |
| Coordinates | 31°46′49.45″N 35°00′39.56″E / 31.7804028°N 35.0109889°ECoordinates: 31°46′49.45″N 35°00′39.56″E / 31.7804028°N 35.0109889°E |
| Population | 719 (1948[1]) |
| Area | |
| Date of depopulation | 18 July, 1948[2] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
| Current localities | Eshta'ol[3] |
Ishwa' (Arabic: إشوع) was a Palestinian village that was captured by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The village was located about 20 km west of Jerusalem, on the present location of Eshta'ol. In the 1931 British census of Palestine, Ishwa had a population of 468 in 126 houses. The village was captured by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on July 16, 1948 in Operation Dani by the Harel Brigade. All of its inhabitants fled or were expelled.
Contents |
[edit] History
Ishwa is thought to have been established over the site of the Canaanite city of Eshta'ol. It was known by that name during the Roman Empire-era, when it fell within the administrative district of Eleutheropolis (Bayt Jibrin). However, Dayr Abu al-Qabus, located 0.5 kilometers (0.31 mi) to the north has also been identified with Eshta'ol.[4]
During the 16th century CE, settlement seems to have shifted to the northwest at Islin. When the site of Islin went out of use—during the 17th or 18th century—Ishwa was probably repopulated; by 1875, it had a population of 450.[4] In the late 19th century, it was built near the foot of a hill and olive trees were planted below the village.[5] Ishwa had a star-shaped configuration, its mostly stone houses extending along the roads leading to other villages.[4]
Khalidi described the place in 1992:
Only a few of the village houses remain on the site, interspersed among the settlement's houses; some serve as residences and warehouses. The village cemetery, next to the administrative building of the settlement, has been levelled and planted with grass. On the southern edge of the cemetery is a cave that contains the large grindstone of a flour mill. Olive and carob trees grow on the site, among other trees more recently planted by the settlers. At the western edge of the village is a soccer field. The walls and fallen roofs of the destroyed houses can be seen at the edge of this field.[6]
[edit] See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestinian exodus
- List of villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener (1881): The Survey of Western Palestine: memoirs of the topography, orography, hydrography, and archaeology. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. vol 3
- Hadawi, Sami (1970), Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine, Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center, http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html
- Khalidi, Walid (1992), All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948, Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies, ISBN 0-88728-224-5
- Morris, Benny (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00967-6. http://books.google.com/?id=uM_kFX6edX8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=benny+morris&q.
