Al-Khisas
Encyclopedia
Al-Khisas was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad in Mandate Palestine
.
al-Hasibani through which ran the Hasbani River
.
described al-Khisas as falling within the administrative jurisdiction of Banias
in Syria
. Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
in Palestine
, al-Khisas was administered as part of a sanjak
in the vilayet of Damascus, and was later redesignated a part the vilayet of Sidon
(renamed the vilayet of Beirut).
and Nahariya
in the area to be incorporated under a French sphere of influence. The Syria-Lebanon-Palestine boundary was a product of the post-World War I
Anglo-French partition of Ottoman Syria
. British forces had advanced to a position at Tel Hazor against Turkish troops in 1918 and wished to incorporate all the sources of the river Jordan within the boundaries of British controlled Palestine. Due to the French inability to establish administrative control, the frontier between Syria and Palestine became 'fluid'. Following the Paris Peace Conference of 1919
, in the un-ratified Treaty of Sèvres
from the San Remo conference
, the 1920 boundary extended the area to fall under British control to the north of the Sykes Picot line. In 1920, the French managed to assert influence over the Arab nationalist movement and King Faisal
was deposed after the Battle of Maysalun
. The international boundary between Palestine and Syria was finally set by joint agreement between Great Britain and France in 1923 in conjunction with the Treaty of Lausanne
, after Britain had been given a League of Nations
Mandate for Palestine in 1922; thus, al-Khisas came under British jurisdiction.
operation which was then cancelled before it was undertaken.
On the morning of 18 December 1947, a Palestinian Arab attack was mounted against a resident of Kibbutz Ma'ayan Barukh
as revenge for the shooting of a Palestinian Arab a few days previous and it was this revenge attack that preceded the Palmach
attack on al-Khisas mounted at night.
Haganah
authorised the attack believing, erroneously, that the attacker had come from al-Khisas. Both Ezra Danin
and Gad Machnes of the Arab affairs department advised against the raid as they were of the opinion that the raid would spread fighting to the area which had hitherto been 'quiet'. The Palmach attack centred on two areas; a house in the village proper and the winter mansion of the Emir Faur' (also spelt Emir Faour), the local landlord and leader of the al-Fadel clan.
The number of dead has been recorded as 10 (5 men, 1 woman and 4 children); however, the report from the Palmach commander records 12 dead (7 men, 1 woman and 4 children). The raid was reported with criticism by the international press. David Ben-Gurion
issued a denial that the raid had been authorised and gave a public apology, but the raid was later included by Ben-Gurion in a list of successful operations. The Yishuv
held a meeting on the 1-2 January to discuss the policy of 'retaliatory raids', the outcome of which was a formulation of guidelines by the Jewish High Command for the conduct and execution of retaliatory raids:
The 11 May 1948 initial exodus from al-Khisas occurred after the Haganah
refused a request for an 'agreement'. Following the 25 May 1948 exodus, 55 villagers remained in their homes for just over a year until they were 'transferred' out by Israeli forces, despite having good relations and collaborating with Jewish settlements in the area. During the night of 5-6 June 1949, the village was surrounded by trucks and the villagers were forced into the trucks 'with kicks, curses and maltreatment.' In the words of a Mapam
Knesset
member, Elizer Peri, who is quoted by Morris: "The remaining villagers said that they had been 'forced with their hands to destroy their dwellings,' and had been treated like 'cattle.' They were then dumped on a bare, sun-scorched hillside near the village of 'Akbara
[an abandoned Palestinian Arab village, south of Safad] where they were left 'wandering in the wilderness, thirsty and hungry.' They lived there under inhuman conditions for years afterwards," along with the inhabitants of at least two other villages (Qaddita
and al-Ja'una
), expelled in similar circumstances. Those expelled remained at 'Akbara for 18 years until agreeing to resettlement in Wadi Hamam
.
Kibbutz HaGoshrim
was established on the village lands of al-Khisas on 26 September 1948 as part of an Israeli government policy to block the return of Palestinian refugees. The kibbutz opened "a lovely hotel" in the former manor house of Emir Faour, the leader of the al-Fadel tribe and feudal landlord of al-Khisas. According to Benvenisti, the fact sheet of the hotel states, without elaborating that; "In the past this was the winter palace of Emir Faour."
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
.
Geography
Al-Khisas was located 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) north northeast of Safad upon a natural terrace about 100 metres (328.1 ft) wide. The terrace was formed thousands of years earlier after ancient Lake al-Hula receded. To the west of the village was a valley, known as WadiWadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
al-Hasibani through which ran the Hasbani River
Hasbani River
The Hasbani River , also known as Snir Stream within Israel, is a tributary of the Jordan river.The Hasbani River derives most of its discharge from two springs in Lebanon, the Wazzani and the Haqzbieh, the latter being a group of springs on the uppermost Hasbani...
.
Early history
Evidence of the long history of habitation in the village includes the nearby shrine of a local sage known as al-Shaykh 'Ali and the presence of rock-hewn tombs. The Arab geographer Yaqut al-HamawiYaqut al-Hamawi
Yāqūt ibn-'Abdullah al-Rūmī al-Hamawī) was an Islamic biographer and geographer renowned for his encyclopedic writings on the Muslim world. "al-Rumi" refers to his Greek descent; "al-Hamawi" means that he is from Hama, Syria, and ibn-Abdullah is a reference to his father's name, Abdullah...
described al-Khisas as falling within the administrative jurisdiction of Banias
Banias
Banias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, al-Khisas was administered as part of a sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
in the vilayet of Damascus, and was later redesignated a part the vilayet of Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
(renamed the vilayet of Beirut).
Mandate period
In 1917, al-Khisas lay north of the Sykes Picot line, a straight line between the mid point of the Sea of GalileeSea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
and Nahariya
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
in the area to be incorporated under a French sphere of influence. The Syria-Lebanon-Palestine boundary was a product of the post-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Anglo-French partition of Ottoman Syria
Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
The Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations.The partitioning was planned from the early days of the war,...
. British forces had advanced to a position at Tel Hazor against Turkish troops in 1918 and wished to incorporate all the sources of the river Jordan within the boundaries of British controlled Palestine. Due to the French inability to establish administrative control, the frontier between Syria and Palestine became 'fluid'. Following the Paris Peace Conference of 1919
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
, in the un-ratified Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
from the San Remo conference
San Remo conference
The San Remo Conference was an international meeting of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council, held in Sanremo, Italy, from 19 to 26 April 1920. It was attended by the four Principal Allied Powers of World War I who were represented by the prime ministers of Britain , France and Italy and...
, the 1920 boundary extended the area to fall under British control to the north of the Sykes Picot line. In 1920, the French managed to assert influence over the Arab nationalist movement and King Faisal
Faisal I of Iraq
Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi, was for a short time King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of the Kingdom of Iraq from 23 August 1921 to 1933...
was deposed after the Battle of Maysalun
Battle of Maysalun
The Battle of Maysalun , also called The Battle of Maysalun Pass, took place between Syrian and French forces about 12 miles west of Damascus near the town of Maysalun on July 23, 1920.-Background:...
. The international boundary between Palestine and Syria was finally set by joint agreement between Great Britain and France in 1923 in conjunction with the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
, after Britain had been given a League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
Mandate for Palestine in 1922; thus, al-Khisas came under British jurisdiction.
1947-48 and aftermath
Al-Khisas had previously been selected, along with Na'ima and Jahula by the Palmach (the Hebrew acronym for Plugot Mahatz - Strike Companies) as a target for a HaganahHaganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
operation which was then cancelled before it was undertaken.
On the morning of 18 December 1947, a Palestinian Arab attack was mounted against a resident of Kibbutz Ma'ayan Barukh
Ma'ayan Barukh
Ma'ayan Baruch is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located near the intersection of the Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 277.-History:...
as revenge for the shooting of a Palestinian Arab a few days previous and it was this revenge attack that preceded the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
attack on al-Khisas mounted at night.
Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
authorised the attack believing, erroneously, that the attacker had come from al-Khisas. Both Ezra Danin
Ezra Danin
Ezra Danin was the head of the Arab section of the SHAI, the intelligence arm of the Hagana, Israeli politician and an orange grower...
and Gad Machnes of the Arab affairs department advised against the raid as they were of the opinion that the raid would spread fighting to the area which had hitherto been 'quiet'. The Palmach attack centred on two areas; a house in the village proper and the winter mansion of the Emir Faur' (also spelt Emir Faour), the local landlord and leader of the al-Fadel clan.
The number of dead has been recorded as 10 (5 men, 1 woman and 4 children); however, the report from the Palmach commander records 12 dead (7 men, 1 woman and 4 children). The raid was reported with criticism by the international press. David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
issued a denial that the raid had been authorised and gave a public apology, but the raid was later included by Ben-Gurion in a list of successful operations. The Yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
held a meeting on the 1-2 January to discuss the policy of 'retaliatory raids', the outcome of which was a formulation of guidelines by the Jewish High Command for the conduct and execution of retaliatory raids:
"Active self defence by means of strong counter-attacks every where we are attacked, at a time and place of the attack on us, except for holy places, schools, and other objectives of this sort....Not to take the initiative in disturbances, riots, or provocations...in regions where we have not yet been attacked and which have not yet come under fire; to make an effort to harm [only] the guilty ones and, knowing the impossibility of being meticulous about targeting the right individuals, to be careful to target the right settlement, village or region."
The 11 May 1948 initial exodus from al-Khisas occurred after the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
refused a request for an 'agreement'. Following the 25 May 1948 exodus, 55 villagers remained in their homes for just over a year until they were 'transferred' out by Israeli forces, despite having good relations and collaborating with Jewish settlements in the area. During the night of 5-6 June 1949, the village was surrounded by trucks and the villagers were forced into the trucks 'with kicks, curses and maltreatment.' In the words of a Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
member, Elizer Peri, who is quoted by Morris: "The remaining villagers said that they had been 'forced with their hands to destroy their dwellings,' and had been treated like 'cattle.' They were then dumped on a bare, sun-scorched hillside near the village of 'Akbara
'Akbara
Akbara was a Palestinian village, located 2.5 kilometres south of Safad, which was depopulated in 1948.- Location :The village of 'Akbara was situated 2.5 km south of Safad, along the two sides of a deep wadi that ran north-south. Southeast of the village lay Khirbat al-Uqayba, identified as...
[an abandoned Palestinian Arab village, south of Safad] where they were left 'wandering in the wilderness, thirsty and hungry.' They lived there under inhuman conditions for years afterwards," along with the inhabitants of at least two other villages (Qaddita
Qaddita
Qaddita was a Palestinian Arab village of 240, located northwest of Safad. It was captured and depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, with some of its inhabitants fleeing to nearby Akbara where they live as internally displaced Palestinians and others to refugee camps in Lebanon or...
and al-Ja'una
Al-Ja'una
Al-Ja'una or Ja'ouna , was a Palestinian village situated in Galilee on the slopes of Mount Canaan near al-Houleh Plateau, overlooking the Jordan Valley. The village lay on a beautiful hill side 450–500 meters above sea level, 5 kilometers east of Safad near a major road connecting Safad with...
), expelled in similar circumstances. Those expelled remained at 'Akbara for 18 years until agreeing to resettlement in Wadi Hamam
Hamaam
Hamaam , or Wadi Hamam, is a Bedouin village near the Sea of Galilee and Mount Arbel in northern Israel. It is the easternmost part of the al-Batuf Regional Council. It contains one fairly modern mosque and the trail head for the steep ascent of Mount Arbel. According to the Israel Central Bureau...
.
Kibbutz HaGoshrim
HaGoshrim
HaGoshrim is a kibbutz in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 5 km east of Kiryat Shmona. It was founded in 1948 mostly by immigrants from Turkey, and falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council...
was established on the village lands of al-Khisas on 26 September 1948 as part of an Israeli government policy to block the return of Palestinian refugees. The kibbutz opened "a lovely hotel" in the former manor house of Emir Faour, the leader of the al-Fadel tribe and feudal landlord of al-Khisas. According to Benvenisti, the fact sheet of the hotel states, without elaborating that; "In the past this was the winter palace of Emir Faour."
See also
- List of Arab towns and villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
- List of villages depopulated during the Arab-Israeli conflict
- Killings and massacres during the 1948 Palestine War
External links and references
- Welcome to al-Khisas
- al-Khisas, from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural CenterKhalil Sakakini Cultural Center is an organization established in 1996. It is located at 4 Raja Street, Ramallah in the West Bank. The traditional manor that houses the centre was the former family home of Khalil Salem Salah, the mayor of Ramallah between 1947/1951, is now owned by the Palestinian...
- al-Khisas, Dr. Khalil Rizk.
- N.Y. Times: Haganah kills 10 in raid on Arabs