Kawkaba
Encyclopedia
Kawkaba known to the Crusaders
as Coquebel, was an Palestinian
village that was captured by Israel
during Operation Yoav
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
, and depopulated.
, which paralleled the coastal highway.
as Coquebel. Kawkaba contained an archaeological site with a pool, cisterns, the foundations of buildings, columns, severed capitals. North of it was Khirbat Kamas, which was identified as the Crusader Camsa and which yielded some archaeological artifacts.
In 1596, Kawkab, the site identified with Kawkaba, was part of the Ottoman Empire
, with a population of 88. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, sesame, fruit trees and vineyards.
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Kawkaba had a rectangular layout along the above-mentioned road, and expanded north-south alongside it; it had a well to the west and a pool to the north.
Kawkaba shared an elementary school with the villages of Bayt Tima
and Hulayqat
. Its houses were made of adobe and cement, and its shops were located at the village center, on the western side of the road. On its eastern site were two water sources: a spring and a 70-meter deep well. The villagers, who were all Muslim
s, engaged in rainfed agriculture, cultivating grain and winter and summer vegetables. Towards the end of the Mandate period they also cultivated fruits, such as figs and grapes, on all their land expect to the west. In 1944/45 a total of 8,166 dunum
s was allotted to cereals; 166 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
during Operation Yoav
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
. The fall of the village was preceded by the events at nearby Burayr
; where the Haganah
Oded Brigade
apparently executed a large number of military age Palestinians. The Kawkaba villages had offered to surrender to the Yishuv's forces but the Haganah drove out the last of the inhabitants on the 27/28 May 1948. The village was on the front line between the Israeli and Egyptian armies through the summer of 1948 and appears to have changed hands several times. In an attack on 18 July 1948 nineteen Palmach
members of the Negev Brigade
were killed.
In 1950 the Israeli settlement of Kokhav Michael
was founded on village land, southeast of the village site.
According to Khalidi, by 1992 the remaining structures on the village land were:
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
as Coquebel, was an Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
village that was captured by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
during Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Egyptian forces along the coast and the Beersheba–Hebron–Jerusalem road and ultimately to conquer the whole Negev...
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
, and depopulated.
Location
The village was situated on an uneven stretch of red-brown soil on the southern coastal plain. It lay on the highway constructed by the British during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which paralleled the coastal highway.
History
The site was known during the CrusadesCrusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
as Coquebel. Kawkaba contained an archaeological site with a pool, cisterns, the foundations of buildings, columns, severed capitals. North of it was Khirbat Kamas, which was identified as the Crusader Camsa and which yielded some archaeological artifacts.
In 1596, Kawkab, the site identified with Kawkaba, was part 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...
, with a population of 88. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, sesame, fruit trees and vineyards.
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Kawkaba had a rectangular layout along the above-mentioned road, and expanded north-south alongside it; it had a well to the west and a pool to the north.
Kawkaba shared an elementary school with the villages of Bayt Tima
Bayt Tima
Bayt Tima was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza, located northeast of Gaza and some from the coastline. It was situated in flat terrain on the southern coastal plain of Palestine. Bayt Tima was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
and Hulayqat
Hulayqat
Hulayqat was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 12, 1948 under Operation Barak. It was located 20.5 km northeast of Gaza.The population in 1945 was 420...
. Its houses were made of adobe and cement, and its shops were located at the village center, on the western side of the road. On its eastern site were two water sources: a spring and a 70-meter deep well. The villagers, who were all Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, engaged in rainfed agriculture, cultivating grain and winter and summer vegetables. Towards the end of the Mandate period they also cultivated fruits, such as figs and grapes, on all their land expect to the west. In 1944/45 a total of 8,166 dunum
Dunum
Dunum is a municipality in the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
s was allotted to cereals; 166 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
1948 and after
The village that was captured by IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
during Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav
Operation Yoav was an Israeli military operation carried out from 15–22 October 1948 in the Negev Desert, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Its goal was to drive a wedge between the Egyptian forces along the coast and the Beersheba–Hebron–Jerusalem road and ultimately to conquer the whole Negev...
during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. The fall of the village was preceded by the events at nearby Burayr
Burayr
Burayr was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Gaza, northeast of Gaza City. Its population in 1945 was 2,740 and it was depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It had an average elevation of .-History:...
; where 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 :...
Oded Brigade
Oded Brigade
The Oded Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade, one of ten brigades fielded by the Haganah . It was headquartered in Jerusalem...
apparently executed a large number of military age Palestinians. The Kawkaba villages had offered to surrender to the Yishuv's forces but the Haganah drove out the last of the inhabitants on the 27/28 May 1948. The village was on the front line between the Israeli and Egyptian armies through the summer of 1948 and appears to have changed hands several times. In an attack on 18 July 1948 nineteen 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...
members of the Negev Brigade
Negev Brigade
The 12th Negev Brigade was an Israeli infantry brigade that served in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It was commanded by Nahum "Sergei" Sarig and consisted of four Palmach battalions...
were killed.
In 1950 the Israeli settlement of Kokhav Michael
Kokhav Michael
Kokhav Michael is a moshav in southern Israel. Located between Kiryat Gat and Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council...
was founded on village land, southeast of the village site.
According to Khalidi, by 1992 the remaining structures on the village land were:
"The site is overgrown with sycamore and Christ´s -thorn trees. The old road, as well as crumbled walls and debris in a wooded part of the site are clearly visible. The land in the vicinity is cultivated by Israeli farmers."
External links
- Kawkaba Palestine Remembered
- Kawkaba 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...