Syrian Towns And Villages Depopulated In The Arab–Israeli Conflict

Before the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, the Golan Heights comprised 312 inhabited areas, including 2 towns, 163 villages, and 108 farms. In 1966, the Syrian population of the Golan Heights was estimated at 147,613. Israel seized about 70% of the Golan Heights in the closing stages of the Six-Day War.Murphy & Gannon 2008, p. 24 Many of these residents fled during the fighting, or were driven out by the Israeli army, and some were evacuated by the Syrian army. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs in 1992 characterized Israel's actions as "ethnic cleansing".

Israel forcibly expelled Syrians from the Golan Heights. There were also instances of Israeli soldiers killing Syrian residents including blowing up their home with people inside.

A cease-fire line was established and large parts of the region came under Israeli military control, including the town of Quneitra, about 139 villages and 61 farms. Of these, the ''Census of Population 1967'' conducted by the Israeli Defence Forces listed only eight, including Quneitra. One of the remaining populated villages, Shayta, was partially destroyed in 1967 and a military post built in its place. Between 1971 and 1972 it was eradicated, with the remaining population forcibly transferred to Mas'ade, another of the populated villages under Israeli control.Sakr Abu Fakhr, ''"Voices from the Golan"'', Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Autumn, 2000), University of California Press, p. 7. Focaal reports that "95% of the Syrian indigenous population was forcibly displaced and only five villages, out of 340 villages and farms, remained."

The Israeli Head of Surveying and Demolition Supervision for the Golan Heights proposed the demolition of 127 unpopulated villages, with about 90 abandoned villages to be demolished shortly after May 15, 1968."The Fate of Abandoned Arab Villages, 1965–1969" by Aron Shai, ''History & Memory'' Volume 18, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2006, pp. 86–106. "As the pace of the surveys increased in the West Bank, widespread operations also began on the Golan Heights, which had been captured from Syria during the war (figure 7). Dan Urman, whose official title was Head of Surveying and Demolition Supervision for the Golan Heights, was responsible for this task. Urman submitted a list of 127 villages for demolition to his bosses. … The demolitions were executed by contractors hired for the job. Financial arrangements and coordination with the ILA and the army were recorded in detail. Davidson commissioned surveys and demolition supervision from the IASS srael Archaeological Survey Society Thus, for example, in a letter dated 15 May 1968, he wrote to Ze'ev Yavin: 'Further to our meeting, this is to inform you that within a few days, we will start demolishing about 90 abandoned villages on the Golan Heights (see attached list)." The demolitions were carried out by contractors hired for the job.(2001) Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories
J. Destruction of built-up areas and looting of property: "Following the occupation of the territory in 1967, the occupation authorities destroyed 244 villages and built-up areas in the Golan and expelled their population, sparing only five villages ( Majdal Shams, Buq'ata, ‘Ayn Qunyah, Mas'ade and al- Ghajar)." After the demolitions, the lands were given to Israeli settlers. There was an effort to preserve buildings of archaeological significance and buildings useful for the planned Jewish settlements.

After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, parts of the occupied Golan Heights were returned to Syrian control, including Quneitra, which had changed hands several times during the war. According to a United Nations Special Committee, Israeli forces had deliberately destroyed the city before their 1974 withdrawal.(1974) Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories

In 2024, after Israel expanded its occupation of the Golan Heights, Israel attempted to depopulate several Syrian villages in the newly occupied area. After the residents declined, Israel began destroying the electricity and water networks in the villages to attempt to forcibly get the residents out. On 18 December, it was reported that over 100 Syrian families had been forcibly expelled from the Golan Heights by the Israeli military. Witnesses describe that Israeli soldiers had opened fire on them and on their homes. The United Nations peacekeepers have been removing Israeli flags in the newly occupied area.

Depopulated and demolished towns and villages

Quneitra - Flickr - edbrambley.jpg, Destroyed buildings in Quneitra
File:Ein-Fit-05.JPG, Ruins at 'Ayn Fit
Golan Hights Zerstörte syrische Moschee auf den Golanhöhen 2.JPG, Destroyed Mosque in Khishniyah
Demolished House Fiq Golan Syria.jpg, Demolition of a two-storied house in Fiq, 1967
Expulsion of Syrians from Golan Heights.jpg, Forced transfer and displacement. Syrian civilians, hands raised, before Israeli soldiers, leave their homes in the Golan Heights

Depopulated villages

Alphabetical list; all parts of the name are treated equally, including the article (al-, as-, etc.), but the diacritics are disregarded (for example ‘A is treated like a plain A).
Caution: some names appear twice in different orthographic variations, originating from different sources.

Depopulated farms

Alphabetical list; all parts of the name are treated equally, including the article (al-, as-, etc.), but the diacritics are disregarded (for example ‘A is treated like a plain A).

See also

* Ethnic cleansing
* Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel
* List of villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict
* Population transfer

References

Bibliography

*

External links

''Golan Heights and Vicinity: October 1994''
– CIA map of the Golan Heights, at the Library of Congress, showing abandoned/dismantled Syrian villages.

''South Lebanon and Vicinity 1976''
– Map from the University of Texas at Austin, showing Syrian villages in the Golan Heights from pre-1967 sources.

''Southern Lebanon Border Area 1986''
– Map from the University of Texas at Austin general libraries map collection, showing Syrian villages in the Golan Heights from pre-1967 sources.

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Syrian Towns And Villages Destroyed By Israel
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Former populated places in Syria

Forced migration in Asia
Syria in the Arab–Israeli conflict
Ethnic cleansing in Asia
Ghost towns in Asia