Abu Shusha
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| Abu Shusha | |
| Arabic | ابو شوشة |
| District | Ramla |
| Coordinates | 31°51′25.20″N 34°54′56.38″E / 31.857°N 34.9156611°ECoordinates: 31°51′25.20″N 34°54′56.38″E / 31.857°N 34.9156611°E |
| Population | 720 (1945) |
| Jurisdiction | 8,960 dunums (9.0 km²) |
| Date of depopulation | April-May 1948 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Israeli forces |
| Current localities | Ameilim, Pedaya |
  Abu Shusha
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Abu Shusha (Arabic: ابو شوشة) was an Arab village in Palestine, 8 km southeast of Ramle. It was depopulated in 1948 and later demolished by Israeli forces.[1]
Abu Shusha was located on the slope of Tel Jazar, which is commonly identified with the ancient city of Gezer. The Crusaders won a battle against Saladin there in 1177. The Arab village was built at the beginning of the 19th century.[2] The population, consisting of Muslim Arabs, was 627 in 1931 and 870 in 1944. The village produced cereals and olives.[3]
In April-May 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Abu Shusha was attacked several times. The final assault began on May 13, one day prior to Israel's declaration of independence. Abu Shusha residents attempted to defend the village, but the village was occupied on May 14. Those residents who had not already died or fled were expelled by May 21.[4] With their descendants, they numbered about 6198 as of 1998.
The Israeli settlement of Ameilim was founded nearby later in 1948, while Pedaya was established in 1951; both on village land.[5]
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[edit] Allegations of a massacre
According to Benny Morris, the village was attacked by the Giv'ati Brigade on May 13-14, 1948 during Operation Barak. A few inhabitants fled but most remained. Some houses were blown up.[1] The Giv'ati troops were immediately replaced by militia men from Kibbutz Gezer, who were later replaced by troops from Kiryati Brigade.[6] On May 19, Arab Legion sources claimed that villagers were being killed. On May 21, Arab authorities appealed to the Red Cross to stop "barbaric acts" they said were being committed in Abu Shusha. [7] More recently, research conducted by Birzeit University, mostly on the basis of interviews with former residents, suggests that between 60-70 residents were killed or massacred during the attack.[8] In 1995 a mass grave with 52 skeletons was discovered, but their cause of death is undetermined.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Simha Flapan, "The Palestinian Exodus of 1948" in 16, no. 4 (Sum. 87): 3-26.Simha Flapan records Eliezer Bauer of the HaShomer Hatiz kibbutz and a member of the Mapam Arab Department reporting during a discussion that the villagers of Abu Zrik and Abu Shusha were arrested or driven out and the villages were then destroyed.
- ^ Ruth Kark, Changing patterns of landownership in nineteenth-century Palestine: the European influence, Journal of Historical Geography, vol 14, no 4 (1984) 357-384.
- ^ W. Khalidi, "All That Remains", p. 357-358.
- ^ B. Morris, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisted. Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 256-257
- ^ Khalidi 1992, p. 358
- ^ Morris, p. 205
- ^ Morris, loc cit.
- ^ Birzeit University series on Palestinian destroyed villages, 276 page report on Abu Shusha; some information here: [1]
- ^ M. Benvenisti, City of Stone, p. 248
[edit] Bibliography
- M. Benvenisti, City of Stone,
- Khalidi, Walid (1992), All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948, Washington D.C.: Institute for Palestine Studies, ISBN 0887282245
- Morris, Benny (2004), The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521009677
[edit] External links
- Welcome to Abu-Shusha
- Abu Shusha, from Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center
- Abu Shusha by Rami Nashashibi (1996), Center for Research and Documentation of Palestinian Society.
- Abu Shusha - A Survivor's Testimony by Rami Nashashibi (1996), Center for Research and Documentation of Palestinian Society.
