Harrawi هرّاوي/عرب الحمدون | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Keren Naftali lookout | |
| Etymology: Kh. Harrah, the ruin of Harreh,from personal name.[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Harrawi (click the buttons) | |
  Harrawi Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:33°5′27″N35°33′47″E / 33.09083°N 35.56306°E /33.09083; 35.56306 | |
| Palestine grid | 202/277 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Safad |
| Date of depopulation | 1948[3] |
| Population (1931) | |
• Total | 148[2] |
Harrawi (Arabic:هرّاوي/عرب الحمدون) was aPalestinianArab village in theSafad Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War on May 25, 1948, by the Palmach's First Battalion ofOperation Yiftach. It was located 18 km northeast ofSafad.
In 1948, it had a population of 290.
The villagers of Harrawi were descendants of Bedouin from the 'Arab al-Hamdun tribe. There is evidence to suggest the village was inhabited as far back as the earlyByzantine period, with ruins of Greek inscriptions, old walls, tessellated floors, and a wine-press.[4]
In 1875,Victor Guérin passed by, and thought the ruins he found there could be ancientHazor.[5] The same was reported in 1881, by thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP).[6]
In the1931 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Arab el Hamdun had a population of 148 Muslims, in a total of 36 houses.[2]
Harrawi was located on a mountain in eastern Upper Galilee. The area is forested but much land was converted by the settlers for agricultural purposes, given that in 1945, 551 dunums of land was devoted to the farming ofcereals. However, they were also employed in animal husbandry, and brought their livestock down seasonal pastures in the winter.[4]
A large number of inhabitants were employed in cereal farming, which dominated all of the area under cultivation.[7]
Types of land use in dunums by Arabs in the1945 statistics:[8][7][9]
| Land Usage | Arab | Jewish |
|---|---|---|
| Cereal | 551 | 330 |
| Urban | 0 | 2 |
| Cultivable | 551 | 330 |
| Non-cultivable | 1,704 | 1,139 |
The village comprised a total area of 3,726dunums of which 60% was owned by Arabs and 40% by Jews. The land ownership of the village before occupation in dunums:[10]
| Owner | Durums |
|---|---|
| Arab | 2,255 |
| Jewish | 1,471 |
| Public | 0 |
| Total | 3,726 |
Although it was in May 1948 that the village was depopulated, the Palestinian newspaperFilastin reported an incident that occurred in February 1948 when a bus carrying Arab passengers en route fromal-Hula toSafad was ambushed at Harrawi on 12 February by aZionist military unit. A mine exploded under the bus which was also subject to gunfire and firebombing, killing four people.[11]
In mid May 1948, the village was defended by theArab Liberation Army's Second Yarmuk Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col.Adib Shishakli, who later served as president ofSyria. The initial resistance was reported by the American newspaperThe New York TimesinDamascus to have been a success, with the ALA claiming victories at Harrawi and al-Malikiyya, located 5 km to the northwest.[4] However, any early successes were short-lived; Harrawi, along with the nearby villages ofMallaha andBaysamun fell to the Israeli Palmach's First Battalion ofOperation Yiftach May 25.[4]
Ramot Naftali is located close to the village site, but it is not on Harrawi land; it is located onAl-Nabi Yusha' land.[4]
In 1992, the village site was described: "No traces of the village are visible. Woods cover the slopes and peak of the mountain on which the village was located. Some of the lands in the area are wooded while others have been planted by Israelis with fruit trees."[4]
Media related toHarrawi at Wikimedia Commons
