Qazaza قزازة Kezazeh, Kerazeh | |
|---|---|
![Remains of the Wadi al-Sarar Railway Station, on the Jaffa–Jerusalem railway line, located 3 km (2 mi) due north of the village.[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNahalSorekStation.jpg) Remains of the Wadi al-Sarar Railway Station, on theJaffa–Jerusalem railway line, located 3 km (2 mi) due north of the village.[1] | |
| Etymology: from personal name[2] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Qazaza (click the buttons) | |
  Qazaza Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°46′44″N34°52′34″E / 31.77889°N 34.87611°E /31.77889; 34.87611 | |
| Palestine grid | 138/131 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Ramle |
| Date of depopulation | 9–10 July 1948[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 18,829dunams (18.829 km2; 7.270 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 940 |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall |
| Current Localities | Israel Defense Forces base |
Qazaza (Arabic:قزازة) was aPalestinian village in theRamle Subdistrict ofMandatory Palestine, located 19 kilometers (12 mi) south ofRamla. It was depopulated in 1948.
In 1838, in theOttoman era,el Kuzazeh was noted as Muslim village, in theEr-Ramleh district.[4]
A European traveler reported that he passed Qazaza in the 1860s on his way to examine a nearbytell.[5]
Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 thatKezaze had a population of 133, in 89 houses, though the population count included men only. It was also noted that it was located two hours southeast ofShahma.[6]Hartmann found thatKezaze had 85 houses.[7]
In 1882, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) describedKerazeh as "a small village ofadobe and stone at the edge of the hills, with gardens and awell."[8]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Qezazeh had a population of 472Muslims,[9] increasing in the1931 census to 649, still all Muslims, in a total of 150 residential houses.[10]
The villagers maintained a villagemosque and some owned shops. An elementary school was first established in Qazaza in 1922. In 1945 Qazaza joined with the villagers ofSajad andJilya and established a common school for all the three villages. This school had 127 students at the time of its founding in 1945.[1]
The villagers cultivated grain, vegetables and fruits.[1]
In the1945 statistics the population was 940, all Muslims,[11] while the total land area was 18,829dunams, according to an official land and population survey.[12] Of this, a total of 11,757 dunums were allocated to cereals, while 131 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[13] while 38 dunams were classified as built-up urban areas.[14]
During the countdown to the1948 Arab–Israeli War, theHaganah was ordered to demolish Arab houses in so-called "retaliatory measures". In this connection, Haganah units partially destroyed the home of themukhtar of Qazaza, Abdullah Abu Sabah, on the 19 December 1947, in response to the killing of a Jew.[15] Two Arabs were killed during this operation.[16]
On 16 July 1948,Givati HQ informed General Staff\Operations that "our forces have entered the villages of Qazaza,Kheima,Jilya,Idnibba,Mughallis, expelled the inhabitants, [and] blown up and torched a number of houses. The area is at the moment clear of Arabs".[17]
Many of Qazaza's former inhabitants fled toHebron, forming part of the1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight.[18]
Today, the village lands are used by theIsrael Defense Forces. As a closed military zone, it is not known what became of Qazaza's mosque, its elementary school (which had served the villages of Sajad andJilya as well) or its more than 150 homes.[18]
