Khirbet Quwawis قواويص Quwaweis; Qawawis | |
|---|---|
Hamlet | |
  Khirbet Quwawis Location within the West Bank, Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°25′20.0″N35°07′33.0″E / 31.422222°N 35.125833°E /31.422222; 35.125833 | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Hebron Governorate |
| Area | Masafer Yatta |
| Elevation | 635 m (2,083 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 |
Quwawis (Arabic:قواويص, also spelledQuwaweis orQawawis) is a smallPalestinian herding hamlet in theSouth Hebron Hills, within theMasafer Yatta cluster of communities in theHebron Governorate of the southernWest Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies inArea C under Israeli civil and military control. Much of the surrounding area was declaredFiring Zone 918 in the 1980s, and residents face demolition orders, restrictions on infrastructure, and recurrent settler-related incidents.[1][2]
Quwawis lies at about635 metres above sea level, at approximate coordinates31.4222°N, 35.1258°E (31°25′20″N 35°07′33″E).[3] The hamlet is situated east ofYatta and is part of the chain of small herding communities scattered through the South Hebron Hills.
In the 1870s, theSurvey of Western Palestine described Khurbet Kuweiwis as consisting of “foundations, cisterns, and caves.”[4]
The widerMasafer Yatta landscape (Arabicmasāfer, “travelling”) has long been a zone of semi-nomadic grazing and cave-dwelling habitation. Families in Quwawis, like those in neighbouring hamlets, live in caves and simple structures, supported by cisterns, terraces, and small dryland fields typical of the area.[1]
Following theJune 1967 war, Quwawis came under Israeli occupation and was included inArea C. Large parts of Masafer Yatta were later declaredFiring Zone 918, preventing formal planning and development.[1] In 2004–2007, Israeli authorities carried out demolitions in Quwawis, displacing several families; a Supreme Court injunction later enabled their partial return pending further litigation.[5][6]
Quwawis is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta hamlets. Families rely on herding goats and sheep, supplemented by small-scale farming of grains and seasonal grazing.[10] International NGOs have provided solar panels and water cisterns, which have at times been targeted for demolition.[11]
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| Incorporated villages | ||
| Related topics | ||