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Qatra
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Qatra was a Palestinian Arab village located southwest of the city of Ramla and west of Jerusalem, some above sea level.
a was a Canaanite center of political and economic authority that along with 30 other urban sites in regions bordering the Mediterranean sea, entered a period of decline in the Late Bronze Age between 1250 and 1150 BCE. Qatra is also tentatively identified with the biblical city of Kidron mentioned in the first Book of the Maccabees, and it has been postulated that its name derives from the Hebrew root for Kidron, Qi?rôn.
During its existence as a village in the British Mandate of Palestine it was referred to as Qatrat Islam to distinguish it from the Jewish settlement of Qatrat Yahud or simply Katra, established in the late 19th century.
a was captured by Israel's Giv'ati Brigade in May, 1948.
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Encyclopedia
Qatra was a Palestinian Arab village located southwest of the city of Ramla and west of Jerusalem, some above sea level.
History
Qatra was a Canaanite center of political and economic authority that along with 30 other urban sites in regions bordering the Mediterranean sea, entered a period of decline in the Late Bronze Age between 1250 and 1150 BCE. Qatra is also tentatively identified with the biblical city of Kidron mentioned in the first Book of the Maccabees, and it has been postulated that its name derives from the Hebrew root for Kidron, Qi?rôn.
During its existence as a village in the British Mandate of Palestine it was referred to as Qatrat Islam to distinguish it from the Jewish settlement of Qatrat Yahud or simply Katra, established in the late 19th century.
1948
Qatra was captured by Israel's Giv'ati Brigade in May, 1948. The operation was according to Plan Dalet. Plan Dalets guidelines to the Giv'ati Brigade gave its leader, Lt. Col. Shimon Avidan, wide discretion. In order to "stabilise" his lines, the plan stated that ´you will determine alone, in consultations with your Arab affairs advisers and Intelligence Service officers, [which] villages in your zone should be occupied, cleansed or destroyed.´ During May -early June Avidan moved to expand his area of control westwards and southwards.
It was during these operations that they encountered the village of Qatra. The village offered no resistance. The Giv'ati troops entered and conducted an arms collection operation on 5-6 May. About 60 weapons were handed over - but a Jewish officer was shot and killed (either by an Arab or by friendly fire while searching (or looting) one of the houses. Three Arabs were then taken hostage and Giv'ati demanded the name of the killer, and the handover of any foreign irregulars and additional weapons. The Haganah reoccupied the village and its entire population were either intimidated into flight or expelled on 17 May. The IDF trucked about 200 refugees from Qatra inland, towards Ramleh, in the following period.
The operation in Qatra (and a similar operation in the nearby village of Aqir) was characterised by looting and brutal behaviour. The HIS officer who accompanied the troops later highlighted several problems, including the lack of clear orders regarding behaviour, the absence of POW camp for detainees, and looting. The Giv'ati Brigade's official history states that after these operations, the brigade HQ acted to ´curtail the instinct to loot and maltreat prisoners [hit´alelut beshvuyim]´.
Morris gives as cause for abandonment of Qatra: M/E (M=Military assault on settlement, E=Expulsion by Jewish forces)
In 1949 the Israeli moshav of Kidron was established on Qatra's land
The current Israeli towns built on Qatra's land are Gedera and Kidron, though it should be noted that Gedera existed beside Qatra from 1884 until 1948, and that only after Qatra was abandoned did Gedera expand to cover Qatra.
Bibliography
See also
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