Al-Khunayzir
الخنيزر 'Arab al Khuneizir[1] | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: Tell el Khaneizîr, the mound of the swine[2] | |
.jpg) 1870s map .jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map .jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Khunayzir (click the buttons) | |
  Al-Khunayzir Location within Mandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 32°25′17″N 35°31′20″E / 32.42139°N 35.52222°E | |
| Palestine grid | 199/203 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Baysan |
| Date of depopulation | May 20, 1948[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,107 dunams (3.107 km2 or 1.200 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
| • Total | 260[3][4] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Influence of nearby town's fall[1] |
| Current Localities | Tirat Zvi[5] |
Al-Khunayzir (Arabic: الخنيزر), was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Baysan. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on May 20, 1948.
In 1881, a nearby tell was named as Tell el Khaneizîr, meaning the mound of the swine, and a nearby spring was named as Ain el Khaneizîr meaning the spring of the swine.[6] خنزير means pig in Arabic.[2]
In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the Mandatory Palestine authorities, Kunaizir had a population of 83; all Muslims,[7] increasing in the 1931 census to 200 Muslims, in a total of 47 houses.[8]
In the 1945 statistics the population was 260 Muslims,[3] with a total of 3,107 dunams of land.[4] Of this, 36 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 1,658 for plantations and irrigated land, 256 for cereals,[9] while 34 dunams were non-cultivable land.[10]
According to B. Morris, 'Arab al Khuneizir was abandoned by its population under the "[i]nfluence of nearby town's fall", on 20 May 1948.[1]
In 1992 it was described: "The only remaining landmarks is a cemetery on Tall Abu al-Faraj (199/203), north of the site. To the north and the west of this tell are the springs of 'Uyun Umm al-Faraj and 'Ayn al-Khanazir. Most of the village site and the land around it are covered with palm trees."[5]
