Al-Kunayyisa الكنيّسة
Ruin in Al-Kunayyisa
Etymology: The church[1]
1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Al-Kunayyisa (click the buttons)
Al-Kunayyisa Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°53′18″N 34°57′27″E / 31.88833°N 34.95750°E / 31.88833; 34.95750
Palestine grid	146/144
Geopolitical entity	Mandatory Palestine
Subdistrict	Ramle
Date of depopulation	July 10, 1948[4]
Area [3]
• Total	3,872 dunams (3.872 km2 or 1.495 sq mi)
Population  (1945)
• Total	40[2][3]
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Yishuv forces

Al-Kunayyisa (Arabic: الكنيسة) was a small Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on July 10, 1948, under the first stage of Operation Dani. It was located 12 km southeast of Ramla.

History

In 1552, al-Kunayyisa was an inhabited village. Haseki Hürrem Sultan, the favourite wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, endowed the tax revenues of al-Kunaysa to its Haseki Sultan Imaret in Jerusalem. Administratively, al-Kunayyisa belonged to the Sub-district of Ramla in the District of Gaza.^[5]

In 1838, it was noted it was noted as a place "in ruins or deserted”, called el-Kuneiseh in the Lydda District.^[6]

In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted "Foundations and traces of ruins."^[7]

British Mandate era

In the 1931 census of Palestine Al-Kunayyisa was counted with Innaba, together they had 1135 Muslim inhabitants, in 288 houses.^[8]

In the 1945 statistics Al-Kunayyisa had a population of 40 Muslims,^[2] with 3,872 dunams of land.^[3] Of this, a 64 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 2,432 were used for cereals,^[9] while 20 dunams were classified as built-up areas.^[10]

A khirba to the east contains rugged stone walls and building remains.^[11]

1948, aftermath

Al-Kunayyisa became depopulated after a military assault on July 10, 1948.^[4]

On 20 August 1948, Al-Kunayyisa was one of 32 Palestinian villagers whose land was given to the JNF for establishing Jewish settlements. Al-Kunayyisas land was given to Mishmar Ayalon.^[12] However, according to Walid Khalidi, Mishmar Ayalon is on the land of Al-Qubab.^[11]

In 1992 the village site was described: "From a distance, the site looks like a big stone pile overgrown with a thicket of thorns. More than thirty partially destroyed buildings, including houses, still stand. The remains of arched doors and windows are visible. Fig, almond, olive, and pomegranate trees and cactuses grow among the buildings. The lands in the vicinity are cultivated by the nearby kibbutz; some are planted with cotton."^[13]