Arabic عرب السمنية Subdistrict Acre Area 1,872 dunams
1.872 km² Date of depopulation 31 October 1948 | Also spelled Arab al-Samniya Palestine grid 165/272 Current locality Ya'ara | |
 | ||
Cause(s) of depopulation Military assault by Yishuv forces | ||
Arab al-Samniyya (Arabic: عرب السمنية), also known as Khirbat al-Suwwana, was a Palestinian village in the Western Galilee that was captured and depopulated by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It was located in the Acre District of the British Mandate of Palestine, 19.5 km northeast of the city of Acre. In 1945 the, village had a population of 200 Arab and a total land area of 1,872 dunums.
Contents
History
The village was situated on a rocky hill near the road linking Ra's al-Naqura with Safad. Its houses were made of stone. A dirt path linked it to the coastal highway and thence to Acre. The villagers cultivated grain, figs, and olives. In 1944/45 a total of 174 dunams were allocated to grain crops; 22 dunums were irrigated and planted with orchards.
1948 war
The village was captured by Israel's 7th and Carmeli Brigades on 31 October 1948 during the Israeli Defense Force offensive Operation Hiram. The village was completely destroyed and only building rubble left behind. The village remained depopulated of its inhabitants. In 1950, the Jewish settlement of Ya'ara was established on the depopulated land.