Isfay al-Fauqa

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This article is about the hamlet Isfay al-Fauqa in Masafer Yatta. For the nearby hamlet, see Isfai al-Tahta.
Isfay al-Fauqa
اصفي الفوقا
Isfey al-Fauqa; Isfay al-Fawqa; Isfay al-Foqa; Khirbet Isfay al-Fauqa
Hamlet
Isfay al-Fauqa is located in West Bank
Isfay al-Fauqa
Isfay al-Fauqa
Location within the West Bank, Palestine
Coordinates: 31°22′34″N 35°09′04″E / 31.3762°N 35.1512°E / 31.3762; 35.1512
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron Governorate
AreaMasafer Yatta
Elevation
626 m (2,054 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3

Isfay al-Fauqa (Arabic: اصفي الفوقا, also transliterated Isfey al-Fawqa, Isfay al-Foqa) is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, part of the Masafer Yatta cluster in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C, and much of the surrounding terrain has been designated Firing Zone 918 since the 1980s.[1] It is distinct from the adjacent hamlet of Isfay al-Tahta (Isfey al-Tahta), located nearby on lower ground.

Geography

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Isfay al-Fauqa, Masafer Yatta

Isfay al-Fauqa lies at an elevation of about 626 metres above sea level at 31°22′34″N 35°09′04″E / 31.3762°N 35.1512°E / 31.3762; 35.1512, in the arid uplands east of Yatta.[2] The hamlet is one of several paired localities (Fauqa = upper, Tahta = lower) that structure the South Hebron Hills settlement pattern, with Isfay al-Tahta directly below.

History

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1880s PEF Survey of Palestine map of Masafer Yatta

In the 14th century Isfay was called al-Safiyah (الصافية) and it is mentioned, alongside neighboring Jinba, as a stop on the Gaza-Hebron-al-Karak road.[3]

Isfay and its caves appear on the map of the 1870s Survey of Western Palestine[1]

The broader Masafer Yatta landscape (Arabic masāfer, “travelling”) has long supported semi-sedentary pastoralism with cave-adapted dwelling and cistern-based water storage. Families in Isfay al-Fauqa use caves both for habitation and for livestock shelter, a pattern documented across the South Hebron Hills.[1]

Isfay is a hamlet of Masafer Yatta where families traditionally resided in caves alongside stone animal pens and cultivated terraces. Though not always listed in every historical survey due to its small size, the village appears in several demographic and geographic studies from the late Ottoman and Mandate periods. Oral history and archaeological remains confirm its permanence as part of the Yatta hinterland.[4]

Legal–administrative context

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Massafer Yatta in the Hebron Hills, West Bank

Since the 1967 war, the area has been under Israeli occupation and designated Area C under the Oslo Accords. Large parts of Masafer Yatta, including Isfay al-Fauqa, were declared Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, subjecting residents to demolition orders, restrictions on building and service provision, and the risk of forcible transfer.[1]

Access and services

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  • Road access: Reached only by unpaved agricultural tracks, with access frequently constrained by firing-zone restrictions.[1]
  • Water and power: Families depend on cisterns, trucked water, and small solar installations; there is no grid connection.[1]
  • Planning status: Community profiles note tents, tin shacks, and stone rooms built without permits due to the restrictive planning regime.[5]

Population and livelihoods

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According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Isfay al-Fauqa recorded **36 residents** in the 2017 census.[6] Families practice small-ruminant herding (goats and sheep) and dryland farming, supplemented by seasonal grazing—patterns typical of Masafer Yatta hamlets.

Notable incidents

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  • July 2019: UN OCHA recorded demolition of two residential structures in Isfay al-Fauqa, displacing several families.[7]
  • 2022–2023: Humanitarian organizations listed Isfay al-Fauqa among communities at high risk of forcible transfer following the Israeli High Court ruling on Masafer Yatta evacuations.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer" (PDF). UN OCHA. June 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Isfey al-Fauqa, Hebron – ElevationMap.net". ElevationMap.net. Retrieved 24 August 2025. Elevation: 626 m; local name: Isfey al Fauqa
  3. ^ al-ʿUmarī, Ibn Faḍl Allāh (1988). التعريف بالمصطلح الشريف (in Arabic). Vol. 1. Beirut: دار الفكر. p. 247. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  4. ^ Amira Hass, "Israel Blew Up Their Houses in 1966. Now It Claims Their Village Never Existed," Haaretz, 27 April 2021
  5. ^ "Isfey al-Fauqa". Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Isfey al-Fauqa". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  7. ^ "West Bank demolitions and displacement – July 2019". UN OCHA. July 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2025.