Quwawis

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Khirbet Quwawis
قواويص
Quwaweis; Qawawis
Hamlet
Khirbet Quwawis is located in West Bank
Khirbet Quwawis
Khirbet Quwawis
Location within the West Bank, Palestine
Coordinates: 31°25′20.0″N 35°07′33.0″E / 31.422222°N 35.125833°E / 31.422222; 35.125833
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron Governorate
AreaMasafer Yatta
Elevation
635 m (2,083 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3

Quwawis (Arabic: قواويص, also spelled Quwaweis or Qawawis) is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, within the Masafer Yatta cluster of communities in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C under Israeli civil and military control. Much of the surrounding area was declared Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, and residents face demolition orders, restrictions on infrastructure, and recurrent settler-related incidents.[1][2]

Geography

[edit]

Quwawis lies at about 635 metres above sea level, at approximate coordinates 31.4222°N, 35.1258°E (31°25′20″N 35°07′33″E).[3] The hamlet is situated east of Yatta and is part of the chain of small herding communities scattered through the South Hebron Hills.

History and archaeology

[edit]

In the 1870s, the Survey of Western Palestine described Khurbet Kuweiwis as consisting of “foundations, cisterns, and caves.”[4]

The wider Masafer Yatta landscape (Arabic masāfer, “travelling”) has long been a zone of semi-nomadic grazing and cave-dwelling habitation. Families in Quwawis, like those in neighbouring hamlets, live in caves and simple structures, supported by cisterns, terraces, and small dryland fields typical of the area.[1]

Legal–administrative context

[edit]

Following the June 1967 war, Quwawis came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. Large parts of Masafer Yatta were later declared Firing Zone 918, preventing formal planning and development.[1] In 2004–2007, Israeli authorities carried out demolitions in Quwawis, displacing several families; a Supreme Court injunction later enabled their partial return pending further litigation.[5][6]

Access and services

[edit]
  • Road access: Quwawis is reached by rough dirt tracks leading from Yatta and At-Tuwani; access is often hindered by restrictions and roadblock placement.[7]
  • Water and power: Residents rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is provided mainly by small solar panels, subject to confiscation or demolition by Israeli forces.[8]
  • Education and health: Quwawis has no permanent school; children attend facilities in nearby hamlets. Health services are accessed via mobile clinics or in Yatta.[9]

Population and livelihoods

[edit]

Quwawis is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta hamlets. Families rely on herding goats and sheep, supplemented by small-scale farming of grains and seasonal grazing.[10] International NGOs have provided solar panels and water cisterns, which have at times been targeted for demolition.[11]

Notable incidents

[edit]
  • 2004–2007: Israeli forces demolished multiple homes and shelters in Quwawis; residents later returned after petitions and injunctions.[12]
  • 2020: Solar panels donated to the community were confiscated by Israeli authorities.[13]
  • 2022–2025: Quwawis has been included in broader eviction orders against Masafer Yatta and has faced repeated demolition and settler-related incidents documented by OCHA, B’Tselem, and humanitarian agencies.[1]

See also

[edit]
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer". UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Explainer: The threat of mass expulsion in Masafer Yatta". +972 Magazine. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Quwaweis (Khirbet) – Palestine". GeoView (OSM-derived gazetteer). Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  4. ^ C. R. Conder and H. H. Kitchener, The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology, Volume III: Judaea (London: Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, 1883), p. 409.
  5. ^ "South Hebron Hills: Demolitions in Khirbet Quwaweis". B’Tselem. 9 May 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  6. ^ "In Masafer Yatta, Palestinians cling to caves as Israel plans evictions". Al-Monitor. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  7. ^ "The South Hebron Hills (map & report)" (PDF). Breaking the Silence. 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  8. ^ "South Hebron Hills: Communities Facing Expulsion". B’Tselem. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Masafer Yatta Fact Sheet" (PDF). World Council of Churches. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Khirbet Quwaweis – MPs' Communities". Bimkom – MPs’ Communities. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Israeli authorities confiscate solar panels in Masafer Yatta". WAFA. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  12. ^ "South Hebron Hills: Demolitions in Khirbet Quwaweis". B’Tselem. 9 May 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Israeli authorities confiscate solar panels in Masafer Yatta". WAFA. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2025.