al-Zawiya, Khirbat

The village was located at the base of a steep slope leading down to Kawkab al-Hawa. It was a neighboring village built within the outskirts of the Crusader Balfour Castle. Several small streams flowed down from that slope toward the Jordan Valley, passing near the village. Khirbat al-Zawiya was classified as a farm in the Indexed Geographical Dictionary of Palestine. About 200 meters south of the village lay Khirbat al-Zawiyan (201222), where the foundations of abandoned buildings and houses buried under the soil protrude above the surface.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

It is likely that the village was occupied around the time of the occupation of Kawkab al-Hawa, which occurred in the latter half of May 1948, following the fall of the city of Baysan. Accordingly, it is presumed that the Golani Brigade, which occupied and systematically cleared the Baysan Valley of its Palestinian residents in May 1948, carried out the occupation of the village. Yosef Weitz, an official of the Jewish National Fund, referring to the Baysan Valley in early May, stated that “the displacement of the Arabs from the valley is our most important task today.” The village likely remained under Israeli control throughout the war, as the Arab forces that entered the area did not succeed in regaining much territory.

The Village Today

Cactus plants grow on the site, which has now become pastureland for livestock. The Kawkab al-Hawa Castle overlooks the village site from the northeast.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements on the village lands.