al-Masmiyya al-Kabira

The village of Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira was located in the southern coastal plain and bordered by a wadi to the north. It sat at a crossroads connecting major roads leading southwest to the city of Al-Majdal, northeast to Al-Ramla, and to the main Jerusalem–Jaffa highway.

The Sufi traveler from Damascus, Mustafa al-Bakri al-Siddiqi, mentioned Al-Masmiyya during his visit to the region in the mid-18th century (as noted in Khalidi). In the late 18th century, the French scholar and traveler Volney observed that the village produced large quantities of spun cotton. The designation “al-Kabira” (the larger) was later added to distinguish the village from its twin, Al-Masmiyya al-Saghira, which was established nearly a century later.

By the late 19th century, the village had a semi-trapezoidal layout with its base facing west. It was surrounded by orchards, and houses were constructed using mud brick or cement. More recent construction at the time extended toward the west and southwest. The residents, all of whom were Muslim, had two mosques and two schools—one for boys (built in 1922) and one for girls (built in 1944). By the mid-1940s, the boys’ school had 307 students and the girls’ school had 39 students. The village also had a local council, and domestic water was drawn from wells.

Agriculture formed the backbone of the village economy, with grain and citrus being the main crops. In 1944–1945, a total of 1,005 dunums were allocated to citrus and bananas, 18,082 dunums to grains, and 597 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. In addition to farming, villagers raised livestock and poultry. Some also worked at a nearby British military camp. The village included a fuel station, and its weekly market—held every Thursday—attracted people from surrounding areas.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira fell during Operation An-Far. According to The New York Times, the village was under occupation as of July 11, 1948, which impeded an Egyptian attempt to advance toward Latrun via Al-Majdal. However, the records of the Independence Party note that it was one of the villages occupied during “cleansing operations” carried out by the Giv’ati Brigade in the rear of the front, aimed at removing the perceived threat posed by Arab population centers behind Israeli lines.

The Village Today

The two school buildings and several village houses still stand. The former girls’ school is now abandoned, while the boys’ school has been converted into an Israeli military facility. Some of the surviving houses remain inhabited, while others have been repurposed as storage facilities. One house has been converted into a juice shop. These buildings are made of concrete and feature simple architectural elements such as flat roofs, rectangular doors, and windows. A palm tree grows in the courtyard of a house once owned by a Palestinian named Tawfiq al-Rabi. An Israeli fuel station now stands where the village’s original station once operated, which had belonged to Hassan Abdul Aziz and Tamr Muhanna. The surrounding lands are currently cultivated by Israeli farmers.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

Four settlements were established on the lands of Al-Masmiyya al-Kabira: Bnei Re’em (originally Kerem Re’em) and Hatzav, both founded in 1949, and Yinon, established in 1976. Additionally, two government-supported farms—Mishmarot Shalom and Havat Beroyim—were established on village lands during the 1950s.