Wadi al-Hawarith | |
Arabic | وادي الحوارث |
District | Tulkarm |
Population | 1330 (1945) |
Area | 7,106 dunums |
Date of depopulation | March 15, 1948,[1] |
Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
Secondary cause | Fear of being caught up in the fighting |
Current localities | Kefar ha-Ro'e, Kefar Witkin, and Ge'uley Teyman |
Wadi al-Hawarith (Arabic: وادي الحوارث) was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Tulkarm. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on March 15, 1948 under Operation Coastal Clearing . It was located 16.5 km northwest of Tulkarm. Wadi al-Hawarith was mostly destroyed with the exception of four houses
In 1945, the village had a total population of 1,330.
An April 1948, the Canadian Jewish Chronicle reports from Jerusalem March 29 [2], saying that the sudden mass exodus of Arab villagers "heightened the belief here that Arab gangs are preparing for an all-out assault on Tel Aviv and Jewish coastal areas in the immediate future." According to this article the evacuees had always had friendly relations with the settlers. The evacuation apparently was coordinated between the Jews and Sheik Abu Kishek, head of a prominent tribe in the Tel Aviv area, and states that Sheik Kishek had spent the previous month at Mufti headquarters, and "reportedly got instructions to evacuate the area."
“ | Four thousand Arabs evacuated Saturday, after suddenly selling their flocks and poultry to Jews. These mass evacuations coincide with the end of the citrus-picking season, which many observers expect will herald the beginning of large scale Arab assaults on the coastal area.[2] | ” |