Al-Kunayyisa (Arabic: الكنيسة) was a small Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on July 10, 1948, under the first stage of Operation Dani. It was located 12 km southeast of Ramla.
Etymology The name of the site, variously rendered al-Kunaysah /li-Knaysi/ is of Arabic origin and means "the little church". The name probably refers to the remains of an ancient building on the upper part of the mound.
History In 1552, al-Kunayyisa was an inhabited village. Haseki Hürrem Sultan, the favourite wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, endowed the tax revenues of al-Kunaysa to its Haseki Sultan Imaret in Jerusalem. Administratively, al-Kunayyisa belonged to the Sub-district of Ramla in the District of Gaza.
In 1838, it was noted it was noted as a place "in ruins or deserted", called el-Kuneiseh in the Lydda District.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 121
In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted "Foundations and traces of ruins."Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 103
By the beginning of the 20th century, residents from Tirat Ramallah settled the site, establishing it as a dependency – or satellite village – of their home village.
British Mandate era In the 1931 census of Palestine Al-Kunayyisa was counted with Innaba, together they had 1135 Muslim inhabitants, in 288 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 20
In the 1945 statistics Al-Kunayyisa had a population of 40 Muslims, with 3,872 dunams of land. Of this, a 64 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 2,432 were used for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 116 while 20 dunams were classified as built-up areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 166
A khirba to the east contains rugged stone walls and building remains.
1948, aftermath Al-Kunayyisa became depopulated after a military assault on July 10, 1948.
On 20 August 1948, Al-Kunayyisa was one of 32 Palestinian villagers whose land was given to the JNF for establishing Jewish settlements. Al-Kunayyisas land was given to Mishmar Ayalon.Morris, 2004, p. 376 However, according to Walid Khalidi, Mishmar Ayalon is on the land of Al-Qubab.Khalidi, 1992, p. 391
In 1992 the village site was described: "From a distance, the site looks like a big stone pile overgrown with a thicket of thorns. More than thirty partially destroyed buildings, including houses, still stand. The remains of arched doors and windows are visible. Fig, almond, olive, and pomegranate trees and cactuses grow among the buildings. The lands in the vicinity are cultivated by the nearby kibbutz; some are planted with cotton."Khalidi, 1992, p. 392 References
Bibliography
External links Welcome To al-Kunayyisa al-Kunayyisa, Zochrot Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons al-Kunayyisa from the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center