Simra
Khirbet Simra
خِرْبِة سِمْرِي / سِمْرَة Khirbet Simri; Simra; Simri; She'b al-Batem (area) | |
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Hamlet | |
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| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Hebron Governorate |
| Area | Masafer Yatta |
| Elevation | 743 m (2,438 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 |
Khirbet Simra (also: Khirbet Simri, Arabic: خِرْبِة سِمْرِي/سِمْرَة) 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; since the 1980s much of the surrounding area has been designated Firing Zone 918, constraining planning, services and access.[1] Human-rights documentation describes Simra/Simri as a branch of the nearby Qawawis community that has faced coercive conditions and, at times, abandonment by residents.[2]
Geography
[edit | edit source]Simra/Simri is part of the dispersed cave-dwelling and herding landscape east of Yatta that comprises Masafer Yatta. Humanitarian profiles describe similar communities as relying on rain-fed cisterns, agricultural tracks between hamlets, and seasonal grazing areas.[1]
History
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Simra, like the other Masafer Yatta hamlets, developed as a permanent settlement around caves used for dwelling, storage, and animal shelters. Surveys from the British Mandate period include Simra as one of the Yatta extensions, and archaeological traces such as cisterns and terraces attest to continuous use. Despite its small size, the village is consistently remembered by residents as part of the organic network of hamlets in southern Mount Hebron.[3]
Families in Simra/Simri historically practiced semi-sedentary pastoralism and dryland cultivation, with caves and stone rooms used for housing and storage—patterns attested across the South Hebron Hills.[1] According to B’Tselem, residents of the Khirbet Simri community (linked to Qawawis) were ultimately forced to abandon homes amid a coercive environment of violence and restrictions.[2]
Legal–administrative context
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Following the 1967 war, the area came under Israeli occupation and was later categorized as Area C under the Oslo Accords. Large parts of Masafer Yatta were declared Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, restricting construction and service connections and exposing communities to demolitions and risk of forcible transfer. In May 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel (HCJ 413/13, consolidated) ruled there was no legal bar to evacuations for training in parts of Masafer Yatta, drawing criticism from UN experts and legal scholars.[1][4][5]
Access and services
[edit | edit source]- Road access: Access is via unpaved agricultural tracks connecting adjacent hamlets; humanitarian sources note recurrent constraints typical of firing-zone localities.[1]
- Water and power: Households commonly rely on cisterns, trucked water and small solar arrays in lieu of permitted grid connections.[1]
Population and livelihoods
[edit | edit source]Simra/Simri's families rely primarily on small-ruminant herding (goats and sheep), seasonal grazing and limited dryland plots, reflecting broader Masafer Yatta patterns under Area C restrictions.[1] B’Tselem reports that residents of the Simri community associated with Qawawis have, at times, left the site entirely due to ongoing pressures.[2]
Notable incidents
[edit | edit source]- 16 January 2021: B’Tselem documented settlers entering the village of Khirbet Simri and attempting to steal a horse; residents intervened and a scuffle ensued.[6]
- Documented pattern: B’Tselem's community page for Khirbet Simri describes cumulative intimidation and constraints culminating in residents abandoning their homes.[2]
Distinction from similarly named localities
[edit | edit source]- Khirbet Samra (الأغوار الشمالية) in the northern Jordan Valley is a different community and should not be confused with Simra/Simri in Masafer Yatta.[7]
See also
[edit | edit source]External links
[edit | edit source]- UN OCHA – fact sheet on Masafer Yatta communities (2022)
- B’Tselem – Masafer Yatta background
- B’Tselem – Khirbet Simri community (overview)
- B’Tselem – Khirbet Simri incident report (16 Jan 2021)
References
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- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Amira Hass, "Israel Blew Up Their Houses in 1966. Now It Claims Their Village Never Existed," Haaretz, 27 April 2021
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