01In brief
Arab al-Samniyya (also recorded as 'Arab es Samniya) was an Arab village near Acre in the Acre sub-district of Mandatory Palestine. The 1945 Palestine village statistics listed it among the "Tribal Units" and stated that it included Khirbat es Suwwana and 'Arab Tauqiya. Ilan Pappe describes it as a small village with about 200 inhabitants and says its population was expelled in winter 1948.
02Overview
Arab al-Samniyya was situated near Acre and was administratively listed in the Acre sub-district.[1][2] The 1945 village-statistics table recorded it as "'Arab es Samniya" under "Tribal Units."[1] The same entry states that it included Khirbat es Suwwana and 'Arab Tauqiya.[1] Its population and land-area columns are blank in the reproduced table.[1] The publication explains that its population estimates refer to the end of 1944, while land holdings are reported as of 1 April 1945.[1]
03History
Ilan Pappe places Arab al-Samniyya's expulsion in winter 1948 and gives the village a population of 200.[2] He situates it among November and December operations in the Galilee that Israelis called "mopping-up operations," directed at villages not originally targeted for eviction.[2] Pappe interprets those operations as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing; this is his analytical framing of the events.[2]
04Demographics
The 1945 table provides no separate numerical population figure for 'Arab es Samniya.[1] Pappe gives a population of 200 when discussing the village's expulsion in winter 1948.[2] Because the table's population data generally relate to the end of 1944, while Pappe's figure appears in a discussion of winter 1948, the two references should not be treated as equivalent estimates.
05Cartographic Record
National Library of Israel catalog records document mapping resources relevant to settlements in Mandatory Palestine. A 1946 Survey of Palestine map titled Palestine Index to Villages & Settlements was published in Jaffa at a scale of 1:250,000 and includes an inset map of southern Palestine.[3] A 1948 Israel Defense Forces map uses the same 1946 Survey of Palestine base map and marks United Nations partition boundaries, front lines at the ends of the first and second truces, and areas captured during 9–18 July 1948.[4]
The Atlas of Palestine, 1917–1966 by Salman H. Abu-Sitta, published in London in 2010 by the Palestine Land Society, contains 689 pages of color maps at a scale of 1:25,000.[5] None of the three catalog records provides a textual entry confirming Arab al-Samniyya's appearance, so direct examination of the underlying maps or atlas would be required to verify its inclusion.[3][4]
Sources
- 1Internet Archive, Village Statistics 1945: A Classification of Land and Area Ownership in Palestine, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 2Internet Archive, Ilan Pappe, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 3National Library of Israel, 1946 Survey of Palestine Map, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 4National Library of Israel, 1948 IDF Palestine Map, accessed on September 25, 2026.
- 5National Library of Israel, Atlas of Palestine 1917–1966, accessed on September 25, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What was Arab al-Samniyya?
Arab al-Samniyya was an Arab village near Acre in the Acre sub-district of Mandatory Palestine. The 1945 Palestine village statistics listed it among the "Tribal Units" and recorded it as including Khirbat es Suwwana and 'Arab Tauqiya. Ilan Pappe describes it as a small village with about 200 inhabitants whose population was expelled in winter 1948.
What happened to Arab al-Samniyya in 1948?
According to Ilan Pappe, the population of Arab al-Samniyya was expelled in winter 1948. Pappe situates the expulsion among November and December operations in the Galilee that Israelis called "mopping-up operations," directed at villages not originally targeted for eviction. Pappe interprets these operations as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing.
What population figure is recorded for Arab al-Samniyya?
The 1945 Palestine village statistics table provides no separate numerical population figure for Arab al-Samniyya. Ilan Pappe gives a population of 200 when discussing the village's expulsion in winter 1948. Because the 1945 table's population data generally relate to the end of 1944 while Pappe's figure appears in the context of winter 1948, the two references should not be treated as equivalent estimates.
What historical maps cover the area of Arab al-Samniyya?
Two maps documented in National Library of Israel catalog records are relevant to the area. A 1946 Survey of Palestine map titled Palestine Index to Villages & Settlements was published in Jaffa at a scale of 1:250,000 and includes an inset map of southern Palestine. A 1948 Israel Defense Forces map uses the same 1946 Survey of Palestine base map and marks United Nations partition boundaries, front lines at the ends of the first and second truces, and areas captured during 9–18 July 1948. However, none of the catalog records textually confirms Arab al-Samniyya's appearance on these maps.