al-Samra

The village of Al-Samra was situated on a flat stretch of land along the southeastern shore of the Sea of Tiberias, approximately 3 kilometers from the Syrian-Palestinian border. The Golan Heights overlooked the village from the east, and it was connected by a secondary road to the nearby village of Samakh, which was the closest settlement.

Al-Samra was rectangular in shape, extending parallel to the lake from north to south. In the early 19th century, the Swiss traveler Burckhardt mentioned its ancient buildings and noted that it was the only inhabited village on the eastern side of the Sea of Tiberias. The American biblical scholar Edward Robinson also recorded that Al-Samra was located on the eastern shore of the Sea of Tiberias.

The majority of Al-Samra’s residents were Muslim, praying in a mosque situated in the center of the village. Their houses were constructed of stone or brick. Agriculture was the primary source of livelihood for the villagers. In 1944/1945, approximately 6,825 dunams of land were dedicated to grain cultivation, and 21 dunams were irrigated or used as orchards.

The village contained historical remains, including the foundations of studied buildings and Roman tombs located on the outskirts of the village, which attest to the site’s ancient heritage. Nearby archaeological sites include Khirbat al-Tawafiq (grid 209234) and Khirbat Duwayrban (grid 210239). Approximately 15 kilometers east of the village stood an Ottoman memorial monument, erected in memory of Ottoman pilots whose plane crashed in the area in 1913 during a flight from Istanbul to Cairo.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

Israeli historian Benny Morris reports that Al-Samra was evacuated on April 21, 1948, following the fall of the city of Tiberias. However, some residents remained in the village. Morris further states that between 1949 and 1956, the residents of Al-Samra and other villages were subjected to an organized campaign aimed at compelling them to leave.

Although the village was located within a demilitarized zone, and the armistice agreement stipulated its protection, Israeli authorities succeeded in forcing the entire population of the demilitarized area to evacuate by 1956 through a combination of economic and police pressure. Most of these displaced persons became refugees in Syria, while others moved to the nearby village of Sha’ab near Acre.

Since May 3, 1948, Jewish residents of the area urged the Jewish National Fund to establish a settlement in Al-Samra. Morris quotes them as saying that the opportunity should not be missed to settle the area now devoid of its Arab inhabitants.

The Village Today

No traces remain of the original village houses. A tourist resort consisting of several small rooms and houses has been constructed on part of the village site, while trees cover other sections. The surrounding lands are cultivated by Israeli settlers.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

The settlement of Ha'On (grid 208237) was established north of the village site in 1949.