al-Shawka al-Tahta

Al-Shawka al-Tahta was a Palestinian village built on gently sloping hills located in the northeastern part of the Hula Plain, to the southwest of Tell al-Qadi. A paved road connected it to the nearby Zionist colonies of Dan and Dafna, and this road extended westward to al-Khalisa, a village situated along the main road to Safad.

The village was semi-circular in shape, with houses clustered closely together. All of its inhabitants were Muslims. To the north of the village was a dense thicket of wild vegetation, nourished by the perennial waters flowing from the stream of Tell al-Qadi.

Agriculture in the village was both rainfed and irrigated, relying on several nearby springs. The primary crops were grains and fruits. In the agricultural statistics for 1944/1945, a total of 140 dunums was allocated to cereals, and 1,845 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.

Nearby archaeological sites included Tell al-Qadi to the northeast, and Khirbat al-Day‘ah to the south.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing

According to Israeli sources, the residents of Al-Shawka al-Tahta fled on May 14, 1948, out of fear of an impending Zionist attack, especially following the fall of Safad just days earlier. The fall of Safad took place within the framework of Operation Yiftach, which aimed to capture eastern Galilee and expel its inhabitants from their villages.

The Village Today

Nothing remains of Al-Shawka al-Tahta. The site is now overgrown with wild grasses and eucalyptus trees, which obscure the scattered stone rubble of the destroyed houses. Cactus plants grow in limited areas. The surrounding lands are now cultivated by Israelis, while other parts are used as pasture for livestock.

Israeli Settlements on Village Lands

Two Zionist settlements are located very close to the former village site:

· Dan, established in 1939, lies approximately 2 kilometers to the east.

· Dafna, also established in 1939, is located about 1 kilometer to the southeast.

Both settlements lie outside the traditional lands of the village.

Source: All That Remains by Walid Khalidi.