Khirbat Ism Allah was a Palestinian Arab hamlet in the Jerusalem Subdistrict, located 26 km west of Jerusalem. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on July 17, 1948, by the Harel Brigade of Operation Dani. Khirbat Ism Allah was mostly destroyed with the exception of several deserted houses. History In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine only noted “foundations" here.Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, p. 115 British Mandate era According to the 1931 census of Palestine, conducted in 1931 by the British Mandate authorities, Khirbat Ism Allah had a population of 18 inhabitants, in 4 houses.Mills, 1932, p. 20
In 1944 Zionist established Kfar Uria about 1,5 km NW of the village site, but not on village land.Khalidi, 1992, p. 296
In the 1945 statistics, Khirbat Ism Allah had a population of 20 Muslims, with a total of 568 dunums of land. Of this, 3 dunams were for irrigable land or plantations, 485 for cereals,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 103 while 80 dunams were classified as non-cultivable land.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 153
1948, aftermath In 1992, the site was described: "The caves in the northern part of the site still show evidence of their former use as dwellings; the remains of arched entrances are present. In the southern part of the site, a few ruined houses are surrounded by low stone walls. This area has been recently repopulated by a Jewish shepherd family that renovated and occupied one of the houses. The walled in area is used as a goat barn, and the entire area has become a grazing site for the family's flock. The family uses the village spring to the west." References
Bibliography
External links Welcome To Ism Allah, Khirbat, Palestine Remembered Khirbat Ism Allah, Zochrot Survey of Western Palestine, Map 17: IAA, Wikimedia commons Google Earth view