Introduction
Quneitra, Kuneitra, Al Qunaytirah or Qunaitira was once a
bustling town in the Golan Heights and southwestern Syria's
administrative capital with a population of 37,000 but it was
completely destroyed by Israel during the 1973 War. It is situated
in a high valley in the Golan Heights at an elevation of 1,010
metres above sea level. Quneitra was founded in the Ottoman era as
a way station on the caravan route to
Damascus and subsequently
became a garrison town of some 20,000 people, strategically
located near the border with Israel. The word Quneitra derives
from Qantara, or 'bridge', between Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and
Palestine.
On 10 June 1967, the last day of the Six-Day War, Quneitra was
occupied by Israel. It was briefly recaptured by Syria during the
1973 Yom Kippur War, but Israel regained control in its subsequent
counter-offensive. The city was almost completely and
systematically destroyed by the Israeli army before the Israeli
withdrawal in June 1974 (UN General Assembly resolution 3240 in
1974 condemned Israel's role in its destruction). Quneitra now
lies in the demilitarized United Nations Disengagement Observer
Force (UNDOF) Zone between Syria and Israel, a short distance from
the de facto border between the two countries. Israel was heavily
criticized by the United Nations for the city's destruction, while
Israel has criticized Syria for not rebuilding Quneitra. Many
prominent Western reporters, agreeing with the UN and Syrian
version of events, saw this as nothing short of an act of wanton
brutality — a whole town methodically ransacked, dynamited, and
bulldozed.
History
Quneitra is known for its abundant water resources, it has been
continuously inhabited since the Stone Age. Over the millennia,
many peoples, including Arameans, Assyrians, Caldeans, Persians,
Greeks, and Arabs have occupied it. St. Paul, it is said, passed
through Quneitra on his way from
Damascus to Jerusalem.
The surrounding area of
Quneitra has been inhabited for millennia. Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers are thought to have lived there, as
evidenced by the discovery of Levallois (distinctive type of flint
knapping) and Mousterian flint tools in the vicinity. Traces of
this have been found at Banat Yacoub bridge and Tell Akkash. It
was later occupied by the Amorites, who established their state in
2250 BC. They were succeeded by the Arameans, the
Assyrians, Caldeans, and then the Persian and Hellenistic empires.
Saint Paul is said to have passed through the settlement on his
way from Jerusalem to Damascus. The site of the Conversion of Paul
was traditionally identified with the small village of Kokab,
north-east of Quneitra, on the road to
Damascus.
In 106 AD the Golan was part of the Arab state that was
established under the Romans. In 636 AD the battle of Yarmouk took
place between the Arabs and the Byzantines who were banished from
Syria.
The modern city grew around the nucleus of an Ottoman
Caravanserai, which was built using the stones of the ruined
ancient settlement. By the 20th century Quneitra had become the
administrative centre for the Golan region and a centre of
settlement for Muslim Circassians from the Caucasus. During War
World I, the Australian Mounted Division and 5th Cavary Division
defeated the Ottoman Turks there on September 29, 1918, before
they took
Damascus.
Quneitra was taken over in 1967 by the Israelis. In
1973 with the October war, it was taken back into Syrian territory after being
completely destroyed by Israel. The city had been systematically
stripped by the Israeli forces, with anything movable being removed and sold to Israeli contractors. The empty buildings were subsequently pulled apart with tractors and bulldozers.
Syria has left the ruins of Quneitra in place and built a museum to
memorialize its destruction. It maintains billboards at the ruins
of many buildings and effectively preserves it in the condition
that the Israeli army left it in. The former residents of the town
have not returned and Syria discourages the re-population of the
area.
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