Simra
This article coincides in timing and pattern with contributions by the same user which have been determined to be AI-generated, and has no significant contributions by other editors. It is presumed to have also been AI-generated, and may be assumed to violate Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. If no editor takes responsibility for it within a five-day grace period, this article may be deleted. To object to proposed deletion, an editor may take responsibility for the content and assume the onus to achieve consensus for its inclusion. Assuming responsibility requires that all content and its sources be closely reviewed and reworked as needed to ensure that they comply with policies and guidelines. This may involve checking that the cited sources support the content and are reliable, determining whether the content is due for inclusion, and rewriting the content to revise any tone issues and resolve possible copyright violations. Once this has been done, this template may be removed. The nominator also gave the following reason for this proposed deletion:
Find sources: "Simra" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR Reviewer tools: guideline project (talk • log) The article may be deleted if this message remains in place for five days, i.e., after 02:03, 14 November 2026 (UTC). |
Khirbet Simra
خِرْبِة سِمْرِي / سِمْرَة Khirbet Simri; Simra; Simri; She'b al-Batem (area) | |
|---|---|
Hamlet | |
  Khirbet Simra Location within the West Bank, Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°23′28″N 35°07′25″E / 31.3912°N 35.1237°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Hebron Governorate |
| Area | Masafer Yatta |
| Elevation | 743 m (2,438 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 |
Khirbet Simra (also: Khirbet Simri, Arabic: خِرْبِة سِمْرِي/سِمْرَة) is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, within the Masafer Yatta cluster of communities in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C; since the 1980s much of the surrounding area has been designated Firing Zone 918, constraining planning, services and access. Human-rights documentation describes Simra/Simri as a branch of the nearby Qawawis community that has faced coercive conditions and, at times, abandonment by residents.
Geography
Simra/Simri is part of the dispersed cave-dwelling and herding landscape east of Yatta that comprises Masafer Yatta. Humanitarian profiles describe similar communities as relying on rain-fed cisterns, agricultural tracks between hamlets, and seasonal grazing areas.
History
Simra, like the other Masafer Yatta hamlets, developed as a permanent settlement around caves used for dwelling, storage, and animal shelters. Surveys from the British Mandate period include Simra as one of the Yatta extensions, and archaeological traces such as cisterns and terraces attest to continuous use. Despite its small size, the village is consistently remembered by residents as part of the organic network of hamlets in southern Mount Hebron.
Families in Simra/Simri historically practiced semi-sedentary pastoralism and dryland cultivation, with caves and stone rooms used for housing and storage—patterns attested across the South Hebron Hills. According to B’Tselem, residents of the Khirbet Simri community (linked to Qawawis) were ultimately forced to abandon homes amid a coercive environment of violence and restrictions.
Legal–administrative context
Following the 1967 war, the area came under Israeli occupation and was later categorized as Area C under the Oslo Accords. Large parts of Masafer Yatta were declared Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, restricting construction and service connections and exposing communities to demolitions and risk of forcible transfer. In May 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel (HCJ 413/13, consolidated) ruled there was no legal bar to evacuations for training in parts of Masafer Yatta, drawing criticism from UN experts and legal scholars.
Access and services
- Road access: Access is via unpaved agricultural tracks connecting adjacent hamlets; humanitarian sources note recurrent constraints typical of firing-zone localities.
- Water and power: Households commonly rely on cisterns, trucked water and small solar arrays in lieu of permitted grid connections.
Population and livelihoods
Simra/Simri's families rely primarily on small-ruminant herding (goats and sheep), seasonal grazing and limited dryland plots, reflecting broader Masafer Yatta patterns under Area C restrictions. B’Tselem reports that residents of the Simri community associated with Qawawis have, at times, left the site entirely due to ongoing pressures.
Notable incidents
- 16 January 2021: B’Tselem documented settlers entering the village of Khirbet Simri and attempting to steal a horse; residents intervened and a scuffle ensued.
- Documented pattern: B’Tselem's community page for Khirbet Simri describes cumulative intimidation and constraints culminating in residents abandoning their homes.
Distinction from similarly named localities
- Khirbet Samra (الأغوار الشمالية) in the northern Jordan Valley is a different community and should not be confused with Simra/Simri in Masafer Yatta.
See also
External links
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer". UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 "The Khirbet Simri community in the South Hebron Hills – forced to abandon their homes". B’Tselem. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ Amira Hass, "Israel Blew Up Their Houses in 1966. Now It Claims Their Village Never Existed," Haaretz, 27 April 2021
- ↑ "HCJ 413/13 et al. – Masafer Yatta judgment (English translation)" (PDF). Supreme Court of Israel (via B’Tselem). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ "UN experts alarmed by Israel High Court ruling on Masafer Yatta and risk of imminent forcible transfer". OHCHR. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ "She'b al-Batem (Khirbet Simri), South Hebron Hills – settlers try to steal a horse". B’Tselem. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ "مستعمرون يقتحمون خربة سمرة بالأغوار الشمالية" (in Arabic). WAFA. 9 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
| Villages and hamlets |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporated villages | ||
| Related topics | ||