Quneitra

Quneitra (also orthography Al Qunaytirah' , Qunaitira , or Kuneitra ) () is a phantom Ville located on the plate of the Golan in Syria at approximately thousand meters of altitude. It was founded under the reign of the Othomans in order to be used as stage city on the caravan road of Damas.

June 10th, 1967, the last day of the Guerre the six day old the Israeli army took the control of Quneitra. It was briefly reconquered by Syria during the Guerre of Kippour, but Israel took again of it control at the time of its counter-offensive the city was almost entirely destroyed before the Israeli withdrawal of 1974. It is nowadays located in the demilitarized zone separating Syria from Israel, at short distance of the border which separates de facto the two countries. The Syrian government decided to leave Quneitra in the state in testimony of its destruction.

Political statute

Quneitra is the capital of the Gouvernorat of Quneitra, an administrative division of the south-west of Syria which includes also the part of Golan occupied by Israel.

Geography and demography

Quneitra is located in a high valley of the plate of Golan at 1010m of altitude above the sea level. The city is dominated in the west by the heights of Golan controlled by Israel and in particular the mount Har Bental. The zone surrounding Quneitra is made up of old lava flows separated by several volcanic cones which culminate with 150-200m above the level of the plain. These volcanic prominences played a crucial role as shooting and observation posts at the time of the conflicts being unrolled in the area, in particular the war of Kippour. The fertility of the volcanic grounds also allowed the culture of corn and the pastoralism. A small town existed during the Roman and Byzantine period being used as halt on the road between Damas and Palestine. It is supposed that Saint Paul passed by this locality when it went to Damas from Jerusalem. The site where the conversion of Saint Paul took place is traditionally identified at the village of Kobab near Quneitra.

The modern city grew around a core made up of an Othoman caravanserai which was built with stones of the old city. At the XXe century Quneitra became the administrative center of the sector of Golan mainly populated of Circassiens. After the independence of Syria and Israel respectively in 1946 and 1948 the city took a great strategic importance because of its key position on the road binding the two countries to 64 km of the border. It became a prosperous commercial town then and, its population tripled following the installation of a military garrison.

1967-74

The catch of Quneitra by the Israelis took place in chaotic circumstances the June 10th 1967, last day of the Guerre the six day old. The projection of the Israelis by the North-West caused the deployment under a massive bombardment of the Syrian troops in the north of the city in order to protect the road from Damas. In O8h 45 of the morning, the radio Syrian woman announced by error that the city had fallen. Panicked by this news, the Syrian army transformed its redeployment into a chaotic retirement along the road of Damas. Although a radiophonic denial was diffused two hours later, the Israeli army benefitted from the mistake for really occupying the city. A brigade under the command of the major general Albert Mendler entered to 14:30 the city and noted that it was entirely abandoned, of the military material lying that and there.

Cease the fire proclaimed later in the afternoon left the city under Israeli control. Following the conquest, Pillage S took place. The Representing of the United Nations which visited the in July 1967 city reported that almost each shop seems to be opened and plundered. Although the door word Israelis affirmed in Gussing that Quneitra had been plundered by the Syrians at the time of their retirement the representative of UNO considered this improbable because of the very short amount of time being run out between the advertisement of the catch to the radio and the effective entry of the Israelis in the city a few hours later. He concludes that the responsibility for this plundering with large scales of the town of Quneitra rests mainly on the Israeli forces. The deserted city remained with the hands of the Israelis during six years.

At the time of the first two days of the Guerre of Kippour in 1973 Quneitra was briefly taken again by the Syrians before they are pushed back at the time of the Israeli counter-offensive. The latter occupied it until the beginning of June 1974, dates to which it was returned to Syrian civil control following an agreement of disengagement signed on May 31st, 1974. This retrocession was criticized by certain Israelis favorable to colonization and by the religious Likoud and national Party which were opposed to it and an establishment was even installed with the periphery of Quneitra during a short period (see Keshet). The agreement stipulated that Quneitra is repopulated in order to prove the peaceful intentions of the Syrians, this testimony of good intentions having to push Israel to continue its withdrawal.

Disengagement took place the six June 1974. June 26th the Syrian president Hafez el Assad went to Quneitra where he promised to rebuild the city and claimed the withdrawal of the occupied territories.

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