Statistic/Fact	Value
Israeli occupation date	July 18, 1948
Distance from district center	26 (km) West of Jerusalem
Elevation from the sea	300 (meters)
Map location	See location number #13 on the map
Israeli military operation	Second stage Operation Dani
Israeli attacking brigade	Har'el Brigade
Exodus Cause	Military assault by Jewish troops
Village remains after destruction by Israelis	Dayr Rafat was completely destroyed in the second half of October 1948, and only house rubble left behind.
Ethnically cleansing by Israelis	Dayr Rafat inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Land ownership before occupation	Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums) Arab 12,966 Jewish 0 Public 276 Total 13,242
Land usage in 1945	Land Usage Type Arab (Dunum) Irrigated & Plantation 216 Area planted w/ olives 25 Planted W/ Cereal 10,563 Built up 10 Cultivable 10,779 Non-Cultivable 2,453
Population before occupation	Year Population 1931 218 1945 430 1948 499 Est. Refugees 1998 3,063
Number of houses	Year Number of houses 1931 69 1948 157
Town's name through history	The village had a mosque named after a al-Hajj Hasan.
Archeological sites	Dayr Rafat has three khirbas which contains the foundations of buildings, grape presses, rock-hewn cisterns, wells, a grindstone, and burial grounds.
Exculsive jewish colonies on town's lands	Giv'at Shemesh
Related Maps	خرائط تفصيلية للمحافظة View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia
More Information	Language External Links Arabic PalGates Hebrew Nakba in Hebrew   Nakba-Online

Bibliography and References

Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
The site is covered with large piles of stone rubble and stone terraces; some of the latter are still intact, while others have been destroyed and are now mixed with the rubble of the houses. Cactuses grow on the northwestern edge of the site. There are a few tents belonging to the Negev tribe of al-Sani' the members of which have rented land from the monastery , which owns the village lands. The monastery, located 2 km west of the site, has a large statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of its facade, and parts of the structure are covered with red tiles. There is a spring on the western edge of the village and a cemetery lies in the south; one large tomb stands out. To the west there is a large olive grove