Abu Shusha
Abu Shusha was a Palestinian Arab village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, about 8 km southeast of Ramle, on the slope of Tell Jezer, near the ancient city of Gezer. The name comes from a local legend about a derwish who prayed for rain and drowned, with people crying “Ya Abu Shusha” (Father of the Topknot).
In 1945 the village had about 870 residents, all Muslims, living in around 145 houses on roughly 9.4 square kilometers. Most of the land was used for cereals. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Abu Shusha was attacked several times; the final assault began on May 13–14, and the village was occupied on May 14. Those who stayed were expelled by May 21. By 1998, descendants of the villagers numbered about 6,200.
After the war, Israeli settlements Ameilim (founded 1948) and Pedaya (1951) were built on village lands, and the village site was destroyed in 1965. By 1992, Ameilim occupied much of the site, where fig and cypress trees grow among the surrounding valleys.
Abu Shusha has a long history, including a Crusader battle in 1177, artifacts from the 13th century, and a shrine that may have been built in the 16th century.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:23 (CET).