Ishwa

Ishwa' (Arabic: إشوع‎) was a Palestinian village that was captured by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The village was located about 20 km west of Jerusalem, on the present location of Eshta'ol. In the 1931 British census of Palestine, Ishwa had a population of 468 in 126 houses. The village was captured by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on July 16, 1948 in Operation Dani by the Harel Brigade. All of its inhabitants fled or were expelled.

History

Ishwa was an ancient village, situated at the foot of a hill.

It is thought to have been established over the site of the Canaanite city of Eshta'ol. It was known by that name during the Roman Empire era, when it fell within the administrative district of Eleutheropolis (Bayt Jibrin). However, Dayr Abu al-Qabus, located 0.5 kilometers (0.31 mi) to the north has also been identified with Eshta'ol.

Ottoman era

During the 16th century CE, settlement seems to have shifted to the northwest to Islin. During the 17th or 18th century the site of Islin went out of use, and Ishwa was probably repopulated.