The town of Al-Qunaytirah in September 2001

Quneitra or Al Qunaytirah' (Arabic القنيطرة) is a city of southwestern Syria that is now largely abandoned. It lies in the UN-monitored demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel. The city was a commercial and cultural hub for southwestern Syria until the Six-Day War, when Israel attacked the Golan Heights and captured it. Israel claims its attack on the Golan Heights was purely in self-defense as a response to Syrian shelling of the Galilee, while Syria claims it was an act of unjustified aggression. The city was placed back under Syria's control for a short while in the Yom Kippur War, but Israel recaptured it. The Israelis withdrew from the city in 1974. Syria claims that Israel deliberately destroyed the city, and systematically stripped it of its usefullness. Israel claims that the city was destroyed in the fighting from both sides. The General Assembly of the United Nations condemned what it saw as Israel's role in the destruction of the city in Resolution 3240 dated 29 November 1974. Syria chose not to resettle the city and leave it as a testament to what it calls "Zionist brutality." Download high resolution version (1584x1063, 479 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1584x1063, 479 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Arabic language (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... The Six-Day War (Hebrew: מלחמת ששת הימים transliteration: Milhemet Sheshet Hayamim), also known as the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Six Days War, or June War, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. ... Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... Galilee (Hebrew hagalil הגליל, Arabic al-jaleel الجليل), meaning circuit, is a large area overlapping with much of the North District of Israel. ... The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (Hebrew: מלחמת יום הכיפורים; transliterated: Milhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום כיפור Milhemet Yom Kipur; Arabic: حرب أكتوبر; transliterated: Harb October or حرب تشرين transliterated: Harb Tishrin), also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli... November 29 is the 333rd (in leap years the 334th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Since 2005, Syria has pledged to reconstruct the city. It has started construction projects which include a multi-million dollar hospital and a new highway from Damascus to Al Qunaytirah. 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Damascus by night, pictured from Jabal Qasioun; the green spots are minarets Damascus (Arabic officially دمشق Dimashq, colloquially ash-Sham الشام) is the capital city of Syria. ...

Religious importance

Pope John Paul prays in the destroyed Greek Orthodox church in Al Qunaytirah

Tradition holds that Saint Paul passed through Qunaytirah on his way from Damascus to Jerusalem. The city was home to an important Greek Orthodox church until the Six Day war. Syria claims Israel destroyed and robbed the church [1]. Israel claims that the town, including the church, was destroyed by Syrian artillery during and before the Yom Kippur War[2]. Image File history File links Qunaytirahpope. ... Image File history File links Qunaytirahpope. ... Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef Wojtyła (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005) reigned as pope of the Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978, making his the second-longest pontificate (or the third-longest, as enumerated by Roman Catholic tradition). ... An early portrait of the Apostle Paul. ... Jerusalem and the Old City. ... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches: the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion. ... The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (Hebrew: מלחמת יום הכיפורים; transliterated: Milhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום כיפור Milhemet Yom Kipur; Arabic: حرب أكتوبر; transliterated: Harb October or حرب تشرين transliterated: Harb Tishrin), also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli...

Al Qunaytirah is also the name of a governorate of southwestern Syria that includes the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. The legal status of the territories is discussed in here. Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... Arguments about the applicability of various elements of international law underlie the debate around the Arab-Israeli conflict. ...

The governorate of Al Qunaytirah

File links The following pages link to this file: Al Qunaytirah Categories: GFDL images ... File links The following pages link to this file: Al Qunaytirah Categories: GFDL images ...

Destruction

In a "Report of the Security Council commission" established under resolution 446, witnesses testified about Israel's alleged destruction of the city before withdrawal:

At the beginning of June 1974, the witness had visited the city of Quneitra, where he saw a large number of Israeli bulldozers destroying the town and the surrounding areas. [3]

Israel claims that the town was destroyed by Syrian artillery during and before the Yom Kippur War. The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (Hebrew: מלחמת יום הכיפורים; transliterated: Milhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום כיפור Milhemet Yom Kipur; Arabic: حرب أكتوبر; transliterated: Harb October or حرب تشرين transliterated: Harb Tishrin), also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli...

The New York Times on October 21, 1973 referred to Quneitra as "a bombed-out military town the Syrians lost to the Israelis ..."[4] October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Articles

CAMERA Column: Syria’s Quneitra Hoax [5]