According to E. H. Palmer, the origin of the name is Sref. It has been suggested that the name means melting and purifying metals(the place of purification and smelting of metals)or it means "casting dirhams”. [3]
History
In 1875, during the late Ottoman era, Victor Guérin found here an ancient column, and a few cut stones, proving that the place was an ancient site.[4] Guérin found that the village had 150 Metawileh villagers.[5]
In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it: "A village, built of stone, containing about 200 Metawileh, it is situated on a hill, and surrounded by olives, figs, and arable land. Water from a spring; and cisterns in the village."[6]
The village was heavily bombed during the 2006 Lebanon War.[2]
On July 12, the Israelis killed 4 civilians in the village,[7] while on July 19, they killed 17 Hezbollah fighters and 5 civilians.[8][9][10]
Demographics
In 2014 Muslims made up 99.52% of registered voters in Srifa. 98.64% of the voters were Shiite Muslims.[11]
References
^From personal name; according to Palmer, 1881, p. 32
^Daher, Al Cheick Saliman. Dictionary of Jabal Amel Village. Imam Al-Sadiq Foundation for Research in the Heritage of the Scholars of Jabal Amel. p. 408.
^Guérin, 1880, pp. 258-259; as cited in Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 138
