The deir yassin episode was unique throughout the entire war, not because of the alleged massacre but because its pattern of housetohouse fighting did not recur on a similar scale. Partisans claim that the brutal act, whether it is the massacre at deir yassin, or the massacre of jews in hebron, or suicide bombings, or brutality at checkpoints, is characteristic of their opponents, and proves that they are thoroughly evil and inhuman. The incident became known as the deir yassin massacre. About 100120 of its residents, a great number of whom were women and children, were massacred. Palestinians and their friends mark the massacre at deir yassin. The following day haganah commander david shaltiel wrote to the leaders of the lehi and irgun.
The fact of their existence will become as fragile as a scent in wind, and thats exactly what zionist aggressors seek. Apr 12, 2018 april 9 marked the 70th anniversary of the deir yassin massacre, in which jewish militias murdered over 100 palestinian men, women and children as part of a selfdescribed cleansing campaign. Deir yassin hank hanegraaff is an advocate of christian palestinianism. Thus, deir yassin is even more than a massacre it is all the deir yassins that preceded and followed. Whether ones interest is in the deir yassin massacre, or the greater arabisraeli conflict, this book is enlightening for the varied perspectives that are part and parcel of the conflict.
Today tens of city councils, in spain, norway and france have declared israeli apartheid free zones. Another infamous incident was the one at kafr qasem in 1956, on the day the fighting in the sinai campaign began. The zionist massacre that sparked the nakba by brett wilkins posted on april 14, 2018 april, 2018 this week marks the 70th anniversary of the deir yassin massacre, in which jewish militias murdered over 100 palestinian men, women and children as part of a selfdescribed cleansing campaign to expel indigenous arabs to make way. Deir yassin remembered is an international organisation whose aim is to build a memorial to the victims of the deir yassin massacre of april 9th 1948. Download citation the historiography of deir yassin this article describes.
Reflections on deir yassin, the nakba and war crimes. Thus, deir yassin is the child of many deir yassins, and parent to many more. I wish to point out that the capture of deir yassin and its holding are one stage in our. The village lay outside of the area that the united nations recommended. Two recent books make an important contribution to the study of the palestinian nakba. Too many peices tend to lack human depth, no matter which side of the conflict it covers. Remembering the massacre at deir yassin middle east monitor. April 9, 1948 is engraved in the collective memory of the palestinian people it is the day the zionist movement carried out the massacre of deir yassin. The deir yassin affair had a strong impact on the course of the war of independence, and was summed up as follows in the history of the war of independence produced by the history division of the idf. Professor eliezer tauber, a former dean in barilan university, israel, is an expert on the emergence of arab. Uri milstein, one of israel s most preeminent historians, has published a book that appears in english, the birth of a palestinian nation the myth of the deir yassin massacre by gefen publishers, which marshals the facts to prove that there was no massacre in deir yassin after all. The events of 1948 and the palestinian refugees deep blue. The village of deir yassin was included on the list of arab villages to be occupied as part of the operation.
Setting the record straight on deir yassin the massacre. There was no massacre at deir yassin inside israel. On april 10, 1948, one day after the deir yassin massacre, albert einstein wrote a critical letter to the american friends of fighters for the freedom of israel the u. In deir yassin, women and babies were also not spared. April 9 marked the 70th anniversary of the deir yassin massacre, in which jewish militias murdered over 100 palestinian men, women and children as part of a selfdescribed cleansing campaign. It is a reminder of the wrath of colonists, a manifestation of corruption and acquiescence, and an inevitable result of placating imperial policies.
A massacre of arabs masked by a state of national amnesia. My research of the affair puts to rest any serious questioning of whether there was, or was not, a massacre at deir yassin. Aug 15, 2007 one of the awful crimes against the palestinians in 1948, the song is trynottocry by yusuf islam and the outlandish the materials are from the site. The deir yassin remembered blog this blog is for news and opinions related to the 1948 deir yassin massacre and the struggle for peace and justice in palestine. Both arab and jewish testimony point to the same conclusion. Instead, he asks us to believe that the scores of victimsold men, women, and children scattered throughout the towndied from repeated combat accidents that killed unintended victims, oddly. Apr 10, 2015 in deir yassin, women and babies were also not spared. They further state that this event helped convince many palestinians to flee palestine and that this outcome was an intended part of a zionist plan to ethnically cleanse palestine of arabs. Reflections on deir yassin, the nakba, and war crimes. Rabbis back deir yassin memorial published by alquds alarabi, london, uk. Testimonies from the censored deir yassin massacre. The result was a book arguing that there was no massacre in deir yassin.
On this day 70 years ago, some 120 members of underground jewish militia groups invaded the palestinian arab village of deir yassin, killing between 100 and 250 people including men, women. On april 9, 1948, just a few weeks before israel was created, armed jewish militias attacked the palestinian village of deir yassin, killing at least 100 people. What happened at deir yassin beginning april 9, 1948. The massacre at deir yassin is one of some two dozen documented massacres of palestinian civilians by zionist forces seeking to transform palestine into a jewish state. All the arab propaganda channels disseminated the story at the time, and continue to do so to the present day. But it was located on high ground in the corridor between tel aviv and jerusalem and one plan, kept secret until years afterwards, called for it to be destroyed and the residents evacuated to make way for a small airfield that. In our commemoration of this monumental turning point, the fpa attempts to draw lessons for today.
S chapter of the stern gang refusing to assist them with aid or support to raise money for their cause in palestine. If the import of catastrophes were gauged only in numbers of people slaughtered, deir yassin may not have taken on its central role in the palestinian national consciousness. Four things to know about the deir yassin massacre youtube. How israel was absolved of deir yassin and all other. A mythical massacre toms perspectives by thomas ice hank hanegraaff is an advocate of christian palestinianism. Deir yassin had a peaceful reputation and was even said by a jewish newspaper to have driven out some arab militants. For 64 years, since 1948, the recollection of the socalled massacre of the arab village of deir yassin has been a crucible and a formative experience in arab jewish relations, in israel in. It was several weeks before the end of the british mandate.
Apr 09, 2007 the statement below was originally published by the free palestine alliance in february 2007. The deir yassin affair was publicized throughout the world as the deir yassin massacre, causing great harm to the reputation of the yishuv. Today marks the 69th anniversary of the deir yassin massacre. One of the awful crimes against the palestinians in 1948, the song is trynottocry by yusuf islam and the outlandish the materials are from the site. There was no massacre at deir yassin new book meticulously documents battle of deir yassin. Apr 10, 2018 on april 9, 1948, just a few weeks before israel was created, armed jewish militias attacked the palestinian village of deir yassin, killing at least 100 people. The deir yassin massacre took place on april 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the irgun zevai leumi and lohamei herut israel zionist paramilitary groups attacked deir yassin near jerusalem, a palestinianarab village of roughly 600 people. Idf archive still from the film born in deir yassin. But the battle indubitably served to expedite the collapse of the arab hinterland in the. The deir yassin massacre took place on april 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the zionist paramilitary groups irgun and lehi killed hundreds of palestinian arabs in deir yassin, a village of roughly 600 people near jerusalem. The deir yassin massacre lie was put to rest, once and for all, with the publication last year of the book deir yassin.
On april 9, 1948, when the first arabisraeli war was just beginning, the irgun and le. The deir yassin massacre took place on april 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the zionist paramilitary groups irgun and lehi attacked deir yassin near jerusalem, a palestinian arab village of roughly 600 people. History of a lie zoa tract, author and organization president morton klein insists that the massacre of deir yassin did not happen. May, 2004 the deir yassin massacre by william james martin. Document b the 1948 war deir yassin massacre deir yassin massacre 1948 early in the morning of april 9, 1948, commandos of the irgun headed by menachem begin and the stern gang attacked deir yassin, a village with about 750 palestinian residents. Uri milstein, one of israel s most preeminent historians, has published a book that appears in english, the birth of a palestinian nation the myth of the deir yassin massacre by gefen publishers, which marshals the facts to prove. According to arab claims, verified by most scholars, the mere mention of deir yassin brought about mass flight or hasty surrender. In the past decade, he dedicated a lot of time to writing a book about the socalled massacre of deir yassin. Eliezer tauber, a former dean of the faculty of jewish studies at bar ilan university. The scars of deir yassin and our determination to survive. This blog is for news and opinions related to the 1948 deir yassin massacre and the struggle for peace and justice in palestine. Early in the morning of friday, april 9, 1948, commandos of the irgun, headed by menachem begin, and the. The assault occurred as jewish militia sought to relieve the blockade of jerusalem during the civil war that preceded the end of british rule in palestine. Located in a strategic corridor west of the jerusalem neighborhood of givat shaul, deir yassin has become synonymous with massacre and ethnic cleansing.
April 9 marks the 69 anniversary of the 1948 deir yassin massacre of more than 120 peaceful. Nov 22, 2017 two recent books make an important contribution to the study of the palestinian nakba. Eliezer tauber debunks the myth of the deir yassin massacre, which became one of the nakbas foundational events as early as 1948. Jul 16, 2017 the deir yassin massacre was the first of a number of incidents in which jewish fighters were involved in killing civilians in the war of independence and after it was over. The massacre of palestinians at deir yassin is one of the most significant events in 20thcentury palestinian and israeli history. Rabbis express sorrow over deir yassin 6 april 2001. Read more about the scars of deir yassin and our determination to survive. The deir yassin massacre was the first of a number of incidents in which jewish fighters were involved in killing civilians in the war of independence and after it was over. April 1948 the massacre of deir yassin provoked a rush of refugees. The assault occurred as jewish militia sought to relieve the blockade of jerusalem by palestinian arab forces during the civil war that preceded the end of british rule. Deir yasin auch deir jassin, arabisch dair yasin bzw.
Deir yassin massacre 1948 egyptian commemoration stamp issued in 1965. The village lay outside of the area to be assigned by the united nations to the jewish state. My familys roots run deep in a village brutally attacked by zionist forces on 9 april 1948. Deir yassin event letter by paul eisen, director, deir yassin remembered. Palestinian survivors of deir yassin, a village of around 400 inhabitants, claim the jews committed a wholesale massacre there, spurring palestinians to flee in the thousands, and undermining the. The statement below was originally published by the free palestine alliance in february 2007. Survivors of massacres, including the deir yassin massacre, are gradually dying of old age, and there will come a time when firsthand accounts no longer exist. But the importance of the directives lies in the dehumanization of the palestinians that was integrated into the orders dispatched to troops that in the next ten months or so would massacre thousands of palestinians and expel almost a million of them half of the countrys population.
The village was a palestinian arab town of about 750 located west of jerusalem. The deir yassin affair, known throughout the world as the deir yassin massacre, damaged the reputation of theyishuv at the time. The assault occurred as jewish militia sought to relieve the blockade of jerusalem during the civil war that. Arabs hold that there was a deliberate massacre of several hundred arab civilians, and refer to this incident as the deir yassin massacre. But the list of victims extends far beyond the 100 to elderly men, women and children who died that day. This one, detailed in a page chapter titled lydda, concerns an alleged massacre of palestinian arabs that preceded an act of. Deir yassin and its aftermath by afif safieh, palestinian general delegation 23 march 2001. Deir yassin remembered, in the news deir yassin massacre. As jerusalem expanded, the land of deir yassin became part of the city and is now known simply as the area between givat shaul and the settlement of har nof on the western slopes of the mountain. Early in the morning of april 9, 1948, commandos of the irgun headed by menachem begin and the. Of all the canards associated with the arabisraeli conflict, one stands out. Unless otherwise noted, the views expressed on this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of deir yassin remembered, inc. The fact of their existence will become as fragile as a scent in wind, and. The deir yassin massacre took place on april 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the.