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The Deir Yassin massacre: Why it still matters 75 years later
The brutality of the Deir Yassin prompted thousands of Palestinians to flee, just weeks before Israel was created.
Bullet-riddled cacti are seen in Deir Yassin, where more than 100 Palestinians, mostly women, children and the elderly, were
massacred by Irgun-Stern raiders, April 1948
Bullet-riddled cacti are seen in Deir Yassin, where more than 100 Palestinians, mostly women, children and the elderly, were massacred
by Irgun-Stern raiders, April 1948
This year, the United Nations will host its first-ever high-level event to commemorate this forced displacement that resulted in the
establishment of the state of Israel on May 15, 1948.
But Palestinians have never ceased to commemorate the loss of each village that was once part of their homeland.
Among them was Deir Yassin, a village perched on a hill west of Jerusalem, which has become emblematic of the suffering Israel would
inflict on the Palestinians.
What is the Deir Yassin massacre?
On April 9, 1948, just weeks before the creation of the State of Israel, members of the Irgun and Stern Gang Zionist militias attacked the
village of Deir Yassin, killing at least 107 Palestinians.
Many of the people slaughtered – from those who were tied to trees and burned to death to those lined up against a wall and shot by
submachine guns – were women, children and the elderly.
As news of the atrocities spread, thousands fled their villages in fear. Eventually, some 700,000 Palestinians would flee or be forcibly
displaced at the outset of Israel’s creation, making the massacre a decisive moment in Palestinian history.
What happened in Deir Yassin?
It was a Friday afternoon when the militia struck Deir Yassin, where about 700 Palestinians lived. Most were quarry workers and stone
cutters.
According to the Israeli narrative, Operation Nachshon aimed to break through the blockaded road to Jerusalem and the fighters
encountered stiff resistance from the villagers that forced them to advance slowly from house to house.
But Palestinians and some Israeli historians say the villagers had signed a non-aggression agreement with the Haganah, the pre-Israeli-
state Zionist army. They were nevertheless murdered in cold blood and buried in mass graves.
According to a 1948 report filed by the British delegation to the United Nations, the killing of “some 250 Arabs, men, women and
children, took place in circumstances of great savagery”.
“Women and children were stripped, lined up, photographed, and then slaughtered by automatic firing and survivors have told of even
more incredible bestialities,” the report said. “Those who were taken prisoners were treated with degrading brutality.”
Israeli historian Benny Morris said the militias “ransacked unscrupulously, stole money and jewels from the survivors and burned the
bodies. Even dismemberment and rape occurred.”
The number of dead is disputed but ranges from 100 to 250. A representative of the Red Cross who entered Deir Yassin on April 11
reported seeing the bodies of some 150 people heaped haphazardly in a cave, while around 50 were amassed in a separate location.
Black and white photo of a sign that reads "Holy place, no entrance" on a gate
The entrance to a cemetery for Deir Yassin’s notable citizens before the April 1948 massacre. The occupation forces put up a sign in
Hebrew and English that reads ‘Holy Place. No Entrance’ [AP Photo]
Prominent Jewish intellectual Martin Buber wrote at the time that such events had been “infamous”.
“In Deir Yassin hundreds of innocent men, women and children were massacred,” he said. “Let the village remain uninhabited for the time
being, and let its desolation be a terrible and tragic symbol of war, and a warning to our people that no practical military needs may ever
justify such acts of murder.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/9/the-deir-yassin-massacre-why-it-still-matters-75-years-later
Why ? Not ' Why did it happen '. Why does the United States support them ?
Because they were treated horrendously by the Nazis ? Are you fucking kidding ?