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According to hundreds of Palestinian, Arab, Israeli, and Western sources, both written and oral, Zionist forces committed dozens of massacres against Palestinians during what was called the 1948 “war”. Some of these are well-known and have been published while others are not. Below are some of the details of the most notorious massacres committed at the hands of Haganah and its armed wing, the Palmach, as well as the Stern Gang, the Irgun and other Zionist paramilitaries:
The Revisionist Zionist paramilitaries, the Irgun Zvai Leumi is known as “Irgun” and Lochamei Herut Yisrael is known as “Lehi” or “Stern Gang”.
Between 1939 and 1948 the state of Israel did not yet exist.
Ethnic Cleansing before Israel became Israel
However, there were already armed bands of Zionists, who began the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestine, supported by the army English, of stationed in Palestine thanks to the British Mandate. Let us remember that Zionism is a POLITICAL ideology, theorized by Theoror Herzl in 1897, which supports the right of Jews to found a Jewish state, in Palestine or Uganda.
Poster 1935: Irgun Zvai Leumi (National Military Organization in Erez Israel)
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 10 Jan 1937
A member of the Zionist Irgun organization detonated a bomb in the fruit and vegetable market near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians and injuring many others.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 3 Jun 1937
Irgun paramilitaries and Lehi Zionist groups bombed a market in Haifa, killing 18 Palestinian civilians and wounding 38.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 7 Jun 1938
The Zionist paramilitaries of the Irgun planted two car bombs in a market in Haifa, killing 21 Palestinian civilians and wounding 52.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 13 Jul 1938
10 Palestinians killed and 31 injured in massive explosion at Arab vegetable market in Jerusalem's Old City.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 15 Jul 1938
A member of the Zionist paramilitary Irgun threw a hand grenade in front of a Jerusalem mosque as worshipers were walking outside. 10 dead and 30 injured.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 25 July 1938
Irgun paramilitaries planted a car bomb in an Arab market in Haifa, killing 35 Palestinian civilians and wounding 70.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 26 July 1938
An Irgun member threw a hand grenade into a Haifa market, killing 47 Palestinian civilians.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 26 Aug 1938
A car bomb planted by the Zionist paramilitaries of the Irgun exploded in an Arab market in Jerusalem, killing 34 civilians and wounding 35.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 27 Mar 1939
Irgun paramilitaries detonated two bombs in Haifa killing 27 Palestinians and wounding 39.
• BALAD AL-SHAYKH MASSACRE - 12 Jun 1939
Haganah paramilitaries raided the town of Balad al-Shaykh, capturing 5 residents and killing them. The city of Balad al-Shaykh is a Palestinian city located east of Haifa.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 19 Jun 1939
Zionist paramilitaries threw a hand grenade into a market in Haifa, killing 9 Palestinians and wounding 4.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 20 Jun 1948
78 Palestinians were killed and 24 injured by a bomb placed inside a vegetable box at a vegetable market in Haifa. The Irgun and Lehi paramilitaries were responsible.
• AL ABBASIYAH MASSACRE - 13 Dec 1947
A group of Irgun members disguised as British soldiers attacked the village of Al Abbasiyah and opened fire on its inhabitants sitting outside a cafe in the village. They also bombed some of their homes and placed several time bombs. Furthermore, British soldiers surrounded the village and allowed the assassins to flee from the northern part of the village. They killed 7 people and they seriously injured 7 others, 2 of whom later died. Among them, a 5-year-old child.
• AL-KHASAS MASSACRE - 18 Dec 1947
73 Zionists from Kibbutz "Maayan Baruch" attacked and shot at 5 Palestinian workers on their way to work. During the attack, one of the Zionists was stabbed and killed by pushing the commander of the third Palmach battalion, Moshe Kelman, to order a retaliatory operation during which houses were burned and men from Al-Khasas were killed. The Zionist commander's report notes that 12 people were killed, all women and children.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 29 Dec 1947
Irgun paramilitaries threw a barrel full of explosives near Bab al-Amud (Damascus Gate), Jerusalem, which resulted in the death of 14 Palestinians and the wounding of 27 others.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 30 Dec 1947
Irgun paramilitaries threw a bomb from a moving car, killing 11 Palestinians.
• BALAD AL-SHAYKH MASSACRE - 31 Dec 1947
A joint force from the 1st Palmach Battalion and a brigade led by Haim Avinoam attacked the village of Al-Balad Shaykh killing 60 civilians, according to Zionist sources. Among the murdered, children, women and the elderly. Dozens of houses were destroyed.
• AL-SHEIKH BREAK MASSACRE - 31 Dec 1947
Zionist paramilitary groups stormed the village of Al-Sheikh Break, killing 40 Palestinians.
• JAFFA MASSACRE - 4 Jan 1948
The Stern Gang threw a bomb into a crowded square in Jaffa, killing 15 people and wounding 98.
• AL-SARAYA MASSACRE - 4 Jan 1948
On January 4, 1948, the Zionist paramilitaries of the Irgun planted a car full of explosives in Al-Saraya, near Jaffa, destroying everything around it, killing 30 Palestinians and wounding many others.
• SEMIRAMIS MASSACRE - 5 Jan 1942
The Haganah bombed the Semiramis Hotel located in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem. The hotel collapsed on its guests, all Palestinians, killing 19 people and injuring more than 20.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 7 Jan 1948
Irgun paramilitaries threw a bomb at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, killing 18 civilians and wounding 40 others.
• AL-SARAYA MASSACRE AL-ARABEYA - 8 Jan 1948
Zionist paramilitaries used a car bomb to kill 70 Palestinian civilians and injure dozens.
• RAMLA MASSACRE - 15 Jan 1948
Palmach and Haganah soldiers bombed one of Ramla's Arab neighborhoods.
• YAZUR MASSACRE - 22 Jan 1948
Yigael Yadin, a Haganah commander, ordered the Palmach commander, Yigal Allon, to proceed with an operation against the village of Yazur. A Palmach group attacked a bus near Yazur, injuring the driver and several Palestinian passengers. On the same day, another group attacked another bus, killing and wounding several people. These attacks by the Palmach and the Brigades They descended on Palestinian villages and the cars continued for 20 consecutive days, while other units detonated bombs near the homes of the village.
Then the Haganah paramilitaries decided to attack the village and bomb an ice factory along with two buildings around it. A Haganah group opened fire on the ice factory in the village, while other groups shot and threw hand grenades at the houses in the village. Furthermore, an engineering group bombed the Askandroni building, the ice factory, and killed 15 people.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 28 Jan 1948
Zionist paramilitaries from the Al-Hadar neighborhood, located at the top of Al-Abbas Street in Haifa, rolled down a barrel full of explosives, destroying houses and killing 20 Arab citizens, and wounding 50.
• TABRA TULKAREM MASSACRE - 10 Feb 1948
A group of Zionist paramilitaries stopped Palestinian citizens of the village of Tabra Tulkarem and shot at them, killing 7 people and wounding 5.
• SA'SA MASSACRE - 14 Feb 1948
A Palmach force raided the village of Sa'sa and destroyed 20 inhabited houses, killing 60 villagers, most of which were women and children.
• JERUSALEM MASSACRE - 20 Feb 1948
The Stern Gang stole a British Army vehicle, filled it with explosives, and placed it in front of Al Salam Palace in Jerusalem. The explosion killed 14 Palestinians and injured 26.
• HAIFA MASSACRE - 20 Feb 1948
Zionist paramilitaries attacked Palestinian neighborhoods in Haifa with mortar fire, killing 6 people and wounding 36.
• AL-HUSAYNIYYA MASSACRE - 13 Mar 1948
Haganah paramilitaries raided the village of Al-Husayniyya, destroying houses with explosives and killing more than 30 families.
• ABU KABIR MASSACRE - 31 Mar 1948
Haganah paramilitaries carried out an armed attack on the Abu Kabir neighborhood in Jaffa. They destroyed homes and killed residents fleeing their homes for shelter.
• CAIRO-HAIFA TRAIN MASSACRE - 31 Mar 1948
The Stern Gang planted bombs on a Cairo-Haifa train, killing 40 people and wounding 60.
• AYN AL-ZAYTOUN MASSACRE - 4 May 1948
Ayn al-Zaytoun was a Palestinian village on the outskirts of Safed, whose population was 820 people. The Jewish writer, Netiva Ben-Yehuda, writes in his book "Through the Ropes Binding" about the Ayn al-Zaitoun massacre: "on the 3rd or 4th of 1948, approximately 39 prisoners tied up. "
• SAFED MASSACRE - 13 May 1948
The Haganah massacred around 70 young people from Safed, but there are no details on this massacre.
• ABU SHUSHA MASSACRE - 14 May 1948
Zionist paramilitaries committed an ugly massacre in the village of Abu Shusha, killing around 60 of its residents, including men, women, children and the elderly. The massacre ended with the expulsion of all
villagers from their homes, which were then gradually demolished.
• BEIT DARAS MASSACRE - 21 May 1948
A Zionist force supported by tanks surrounded the village of Beit Daras and opened fire on it. The people of the village, understanding the tragedy of the situation, decided to resist the fire and defend the their homes at all costs, urging women, children and the elderly to leave the village to reduce losses. The women, children and elderly people were heading towards the southern area of the town, on the outskirts, where they clashed with the Zionists, despite being defenseless. Many of them were killed, and the forces set fire to many houses and bombed others.
• The Al-Tantura Massacre - 22 May 1948
This massacre was carried out by the third battalion of the Alexandroni Brigade and the Zionist plan was to attack the village from two sides; the north and south. One brigade was to block the road, while a naval boat blocked the withdraw route by sea. Every attacking unit was provided with a guide from the neighbouring Zikhron Ya’akov settlement, whose residents knew their way around the village, and the brigade leadership kept a reserve unit for emergencies. Al-Tantura did not initiate a battle with the Haganah, but refused their terms, so the attackers took the men to the village graveyard, lined them up, and killed 200–250 of them.
Moshe Dayan
was a complex character; his opinions were never strictly black and white. He had few close friends; his mental brilliance and charismatic manner were combined with cynicism and lack of restraint. Ariel Sharon noted about Dayan:
He would wake up with a hundred ideas. Of them ninety-five were dangerous; three more had to be rejected; the remaining two, however, were brilliant.
He had courage amounting to insanity, as well as displays of a lack of responsibility. I would not say the same about his civil courage. Once Ben Gurion had asked me—what do I think of the decision to appoint Dayan as the Minister of Agriculture in his government. I said that it is important that Dayan sits in every government because of his brilliant mind—but never as prime minister. Ben Gurion asked: "why not as prime minister?". I replied then: "because he does not accept responsibility".
In 1969, during an address to the students at Technion University in Haifa, Dayan regretted the fact that students are unfamiliar with the Arab villages that once inhabited the land: "We came to this country which was already populated by Arabs, and we are establishing... a Jewish state here. In considerable areas of the country we bought (!?!) the lands from the Arabs.
Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages. You do not even know the names of these Arab villages, and I do not blame you, because these geography books no longer exist; not only do the books not exist, the Arab villages are not there either. Nahalal arose in the place of Mahalul, Gevat - in the place of Jibta, Sarid - in the place of Haneifs and Kefar Yehoshua - in the place of Tell Shaman. There is no one place built in this country that did not have a former Arab population." |
