4 thoughts on “Israeli Court Orders State Archives to Release Secret Files on 1956 Kafr Qasim Massacre – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
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  1. Kfar Qassem was an inexcusable massacre, and a permanent stain on the history of the State of Israel. May the memories of the victims never be forgotten.

    That said, there was no preplanned massacre at Deir Yassin. There were 101 Arab fatalities, and according to the historian, Tauber, “most of the [Arabs] killed in the village were killed during the battle and under battle conditions and not in a subsequent deliberate massacre.” 

    https://www.asmeascholars.org/the-massacre-that-never-was

    Bernard Wasserstein, in his The British in Palestine: The Mandatory Government and the Arab-Jewish Conflict 1917-1929, page 69, the village served as a center of weapons trafficking during the violent 1920 riot and throughout the Mandate period, especially during 1929 and the 1936-1939 wave of anti-Jewish terrorism.

    On April 2, 1948, sniping from Deir Yasin was directed at the Jewish neighborhoods of Bet Hakerem and Yefeh Nof.
    According to reports by the Shai (Hagana Intelligence), fortifications were being constructed in the village, and a large number of arms were being stockpiled. Men of Deir Yasin took an active part in the battle for Castel, had dug trenches at the entry to the village, and many of the villagers were armed.

    1. @Judah: Tauber is not only not a credible source, he’s a ludicrous source. He is a propagandist, not a historian or scholar (though he may be in his or your mind). He taught at Bar Ilan. Not exactly a bastion of unbiased scholarship on this subject. It is one step above Ariel [not a] University. But just barely. Don’t use him as a source here.

      Wasserstein has at least more academic credibility. I note that he taught at Brandeis. All the faculty and scholars I know who’ve taught there in this field are pro-Israel. I wouldn’t consider a single one independent. I’d rather trust non-Jewish or Palestinian scholars like Rashid Khalidi. However, there are independent, balanced Israeli scholars like Ilan Pappe, Avi Shlaim, Menachem Klein and Tom segev whose work is superb.

      The history of Deir Yassin prior to 1948 has no bearing on a massacre there in 1948. Even if we accept Wasserstein’s claims about militant activity there, you & he are justifying the execution of 100 unarmed men, women and children due to there being armed men there. How is it possible for you to believe something so odious? You should be ashamed.

      Further, I do not trust Haganah intelligence to offer accurate, credible information about Deir Yassin. You’re also asking us to believe that a Jewish terror militia known for heartless brutality including assassinations, hangings, bombings and other terror attacks, acted in Deir Yassin in a balanced precise fashion in its attack. I’ll laugh that claim out of the box. The Stern Gang was known for its cruelty and hatred of “Arabs.” It took that savagery out on innocent civilians at Deir Yassin.

      Clearly, all of this terrorism against Palestinians was not motivated by self-defense as you claim. It was designed to instill panic and terror in the hearts of Palestinians. It was meant to force them out of their villages and onto the road as refugees. Ben Gurion, though not an ally of the Jewish terrorists, certainly would have no problem with their attacks. In effect, it helped him to appear moderate in comparison to them. During the War itself, the Haganah/Palmach forced such expulsions themselves via massacres and less violent, but no less effective forced expulsions of hundreds of villages and 750,000 inhabitants.

      No amount of tendentious “scholarship” can refute this, try as you might.

      Done in this thread.

        1. Bar Ilan is an Orthdoox Jewish university. There is a reason why most religious colleges and universities have abandoned such affiliations. You can’t be a true liberal arts institution affiliated with a religion. Esp not in subject areas that affect your particular religion.

          Oh and btw, among its distinguished factulty are serial liar and Islamophobe, Gerald Steinberg and pseudo-Arabist, Mordechai Kedar, who calls for raping Palestinian women to show all Palestinians who’s boss. I understand many future Shabak interrogators take his courses. And it’s no wonder.

          As for Tauber, all one has to do is read a paragraph or less of his book to know it’s not scholarship.

          at least let your readers decide for themselves.

          The link is there for all to see. I’m not stopping anyone from reading his meretricious nonsense.

          BTW, I’m suspicous of this tag team thing you’ve got going with Judah. Do not on any account, in any way coordinate your efforts here. Every commenter here must be transparent, individual, and independent. If I suspect otherwise, it won’t end well for you. Also, do not use multiple ip addresses (as both of you are now doing–and most hasbarists who comment here do as well). Use a single one. Otherwise I’ll suspect you’re using IP proxies. I conbsider such behavior deliberately opaque and devious.

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