Palestinians Saturday marked the 68th anniversary of the massacre of 254 Palestinians by Zionist militias in the Jerusalem village of Deir Yassin.

The massacre of Deir Yassin is an episode that characterizes the widespread terror and horrific acts of violence committed by Zionist militias against Palestinians. According to the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, massacres and expulsions of Palestinians created an atmosphere of fear and panic that forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. The left behind land and personal possessions that were subsequently stolen by the State of Israel, sometimes out rightly and sometimes through 'clever’ legislation.

Deir Yassin Massacre is an episode that characterizes the atrocities of the Nakba (catastrophe) and highlights the impunity that Israel still enjoys today.

The massacre was led by Menachem Begin in his capacity as the Irgun terrorist forces, responsible for several acts of terror, including blowing up King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The Irgun forces was supported by the Haganah, a group that went on to form the basis of the Israeli military, and the Lehi, led by Yitzhak Shamir.

Dir Yassin massacre was not an isolated event, but a part of the broader Dalet Plan which aimed to force Palestinians from Palestine in order to achieve a Jewish majority in the newly established State of Israel.

News of the Deir Yassin massacre created a wave of panic, forcing many Palestinians to flee their homes so as to avoid a similar fate. The Zionist militias had succeeded in achieving an important and stated goal.

As Menachem Begin would note several years later: “Arabs throughout the country, induced to believe wild tales of 'Irgun butchery’ were seized with less panic and started to flee for their lives. This mass flight soon developed into a maddened, uncontrollable stampede. Of the almost 800,000 who lived in the present territory of the State of Israel, only some 165,000 are still here. The political and economic significance of this development can hardly be overestimated.”

Those who survived the massacre became refugees either in Jordan or in camps around the Jerusalem area, such as Qalandia near Ramallah and Duheisha in Bethlehem. Many of their descendants are still living in refugee camps today.

A group of orphans were rescued by Hind Husseini. The orphans were highly traumatized after seeing their families being slaughtered and needed an immediate shelter. This led Husseini to create Dar Al-Tifl, a Palestinian institution in Jerusalem that still grants shelter and education to Palestinian children. This tragic story inspired the film “Miral” by Rula Jibreel.

As with almost every single crime committed by Israel before and since its inception, the criminals responsible for this horrific and bloody massacre enjoyed full impunity. In fact, a few weeks after this tragic events, then man responsible for the Haganah (future Israeli military), David Ben Gurion, became Israel’s first Prime Minister. Even more astonishing is the fact that the head of the “operation” at Deir Yassin, Menachim Begin, and Yitzhak Shamir, the leader of the Lehi who participated in the massacre, would also go on to become Israeli Prime Ministers.

Source: WAFA