Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre which took place on April 9 1948 in the village of Deir Yassin at the hands of Zionist gangs of Arjun and Stern. This is an unforgettable anniversary to the Palestinians especially the millions of refugees scattered throughout the region. The massacre claimed the lives of hundreds of children elderly and women.
According to the Palestinian Encyclopedia the Zionist gangs attacked the village of Deir Yassin near the occupied city of Jerusalem at three in the morning. The assailants attacked the village with an armored vehicle leading the offensive. They were surprised by fire shot at them from the village which were not taken into their consideration resulting in the death of four Jews from the gang and wounding 32 others. The attackers then sought help from the Haganah gang’s command took their wounded and opened fire indiscriminately at the villagers killing 350 children women men and elders.
Deliberate displacement
According to those who survived the massacre its timing was well considered by Jewish leaders and it helped accelerate the displacement of Palestinians due to the negative Arab media coverage at the time as it took place two weeks after the signing of a peace agreement requested by the heads of Jewish settlements nearby and approved by the Palestinian villagers who paid the price of their love for their land from their lives to be later killed as martyrs.
The massacre is still rooted in the Palestinian memory; refugee Nasser Rajab from Balata refugee camp east of Nablus said: “The anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre is painful and sad as if it happened today; it does not leave my memory and it is repeated in various ways; in Gaza the occupation killed dozens during the Great March of Return.”
Terror will not last
“An occupation that is built on massacres will not last.” says Ahmed Mustafa from the Tulkarem refugee camp to the PIC reporter. “If it had not been for the massacre of Deir Yassin the occupation would not have taken place. The Israeli occupation will be defeated and vanquished soon the same as it was removed from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.”
The 70th anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre is marked this year with massacres and chaos taking place in the region and at a time the Israeli occupation is committing massacres at the Gaza border to prevent the mass Great March of Return.
Refugee Hassan Abu Juma from the Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah noted that “The photos of the crime in Deir Yassin can’t be forgotten; Hundreds of women children elderly young and pregnant women were murdered in cold blood at the hands of Zionist gangs at the time headed by the terrorist Menachem Begin. Now the world is watching what is happening in Gaza and the biggest tragedy is that (Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud) Abbas is also punishing Gaza.”
