1948
Deir Yassin Massacre
It is well to remember, when contemplating the Middle East today, that terrorism has been used by every side in the struggle to carve out territory and achieve ethnic security. Muslims of every sect, Christians, and Jews have all resorted to assassination and atrocity. On this day in 1948 Jewish extremists from the Stern Gang (already infamous for its willingness to ally with Nazis in World War II in fighting the British; their assassination a U.N. envoy would come later) and the Irgun (bombers of the King David Hotel) entered the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin and killed about 150 inhabitants. After the massacre the surviving women and children of the village were paraded triumphantly through Jerusalem streets.
The village had no military significance and had in fact signalled its desire to remain neutral and on good terms with its Jewish neighbours. The murders seem designed to be part of a policy of ethnic cleansing — not just in eradicating the Palestine presence from this site but encouraging a mass flight of others to avoid a similar fate. The looting, rape, and execution of prisoners after the battle appear to be part of that plan.
Though the aftermath of the massacre was witnessed by British officers and Red Cross officials, confirmed by testimony from Jewish military sources, supporters of the Jewish extremists still claim that the Deir Yassin murders were a myth designed to discredit Zionism.