In February 1948, Yigal Allon, commander of the Palmach in the north, ordered an attack on Sa'sa'. The order was given to Moshe Kelman, the deputy commander of Third Battalion. The order read: "You have to blow up twenty houses and kill as many warriors as possible".[1][2] According to Ilan Pappé, "warriors" should be read as "villagers" to properly understand the order.[1] Khalidi, referencing "The History of the Haganah" by Ben-Zion Dinur, say they referred to the massacre as "one of the most daring raids into enemy territory."[2]
One history of 1948 asserts that the reason for the attack was to restore Jewish public confidence in their fighting forces following the deaths of all the members of a platoon attempting to take supplies to Kfar Etzion a month previously.[3]
Moreover, according to Efraim Karsh, on January 20-21 some 400 armed Arab fighters from 2nd Yarmuk Regiment of Arab Liberation Army based in Sa'sa' carried out attacks on isolated kibbutz Yechiam in western Galilee.[4][5]
On February 15, 1948, a Palmach unit entered the village during the night and, without resistance, planted explosives against some of the houses. It was reported at the time that ten or more houses were totally or partially destroyed and 11 villagers were killed (5 of them small children).[6] According to the official history of the Haganah, the village had been used as a base for Arab fighters.[5][2] However, press reports at the time sited by Khalidi belie this, since the Palmach units met "without opposition" in the village.[2] According to Benvenisti (who gives the date of the attack as 14 February), the Palmach units that raided Sa'sa' killed 60 people and demolished 16 houses.[7]
A Palmach unit attacks Sa'sa
It was not until October 30, 1948, as part of Operation Hiram, that the forces of the Haganah occupied Sa'sa'. Those villagers who had not already fled were expelled. There are also allegations of war crimes at this time. Northern Command OC Moshe Carmel later reported that he had seen evidence of killings, and an official investigation by Major Emanuel Yalan suggested that some villagers, including some with disabilities, may have been killed after the village was occupied. However, the relevant files remain closed to historians.[8]
Currently, there are few remains of the Palestinian village of Sa'sa', with the exception of the village mosque, which has now been converted into the kibbutz cultural center.
In 1992, the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the remains of the village: "Some of the old olive trees remain, and a number of walls and houses still stand. Some of the houses are presently used by kibbutz Sasa; one of them has an arched entrance and arched windows. A large portion of the surrounding land is forested, the rest is cultivated by Israeli farmers."[9]
Cohen, Amnon (1973). Palestine in the Eighteenth Century: Patterns of Government and Administration. Jerusalem: Hebrew University. Cited in Petersen, (2001)
Cohen, Amnon; Lewis, B. (1978). Population and Revenue in the Towns of Palestine in the Sixteenth Century. Princeton University Press. ISBN0-691-09375-X.
Department of Statistics (1945). Village Statistics, April, 1945. Government of Palestine.
Gibson, S and Braun, E. (1972) Sa'sa', HA, 63-64, pp 11–12 (in Hebrew). Cited in Petersen, 2002
Guérin, V. (1880). Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine (in French). Vol. 3: Galilee, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
Hadawi, S. (1970). Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine. Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center.
Hütteroth, Wolf-Dieter; Abdulfattah, Kamal (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN3-920405-41-2.
Mills, E., ed. (1932). Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas. Jerusalem: Government of Palestine.
Morris, B. (2004). The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited. Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-00967-6.
Nazzal, Nafez (1978). The Palestinian Exodus from Galilee 1948. The Institute for Palestine Studies. (Sa'sa' pp. 46, 95)
Palmer, E.H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster. (pp. 368-369)
Schumacher, G. (1888). "Population list of the Liwa of Akka". Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund. 20: 169–191.
Smithline, Howard (1997). "Sasa, West l Report". Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel (16).
Syon, Danny; Nagar, Yossi (2014-09-08). "Sasa, Final report l Report". Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel (126).
February 16, 2024
massacre, february, 1948, yigal, allon, commander, palmach, north, ordered, attack, order, given, moshe, kelman, deputy, commander, third, battalion, order, read, have, blow, twenty, houses, kill, many, warriors, possible, according, ilan, pappé, warriors, sho. In February 1948 Yigal Allon commander of the Palmach in the north ordered an attack on Sa sa The order was given to Moshe Kelman the deputy commander of Third Battalion The order read You have to blow up twenty houses and kill as many warriors as possible 1 2 According to Ilan Pappe warriors should be read as villagers to properly understand the order 1 Khalidi referencing The History of the Haganah by Ben Zion Dinur say they referred to the massacre as one of the most daring raids into enemy territory 2 IDF soldiers in Sa sa 30 October 1948One history of 1948 asserts that the reason for the attack was to restore Jewish public confidence in their fighting forces following the deaths of all the members of a platoon attempting to take supplies to Kfar Etzion a month previously 3 Moreover according to Efraim Karsh on January 20 21 some 400 armed Arab fighters from 2nd Yarmuk Regiment of Arab Liberation Army based in Sa sa carried out attacks on isolated kibbutz Yechiam in western Galilee 4 5 On February 15 1948 a Palmach unit entered the village during the night and without resistance planted explosives against some of the houses It was reported at the time that ten or more houses were totally or partially destroyed and 11 villagers were killed 5 of them small children 6 According to the official history of the Haganah the village had been used as a base for Arab fighters 5 2 However press reports at the time sited by Khalidi belie this since the Palmach units met without opposition in the village 2 According to Benvenisti who gives the date of the attack as 14 February the Palmach units that raided Sa sa killed 60 people and demolished 16 houses 7 A Palmach unit attacks Sa saIt was not until October 30 1948 as part of Operation Hiram that the forces of the Haganah occupied Sa sa Those villagers who had not already fled were expelled There are also allegations of war crimes at this time Northern Command OC Moshe Carmel later reported that he had seen evidence of killings and an official investigation by Major Emanuel Yalan suggested that some villagers including some with disabilities may have been killed after the village was occupied However the relevant files remain closed to historians 8 Currently there are few remains of the Palestinian village of Sa sa with the exception of the village mosque which has now been converted into the kibbutz cultural center In 1992 the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi described the remains of the village Some of the old olive trees remain and a number of walls and houses still stand Some of the houses are presently used by kibbutz Sasa one of them has an arched entrance and arched windows A large portion of the surrounding land is forested the rest is cultivated by Israeli farmers 9 See also editDepopulated Palestinian locations in Israel Killings and massacres during the 1948 Palestine WarReferences edit a b Pappe 2006 p 77 a b c d Khalidi 1992 p 496 Kurzman Don 1970 Genesis 1948 The First Arab Israeli War An Nal Book New York Library of Congress number 77 96925 p 53 Karsh 2008 p 37 a b מלחמת העצמאות תש ח תש ט דיון מחודש חלק א הוצאת משרד הביטחון 2004 עמ 238 New York Times Feb 16 1948 Also cited in Khalidi 1992 p 496 Benvenisti 2000 p 107 Morris 2004 pp 481 501 503 Khalidi 1992 p 497Bibliography editBarron J B ed 1923 Palestine Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922 Government of Palestine Berger Uri 2017 10 16 Sasa Hadashot Arkheologiyot Excavations and Surveys in Israel 129 Bron Hendrik Enno 2006 12 10 Sasa l Report Hadashot Arkheologiyot Excavations and Surveys in Israel 118 Bron Hendrik Enno 2013 04 02 Sasa Final report l Report Hadashot Arkheologiyot Excavations and Surveys in Israel 125 Benvenisti M 2000 Sacred Landscape The Buried History of the Holy Land Since 1948 Maxine Kaufman Lacusta translator University of California Press ISBN 0 520 92882 2 Cohen Amnon 1973 Palestine in the Eighteenth Century Patterns of Government and Administration Jerusalem Hebrew University Cited in Petersen 2001 Cohen Amnon Lewis B 1978 Population and Revenue in the Towns of Palestine in the Sixteenth Century Princeton University Press ISBN 0 691 09375 X Conder C R Kitchener H H 1881 The Survey of Western Palestine Memoirs of the Topography Orography Hydrography and Archaeology Vol 1 London Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund p 256 Department of Statistics 1945 Village Statistics April 1945 Government of Palestine Gibson S and Braun E 1972 Sa sa HA 63 64 pp 11 12 in Hebrew Cited in Petersen 2002 Guerin V 1880 Description Geographique Historique et Archeologique de la Palestine in French Vol 3 Galilee pt 2 Paris L Imprimerie Nationale Hadawi S 1970 Village Statistics of 1945 A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center Hutteroth Wolf Dieter Abdulfattah Kamal 1977 Historical Geography of Palestine Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten Sonderband 5 Erlangen Germany Vorstand der Frankischen Geographischen Gesellschaft ISBN 3 920405 41 2 Karsh Efraim 2008 The Arab Israeli Conflict The 1948 War The Rosen Publishing Group Inc ISBN 978 1404218420 Khalidi W 1992 All That Remains The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948 Washington D C Institute for Palestine Studies ISBN 0 88728 224 5 Mills E ed 1932 Census of Palestine 1931 Population of Villages Towns and Administrative Areas Jerusalem Government of Palestine Morris B 2004 The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 00967 6 Nazzal Nafez 1978 The Palestinian Exodus from Galilee 1948 The Institute for Palestine Studies Sa sa pp 46 95 Palmer E H 1881 The Survey of Western Palestine Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener R E Transliterated and Explained by E H Palmer Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund Pappe I 2007 The ethnic cleansing of Palestine reprint Oneworld Publications Limited ISBN 978 1 78074 056 0 Petersen Andrew 2001 A Gazetteer of Buildings in Muslim Palestine British Academy Monographs in Archaeology Vol 1 Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 727011 0 Robinson E Smith E 1841 Biblical Researches in Palestine Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea A Journal of Travels in the year 1838 Vol 3 Boston Crocker amp Brewster pp 368 369 Schumacher G 1888 Population list of the Liwa of Akka Quarterly Statement Palestine Exploration Fund 20 169 191 Smithline Howard 1997 Sasa West l Report Hadashot Arkheologiyot Excavations and Surveys in Israel 16 Syon Danny Nagar Yossi 2014 09 08 Sasa Final report l Report Hadashot Arkheologiyot Excavations and Surveys in Israel 126 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sa 27sa 27 Massacre amp oldid 1184063330, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
