Ein al-Zeitun massacre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ein al-Zeitun massacre |
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|---|---|
| Part of 1948 Palestine war | |
| Location | Ein al Zeitun |
| Date | May 1, 1948 |
| Deaths | 23-70 |
| Victims | Arab prisoners |
| Assailants | Palmach |
The Ein al Zeitun massacre occurred on May 1, 1948, during the 1948 War, at the Palestinian Arab village of Ein al-Zeitun just north of Safed, then part of the British Mandate for Palestine. According to various historians, 23-70 Arab prisoners may have been killed by the Palmach.
Massacre
Ein al Zeitun at this time was a Palestinian Arab village of about 800 inhabitants. It was believed by local Jews that Arabs from the village had taken part in a 1929 massacre of Jews in Safed and the massacre is assumed to be as a point of revenge. The attack on Ein al Zeitun was conducted by the 3rd Battalion of the Palmach under the command of Moshe Kelman, as a preliminary operation to prepare for an assault on the Arab quarter of Safed. Davidka mortar bombs were used for the first time. The village was taken without much difficulty. Most of the villagers fled during the battle, and the remainder, apart from 30 to 100 men aged 20-40 were forcibly expelled afterwards.
The Palmach soldiers then began to destroy the village.
One Yiftah HQ report says that "30" Arab prisoners were "transferred to Golani [Brigade]". But a day or two later two Palmach soldiers, acting on Third Battalion OC Moshe Kelman's orders, murdered several dozen prisoners, probably including young men from Ein al-Zeitun, in the gully between Ein al-Zeitun and Safad.
According to a testimony Aharon Yo'eli, a soldier present, obtained by Israeli historian Uri Milstein "2 Israelis came from Safad and took 23 men from Ayn Zaytoon, stripped them of watches and wallets, took them to a hill and shot them. Israelis were looking for other Israelis to kill Arabs; many Jews in Safad were Hassidis (strictly observant). Other Arabs were expelled towards Germak mountain".
Aftermath
The destruction of Ein al Zeitun and the consequent massacre terrified the Arabs of Safed and probably contributed to their flight in the coming days.
See also
- Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel
