Dr. Uri Milstein:
"Dir Yassin Massacre" was a hoax!
by Gad Nahshon
"Dir Yassin Massacre was a hoax" argued Israel's most distinguished military historian, Dr. Uri Milstein. He has argued the same in his many books and lectures. Each year when Israel celebrates its 'Independence Day', this issue repeats itself, a myth, an anti-Israeli myth. For 50 years the Arab propaganda has managed to 'sell' this massacre arguing that, in 1948, the Jews behaved like monsters, or like war criminals. Of course, the Arabs have declined to discuss their behavior in 1948 or 1947. According to history books or articles, the fighters of Lehi (Stern Group) and the Irgun (Begin) attacked a peaceful village, Dir Yassin, near Jerusalem and murdered 245 civilians (women & children).
Dr. Milstein researched this affair for many years and came to these illuminating conclusions:
It was not a massacre! Civilians died because, like in many wars, civilians became victims of the battles or air bombardments. That's the nature of modern warfare. (In the Middle Ages it was different!) But is was not a planned massacre! The massacre is only a myth, an anti-Israeli myth. Today, the post-Zionist historians love to reinforce this pro-Arab, pro-Palestinian myth
Only around 140 people were killed in the battle of Dir Yassin
The battle took place on April 9, 1948 before the establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948. The 'palmach' (the pro-left army) also was part of this battle together with the 'Irgun' and Lehi
What is the origin of this myth? Milstein believed that the Israeli left in 1948 or Mapai, the party of Ben-Gurion in order to smear its 'right' camp, or the 'Irgun' and its commander Menachem Begin, used Dir Yassin, the battle. The party inflated the story and distorted the truth to build a weapon against the Right opposition to Mapai, the ruling Labor party. The person who invented the massacre is Israel's famous military historian, Col. (Ret.) Meir Pail, today, a defender of Mapai's history or military history. Also, a guardian angel of the palmach's legacy, Dr. Pail, a military scholar has always argued that the Irgun's leaders and fighters should express regrets for this massacre and ask Israel for forgiveness. Dr. Pail developed the myth since 1948. Dr. Milstein argued that the palmach also was not always clean.
But it was a war for survival. Arabs committed many massacres of Jews, at least from Aug. 1929. One cannot judge events today from his or her ivory tower. A war is a war. It should be explained that the discussion about Dir Yassin stems from the following thesis: The Arabs run away from their towns and villages because they believe that the Jews will kill them like they killed in Dir Yassin. After this mass evacuation it was easy for the Jews to create the state of Israel.
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