Back مذبحة كفر قاسم Arabic Клане в Кафр Касем Bulgarian Massaker von Kafr Qasim German Σφαγή του Καφρ Κασίμ Greek Masakro de Kafr Kassem Esperanto Masacre de Kafr Qasim Spanish کشتار کفرقاسم Persian Kafr Qasimin verilöyly Finnish Massacre de Kafr Qassem French טבח כפר קאסם HE

Kafr Qasim massacre

Kafr Qasim massacre
Part of the Suez Crisis
Memorial for the massacre at Kafr Qasim
Kafr Qasim massacre is located in Israel
Kafr Qasim massacre
Kafr Qasim massacre (Israel)
LocationKafr Qasim, Israel
DateOctober 29, 1956 (1956-10-29)
TargetArab villagers
Attack type
Massacre
Deaths49 (including an unborn child)
PerpetratorsIsrael Border Police

The Kafr Qasim massacre took place in the Israeli Arab village of Kafr Qasim on 29 October 1956, when the Israel Border Police killed 49 Palestinian civilians, including 19 men, 6 women and 23 children. Israeli forces had imposed a curfew on the village in the morning of the 29th on the eve of the Sinai War, and when a number of villagers who had been away and were unaware of the curfew returned, they were massacred.[1][2]

From 1949 to 1966, Arab citizens were regarded by Israel as a hostile population.[3] On 29 October 1956, the Israeli army ordered that all Arab villages near the Green Line, at that time, the de facto border between Israel and the Jordanian West Bank, to be placed under a wartime curfew.[4] The border policemen who were involved in the shooting were brought to trial and found guilty and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7 to 17 years.[5] The brigade commander was sentenced to pay the symbolic fine of 10 prutot (old Israeli cents).[6] The Israeli court found that the command to kill civilians was "blatantly illegal". However, all of the sentences were later reduced, with some of those convicted receiving presidential pardons. All of those convicted had been released by November 1959.[7]

One of those convicted, Gabriel Dahan, was later placed in charge of "Arab Affairs" by the city of Ramla.[8]

Issachar (Yissachar) "Yiska" Shadmi—the highest-ranking official prosecuted for the massacre—stated, shortly before his death, that he believed that his trial was staged to protect members of the Israeli political and military elite, including Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, from taking responsibility for the massacre. The purpose was to portray the perpetrators as a group of rogue soldiers, rather than people acting under higher orders.[9]

In December 2007, President of Israel Shimon Peres formally apologised for the massacre.[10] In October 2021, a Joint List bill to have the massacre officially recognized was rejected in the Knesset.[11]

  1. ^ Lucas, Noah (1975). The Modern History of Israel. New York, New York: Praeger Publishers. p. 356. ISBN 0-275-33450-3.
  2. ^ Bilsky, p. 310.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference jstor1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "48 human beings were massacred – and we have forgotten them". November 3, 2013.
  6. ^ "President Peres apologizes for Kafr Qasem massacre of 1956". Haaretz. Dec 21, 2007. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  7. ^ Ronnie May Olesker, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University). International Law and Organization. The value of security vs. the security of values: The relationship between the rights of the minority and the security of the majority in Israel. 2007. p. 318.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference haa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ President Peres apologizes for Kafr Qasem massacre of 1956 Archived 2009-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Haaretz, 21 December 2007
  11. ^ Noa Shpigel, 'Israel Shoots Down Bill to Officially Recognize 1956 Massacre of Arab Citizens ,' Archived 2021-10-27 at the Wayback Machine Haaretz 27 October 2021.

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