Shalom and Sheiks: 44 – The Deir Yassin Massacre
John Powell continues his account of the violence and savagery which accompanied the setting up of the state of Israel.
To read earlier chapters of John’s memorable autobiography please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/shalom_and_sheiks/
Most of my Personnel work was distastefully sad - arranging the termination of employment for many employees, among them faithful old retainers with long years of service and now feeling and looking completely lost, some in tears and others near it.
The Mount Carmel area was predominantly Jewish, although many Arabs lived in the district. Daily our Arab employees were being arrested by the Jews and interrogated — and not only our employees.
I dropped in at everyone's favourite watering hole, the Windsor Hotel, for a drink. The bar, once filled with Army officers and IPC Britishers, was completely deserted. The owner, likeable Charles Boutagy, who wielded considerable influence among the Palestinian Arabs, had been arrested by the Jews and not seen for some time. Later released, after being subjected to frightening interrogation and roughed up, he migrated to Australia where his descendants live today in Sydney.
News came to us of the terrible, brutal, massacre in the village of Deir Yassin, where over two hundred Arabs and their families had been confined to their homes and butchered to death by the Jewish terrorists, the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Stern Gang, in their usual Modus Operandi.
This savagery sparked off widespread terror among the Arabs, creating panic-stricken flight by thousands from their homeland, Palestine. Rumours filtered through that in some cases the Jews had forced the Arabs to leave the country (subsequently confirmed in modem TV documentaries).
In Haifa the Arab leaders asked the Jews, and what remained of the British Army, for a safe-conduct convoy to enable the Arabs to leave for the Lebanon. The Jews agreed, being only too happy to see them go. It meant a good supply of empty houses in which to place the influx of immigrants who would be arriving from the holding camps in Cyprus. The British Army, for its part, supplied two armoured cars as an escort.
The first convoy formed up outside Six Acres. I went and spoke to the Arab leaders to try and persuade them to remain and stay in their homes. They were adamant that they had to leave. They reasoned, and explained to me, that it would only be for a short time, just until the fighting was over. Then they would be able to return; the British would see to that. Besides, to stay meant certain arrests and their womenfolk would be molested, maybe even raped, and had I not heard about what happened to the Arabs at Deir Yassin? No, the British Government would make sure that they would return.
It astounded me to hear of their strong belief that the British Government would help. Every move of the British Government was looked upon as being very clever intrigue, manipulation and manoeuvre, while to us Britishers, every move of the British Government was nothing more than inept bungling and muddling through.
Alas the Arabs had forgotten history - forgotten how the promises made by Lawrence of Arabia to the Arabs were broken by the British Government, forgotten how the Balfour Declaration had promised the country of Palestine to the Jews as a national home, a country belonging mostly to the Arabs.
My reasoning was ignored. I pleaded with them to return to their homes. It was of no use. They were terrified of atrocities being carried out by the Jews upon them and their families.
