THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 6 Friday, August 21, 1981 The Arab Myth About Deir Yassin BURGLAR ALARMS (Continued from Page 1) Driving back and forth from Jerusalem, I spent NEW COMPUTERIZED many hours in roadside SECURITY EQUIPMENT ditches eluding ambushes from Deir Yassin. The "peaceful little village" about which the Times now wrote had earned a reputa- tion as a base for terrorist attacks on the highway and I NC the outlying settlements. The Times' account about Central Station Monitoring Deir Yassin convinced me that something had been Thousands of satisfied customers "lost in translation." After many discussions with ri e e 4 CALL THE Mordechai Raanan, then Irgun commander in Jerusalem, Nathan MARTY 17534 W. 7 MILE, DETROIT Yelin-Mor, principal Lehi CY LICENSED BY (Stern group) commander, SHEL and with men who partici- MICH. DEPT. 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The A fierce battle ensued. installed themselves in the Arab Village near Every house and garden Arab and British press Jerusalem. On the night of wall served as a position for jumped at the opportunity. One immediate result was April 2, Deir Yassin poured the Arabs; the exposed at- intense fire on the Jewish tackers had to charge each that all hopes for com- suburbs of Beit Hakerem point. If the defenders gave promise with those Palesti- up, they were sent behind nian Arabs who migh' re and Bait Vegan. For the next several the lines; if they did not, the been willing to co-c. _ist with the Hebrew population nights, Hagana and house was bombarded. As the attackers gained were dashed. Irgun troops reconnoi- After Deir Yassin, when tered Deir Yassin. On ground, they found a April 7, the Irgun and number of surprises: among Arab settlements were at- Lehi commanders de- the prisoners were a Mos- tacked, panic often broke cided to occupy the vil- lem colonel from Yugos- out and the inhabitants lage to discourage lavia, "a British sergeant, fled, generally behind the further night attacks and two Iraqi soldiers and other lines of the Arab Legion. Gradually, their land to help secure the high- Englishmen. A store of way to Tel Aviv. The weapons was discovered. and deserted homes were Hagana was not asked to And a further surprise: 30 of settled by some 800,000 join the operation, but its the Arab "women" pris- Jews who had fled their commander had no ob- oners turned out to be men! own homes in Arab coun- In the continuing battle, tries where they had • jections to it. Some 120 men and an Irgun commander was lived since before the women were mobilized for shot by an Arab carrying a time that Islam con- the attack, but only 100 ac- white flag. The attackers quered the Middle East. On April 9, 1955, a former tually participated because continued their advance, always with the' warning: notable of Deir Yassin, of the lack of weapons. The Irgun units were led "Give up! Come out with Ahmed Assad, was quoted in the Jordanian paper El by Yehoshua Goldsmit, a your hands high!" More often than not Urdun as saying: "The Jews native of Givat Shaul, Deir Yassin's frequent target. He they were answered by did not intend to harm the ordered that no one was to heavy gun fire. After inhabitants of Deir Yassin. fire unless absolutely about a dozen houses But they had no choice necessary; no unarmed were dynamited, the in- when they encountered people were to be shot at; no habitants came out more tough resistance and were property was to be de- readily, first the women, fired upon from all sides .. . stroyed. The objective was then the children, then The flight of Arabs from vil- to occupy the village and se- the old men, followed by lages and towns was not a cure the highway. All pris- young men wearing result of the massacre at Deir Yassin, but of the oners would be sent toward khakis. By 2 p.m., most of the vil- exaggerated reports the Arab lines to the east. On Friday, April 9, the at- lage had been taken, though emanating from the Arab tackers made their way in to the end the defenders leadership." Nevertheless, the authors , predawn darkness. At tried deceptions. Men came dawn, they neared the vil- out with hands up, then Collins and LaPierre, in lage, preceded by an ar- suddenly drew their their book "0 Jerusalem mored car equipped with a weapons and began firing. (Simon and Schuster), re- loudspeaker repeating On * Saturday, the house of ported that the Irgun-Lehi warnings in Arabic: "The the village head — fortified practiced "cutting up of lit- Irgun and Lehi are advanc- and stubbornly defended — tle children." When I quoted ing. Run towards Ein was taken. this to men who had partici- David Shalteil, the pated in the attack, they Kerem or seek shelter below the village. We are here to Hagana commander, had said it reminded them of the expel the foreign forces in met with the Irgun com- blood-libel of the Middle mander, Mordechai Ages. your village." A nine-page document ti- Raanan, on Friday after- noon and they agreed that tled "Deir Yassin," pub- the village would be occu- lished by the government of pied by the Hagana. On Israel's Foreign Affairs Monday morning, a unit of Ministry on March 16, 1969, Gadna, the paramilitary gave a version of the events youth branch of the almost identical with the Hagana, entered the vil- Irgun and Lehi reports. It lage. The Lehi unit left. concluded that, "They (the Irgun-Lehi had lost five attackers) had no possibil- men and 44 had been ity of knowing beforehand wounded. The Arabs had whether any civilians were lost 220 people. left in the village, after the As early as Sunday evacuation of 200 before the morning, there were fighting began. This was no rumors in Jerusalem that massacre of an unarmed, the Irgun-Lehi had corn- peaceful village population mitted atrocities. A Red- by a military unit as ) Cross representative propaganda pretends. asked for permission to Irgun fought and won a visit Deir Yassin and the battle; there was no after- Lehi commander un- math of outrage or brutal hesitatingly granted his excess." request. Accompanied by H ousing Project two Jewish doctors, the CLEVELAND (JTA) — representative inspected Officials of a housing re- the village. His filial comment was: "Some habilitation project of the people were killed by Cleveland Jewish Commu- Evergreen explosives, others by nity Federation have an- gunfire." He made no nounced plans to buy two- Plaza mention of "atrocities" family structures in the and promised a written area and sell them as single family units. confirmation. AUGUST SPECIAL SUNDAY AND MONDAY ONLY 3 for 2 Take Home 3 Movies Pay For Only 2 '9 with membership '35 year OPEN 7 DAYS 569- 2330 VIDEO PLUS 19739 W. 12 Mile, Southfield "