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We stand united as the indigenous people of Palestine, determined to preserve our collective memory and to remind the world that no event can be detached from its historical roots. Denying the truth and parroting sanitized narratives only serve to embolden oppression, obscure reality, falsify history, and blind the global conscience
timesheadline.in
In a press statement issued on April 9, 2025, the Embassy of State of Palestine in Delhi has stated the following:
Every year on April 9, we, the Palestinian people, commemorate the tragic anniversary of the Deir Yassin Massacre, a dark chapter in our history that marked a turning point in the Palestinian Nakba (‘catastrophe’) of 1948, representing the ethnic cleansing that forced over 950,000 Palestinians to flee or be expelled from their homes in 1948.
On the morning of April 9, 1948—approximately one month before the establishment of the State of Israel—the peaceful village of Deir Yassin, located west of Jerusalem and home to around 750 residents, came under a brutal and unprovoked attack. The assault was carried out by Khazarian Jewish terrorist military gangs, Irgun and Lehi (also known as the Stern Gang), led by Menachem Begin, then commander of Irgun, and later, Prime Minister of Israel (1977–1983). He was designated as a wanted terrorist by the British Mandate authorities between 1944 and 1948.
Deir Yassin had signed a non-aggression pact with its Jewish neighbours—a fact that makes the attack even more horrific. The villagers—men, women, children, and the elderly—were assaulted with modern rifles, grenades and mortars.
The massacre resulted in the deaths of up to 250 Palestinians and included heinous crimes such as summary executions, mutilation of corpses, and sexual assaults. Some villagers were paraded through West Jerusalem in so-called ‘victory marches’ before being executed, as documented by survivor testimonies and international observers, including the International Red Cross.
Notably, even Israeli historians such as Benny Morris and Ilan Pappé have written extensively about Deir Yassin in the context of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. In stark contrast, Menachem Begin, then commander of Irgun, who was then considered the most prominent terrorist wanted by the British Mandate authorities between 1944 and 1948, openly boasted about the massacre in his 1950 book, The Revolt: Story of the Irgun, stating: “The legend of Deir Yassin helped us in particular in saving Jerusalem. The Arabs began fleeing in terror, shouting ‘Deir Yassin’. Arabs throughout the country were seized with limitless panic and started to flee for their lives.”
We stand united as the indigenous people of Palestine, determined to preserve our collective memory and to remind the world that no event can be detached from its historical roots. Denying the truth and parroting sanitized narratives only serve to embolden oppression, obscure reality, falsify history, and blind the global conscience.
On this solemn occasion, we call upon the international community and all free voices to recognize and acknowledge the historical truths that shaped today’s ongoing Israeli genocidal war.
We will always remember Deir Yassin—not only to mourn, but to reaffirm our right to truth, justice, and return.