Al-Faluja

Infobox Former Arab villages in Palestine
name=al-Faluja


imgsize=250
caption=Arab civilians and Israeli soldiers in al-Faluja after the Israel Defense Forces forces entered the village, 1949
arname=الفالوجة
meaning=
altSp=al-Faluga
district=gz
population=4,670
popyear=1945
area=37,085
areakm=37.1
cause=E
curlocl=Kiryat Gat
date=Feb-March 1949

al-Faluja was an Arab village in the British Mandate Palestine, located 30 kilometers northeast of Gaza City. The village and the neighbouring village of Iraq al-Manshiyya formed part of the Faluja pocket, where 4,000 Egyptian troops were besieged for four months by the newly established Israel Defense Forces. The 1949 Armistice Agreements allowed for a peaceful transfer of the pocket to Israeli control, and the return of Egyptian troops to Gaza.Cite book|title=Carta's Atlas of Israel - The First Years 1948-1961|year=1978|location=Jerusalem, Israel|publisher=Carta|editor=ed. Nur, Eviatar] Following the agreements, the Arab residents of the pocket slowly left their homes. The Israeli town of Kiryat Gat, as well as the moshav Revaha, border the site of the former town.

History

1948 Arab-Israeli war

A battle between an armored Jewish supply convoy and villagers in al-Faluja on 14 March 1948 left thirty-seven Arabs and seven Jews dead, as well as scores of Arabs and four Jews wounded. Israeli sources at the time told the "New York Times" that the convoy, protected by armored cars of the Haganah, "had to fight its way through the village." A Haganah demolition squad returned later in the day and blew up ten houses in the village, including the town hall. ["37 Arabs, 7 Jews Reported Killed in Palestine Fight: Haganah Armored Cars, Aiding Supply Unit, Said to Have Pushed Through Village," "The New York Times", March 15, 1948, page A1.] According to Palestinian sources, the village had been attacked the month before, on 24 February. [ [http://www.jerusalemiloveyou.net/spip.php?article51 Alfalouja text of "All that Remains" by Professor Walid Khalidi ] , Institute for Palestine Studies (November 1992). Accessed July 4, 2007.]

Egyptian forces crossed into the former mandate on 15 May 1948 and a column of them were stopped by the Israelis near Ashdod. This column retreated to and encamped at al-Faluja and Iraq al-Manshiyya, the so-called Faluja pocket. Between late October 1948 and late February 1949 some 4,000 Egyptian troops were encircled here by Israeli forces.

Armistice agreement

Under the terms of the February 4, 1949 Israel–Egypt Armistice Agreement, the surrounded Egyptian forces (including future Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser) were allowed to evacuate, and the area was transferred to Israeli control. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/07/08/BU162036.DTL Intel chip plant located on disputed Israeli land] "San Francisco Chronicle". July 8, 2002. Accessed 26th June 2007.] This agreement (uniquely to the two villages), guaranteed the safety and property of the 3,140 Arab civilians (over 2,000 locals, plus refugees from other villages). The agreement, and a further exchange of letters filed with the United Nations, stated ".... those of the civilian population who may wish to remain in al-Faluja and Iraq al-Manshiya are to be permitted to do so. ... All of these civilians shall be fully secure in their persons, abodes, property and personal effects." [Israel State Archives, Documents Vol. III, 702-703, as cited by Morris, Benny - "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1949", (Cambridge University Press, 1989) - p.522.]

Post-armistice events

Few civilians left when the Egyptian brigade withdrew on 26 February 1949 but Israel promptly violated the armistice agreement and began to intimidate the populace into flight. United Nations observers reported to UN mediator Ralph Bunche that the intimidation included beatings, robberies, and attempted rape. [Bunche to Shiloah, 4 Mar. 1949, Israel State Archives FM 24311. Cited by Morris, Benny - "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited", (Cambridge University Press, 2004) p. 522.] Quaker observers bore witness to the beatings "Jane Smith (one of the Quaker party) has bandaged six men. The worst case was a man with two bloody eyes, a torn ear, and a face pounded until it was blue ... A young Arab told me: 'We could not sleep last night because of much shooting and because the Israeli soldiers came into the homes and tried to "make into" the Arab women.'". ['Visit of the Quaker team to Faluja 26 February to Mar 6th, Reported by Ray Hartsough ... AFSCA - Foreign Service 1949, Palestinians - Faluja. Cited by Morris, Benny Ibid p. 522.] On 3 March they wrote that at "Iraq al Manshiya, the acting mukhtar or mayor told them that 'the people had been much molested by the frequent shooting, by being told that they would be killed if they did not go to Hebron, and by the Jews breaking into their homes and stealing things".

Moshe Sharett (Israeli Foreign Minister) was very concerned at the international repercussions, especially the possible effect on Israeli-Egyptian relations. He was angry at the actions of the IDF, carried out without Cabinet authorization and behind his back and was not easily appeased. He used most uncharacteristic language "The IDF's actions" threw into question "our sincerity as a party to an international agreement ... One may assume that Egypt in this matter will display special sensitivity as her forces saw themselves as responsible for the fate of these civilian inhabitants. There are also grounds to fear that any attack by us on the people of these two villages may be reflected in the attitude of the Cairo Government toward the Jews of Egypt". Sharett pointed out that Israel was seeking membership of the United Nations, and was encountering difficulties "over the question of our responsibility for the Arab refugee problem. We argue that we are not responsible ... From this perspective, the sincerity of our professions is tested by our behavior in these villages ... Every intentional pressure aimed at uprooting [these Arabs] is tantamount to a planned act of eviction on our part".

Sharett also protested that the IDF were carrying out a covert "'whispering propaganda' campaign among the Arabs, threatening them with attacks and acts of vengeance by the army, which the civilian authorities will be powerless to prevent. This whispering propaganda (ta'amulat lahash) is not being done of itself. There is no doubt that here there is a calculated action aimed at increasing the number of those going to the Hebron Hills as if of their own free will, and, if possible, to bring about the evacuation of the whole civilian population of [the pocket] ". He also referred to the army's actions as "'an unauthorized initiative by the local command in a matter relating to Israeli government policy'". [Sharett to Dori, 6 Mar. 1949, Israel State Archives FM 24257. Cited by Morris, Benny Ibid p. 523.] Allon admitted (to Yadin) only that his troops had "beaten three Arabs ... There is no truth to the observers' announcement about abuse/cruelty [hit'alelut] , etc. I investigated this personally." [Allon to OC General Staff Division, 5 Mar. 1949, IDFA 104670\\434. Cited by Morris, Benny Ibid p. 523/4.]

Morris further writes that the decision to cleanse the "Faluja pocket" population was probably approved by Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion, [Entry for 28 February 1949, Weitz, Diary, IV, 15; and Y Berdichevsky to Machnes, 3 Mar 1949, ISA MAM 29760. Cited by Morris, Benny Ibid p. 524] that the last civilians left on 22 April, and the order to demolish these (and a string of other) villages was made 5 days later by Rabin. [Rabin to 3rd Brigade, 26 April 1949, IDFA 97951\\17. Cited by Morris, Benny Ibid p. 524.] See also the "San Francisco Chronicle" [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/07/08/BU162036.DTL Intel chip plant located on disputed Israeli land] "San Francisco Chronicle". July 8, 2002. Accessed 26th June 2007.] which questions whether due diligence was applied to the land on which the chip plant was built.

ee also

*Operation Yoav

References