The origins of Israeli extremism.
The origins of Israeli extremism. On the morning of April 9, 1948, Irgun and Lehi forces entered the village of Deir Yassin from different directions. The Zionist militants massacred Palestinian Arab villagers, including women and children, using firearms and hand grenades, as they emptied the village of its residents house by house. The Haganah, armed Zionist groups illegal under the British mandate, directly supported the operation, providing ammunition and covering fire, and two Palmach squads entered the village as reinforcement. A number of villagers were taken captive and paraded on the backs of trucks through West Jerusalem, where they were jeered at, spat upon, stoned, and eventually murdered. In addition to the killing and widespread looting, there were cases of mutilation and rape. By the end of the operation all of the villagers had been expelled and the Haganah took control of the village. The death toll has been researched as around 110, with the number of wounded estimate...