History Deir Yassin

1 history

1.1 ottoman rule
1.2 british mandate period
1.3 april 1948 invasion
1.4 post-1948

history

the first part of village s name deir defined monastery in arabic. according palestinian historian walid khalidi, common occurrence in palestinian village names close jerusalem. large ruin lay @ southwestern edge of deir yassin known deir .

deir yassin has been identified 1 of villages given fief church of holy sepulchre in 12th century, , has been suggested vaulted building in center of village have been of crusader or mamluk origin.

ottoman rule

during ottoman era, began in 1517, nucleus of settlement activity in area khirbet ayn al-tut ( ruin of mulberry spring )—some 500 meters (1,600 ft) west of 1948 village site. in 1596, village under administration of nahiya (subdistrict) of jerusalem, part of sanjak (district) of jerusalem. paid taxes on wheat, barley, , olive trees.

the inauguration of hospital in deir yassin, 1914

it unknown precisely when settlement shifted deir yassin. village named in honor of sheikh yassin tomb in mosque located outside village. edward robinson noted village in 1838, , 1870, ottoman village list indicated 13 houses , population of 48, though list counted men. in 1896 population of der jasin estimated 138 persons.

in late 19th century, houses of deir yassin built of stone. 2 springs—one located in north , in south—supplied water village. of houses, built thick walls, clustered in small area known hara meaning quarter or neighborhood . residents muslims. in 1906, jewish suburb of jerusalem, givat shaul, built across valley deir yassin. secondary road linking village jerusalem , road jaffa ran through suburb.

british mandate period

deir yassin in 1930s

during world war i, ottomans fortified hilltop of deir yassin part of defense system of jerusalem, on december 8, 1917, these fortifications stormed allied forces under edmund allenby. following day jerusalem fell british. until 1920s, deir yassin s inhabitants depended on agriculture , livestock income, extensive building projects in jerusalem in british mandate period transformed basis of economy.

deir yassin s prospered mining, main source of employment. rich vein of hard yellow limestone, known mizi yahudi prized resistance rigors of jerusalem s climate. quarry (hajar yasinik or yasin s stone ) supplied jerusalem market, , wealth allowed village develop spacious housing, 2 elementary schools , mosques. late 1940s, there 4 stone crushers functioning in village. business encouraged wealthier inhabitants invest in trucking while others became truck drivers. in 1935, local bus company established in joint venture neighboring arab village of lifta. deir yassin prospered, houses radiated hara uphill , eastward, towards jerusalem.

family deir yassin, 1927.

in days of british mandate, deir yassin had no school of own , children attended school @ lifta or in qalunya. 1943, 2 elementary schools built—one boys , 1 girls. girls school had resident headmistress jerusalem. @ time, deir yassin had bakery, 2 guesthouses, , social club—the renaissance club , thrift fund, 3 shops, 4 wells , second mosque built mahmud salah, affluent resident. many inhabitants employed outside village in nearby british army camps waiters, carpenters, , foremen; others clerks , teachers in mandatory civil service. time, no more 15% of population engaged in agriculture.

relations between deir yassin , jewish neighbors had started reasonably under ottomans, particularly on when arabic-speaking sephardic yemenite jews comprised of surrounding population. relations rapidly deteriorated growth of zionism in palestine , reached apex during arab revolt in 1936-1939. relations picked again during economic boom years of full employment of world war ii. thus, in 1948, deir yassin prosperous, expanding village @ relative peace jewish neighbors whom business done.

april 1948 invasion

when hostilities erupted in 1948, villagers of deir yassin , of nearby jewish village of giv @ shaul signed pact, later approved @ haganah headquarters, maintain relations, exchange information on movement of outsiders through village territory, , ensure safety of vehicles village. inhabitants of deir yassin upheld agreement scrupulously, resisting infiltration arab irregulars. though known irgun , lehi forces, attacked village on april 9, 1948. assault beaten off initially, attackers suffering 40 wounded. intervention of palmach unit, using mortars, allowed them conquer village. houses blown people inside , people shot: 107 villagers, including women , children, killed. survivors loaded on trucks driven through jerusalem in victory parade, sources describing further violence lehi soldiers. 4 irgun or lehi men killed. incident became known deir yassin massacre.

on april 10, 1948, 1 day after deir yassin massacre, albert einstein wrote critical letter american friends of fighters freedom of israel (the u.s chapter of stern gang) refusing assist them aid or support raise money cause in palestine. on december 2, 1948, many prominent american jews signed , published op-ed article in new york times critical of menachem begin , massacre @ deir yassin.

post-1948

following war, area incorporated state of israel. year later, jewish neighborhood of givat shaul bet built on deir yassin s land, despite israeli scholars protests prime minister david ben-gurion. in 1951, kfar shaul mental health center built within village itsef, using abandoned village buildings themselves. in 1980, remaining ruins of village bulldozed clear ground new orthodox jewish neighborhoods. in 1980s, of deir yassin cemetery bulldozed , new highway givat shaul bet paved in place.

the villages houses , school used kfar shaul mental health center, israeli public psychiatric hospital.

in 1992, palestinian historian walid khalidi wrote:

many of village houses on hill still standing , have been incorporated israeli hospital mentally ill established on site. houses outside fence of hospital grounds used residential , commercial purposes, or warehouses. outside fence, there carob , almond trees , stumps of olive trees. several wells located @ southwestern edge of site. old village cemetery, southeast of site, unkempt , threatened debris ring road has been constructed around village hill. 1 tall cypress tree still stands @ center of cemetery.

the killings @ deir yassin regarded 1 of 2 pivotal events led exodus of around 700,000 palestinians towns , villages in 1948, along defeat of palestinians in haifa. news of killings, amplified arab media broadcasts of atrocity, triggered fear , panic among palestinians, in turn increasingly evacuated homes.