| The Massacre at Tantura May 15, 1948 |
| Below are transcriptions of interviews with Palestinian survivors of Tantura and Israeli soldiers involved in the Massacre. The interviews were conducted as part of a master's thesis paper by an Israeli graduate student, Teddy Katz. Dan Vitkon, a soldier in Alexandroni Vitkon: In Tantura, someone who later was a big shot in the Israeli Ministry of Defense was an officer in Tantura, and he killed with his own pistol, one Arab after the other, because they did not disclose where they hid their weapons. . . . He shot them one after the other in his Parabelum and he killed there [the name and identifying details are given]. Yosef Graf, a guide from Yaacov Zichron who accompanied the units Graf: The Arabs raised the white flags, the kuffiyya, the hatta. . . . Katz: Wait a minute. There was no battle going on? Graf: Before that, there were clashes, sure. Skirmishes. Our guys had taken cover and shot back at the Arabs who then raised the white flags. . . . I called to our guys: "Don't advance!" They did not heed and were shot at, and then they [the soldiers] assaulted and killed them all. Katz: That is, in response to the shooting at them, they stormed? Graf: Yes. And killed almost everyone. Katz: How many, roughly? You remember a figure--twenty, fifty? Graf: No. I think they counted in the end 140 or 150, all young men. Katz: Were these people killed in the battle? Graf: While occupying the village, there were many dead who were shot while staying in their homes in the village. Katz: After the surrender, actually? Graf: There was no surrender. It was occupation. [Later in the conversation] Graf: I am telling you these [Alexandroni] people, they massacred. Katz: In an amok attack? Graf: Yes. Salih `Abd al-Rahman (Abu Mashayiff), from Tantura Katz: How were people killed in Tantura? Abu Mashayiff: There was fighting between them. In the end, they caught them on the coast, in Tantura, and took them near a huge building and killed them like this. Katz: Which building? Abu Mashayiff: Houses near the coast. The sea was next to the village. Katz: Killed them after they surrendered? Abu Mashayiff: After they had caught them. Katz: How many, roughly? Abu Mashayiff: Eighty-five. Katz: You were there and saw it with your own eyes? Abu Mashayiff: Yes. Katz: How did it go? Only eighty-five were standing there, or the whole village was standing there? Abu Mashayiff: No. Eighty-five stood. You know how it works. They came to the villagers as a whole who were all seated on the beach, and on the spot they said to this one and that one: "Get up! You, you. . . ." Katz: According to what? Abu Mashayiff: They had names. [Later in the conversation] Katz: Shimshon Mashvitz stopped killing after he was stopped by Rehavia Altshuler? Abu Mashayiff: Yes. He agreed after he had killed eighty-five people. Katz: He alone killed eighty-five people? Abu Mashayiff: Yes. Katz: What was he using? Abu Mashayiff: A Sten. He killed them. They stood next to the wall, facing the wall, he came from the back and killed them all, shooting them in the head. Katz: Every time he placed several of them next to the wall? Abu Mashayiff: Yes. Katz: Groups of eight, five--how many? Abu Mashayiff: Every group twenty or thirty people. [Later in the conversation] Abu Mashayiff: Twice or three times he changed magazines. Katz: That is, one bullet per person? Abu Mashayiff: Yes. [Later in the conversation] Katz: How far where you from there? Abu Mashayiff: Let's say, thirty meters. Tuvia Lishansky, a senior intelligence officer Katz: How many soldiers did you encounter? Lishansky: Units of five or six soldiers. Katz: That roamed the streets and killed anyone they saw? Lishansky: Yes, yes. Katz: And this is why? Lishansky: Because they lost eight soldiers in the battle, and during the fighting they decided to execute. Katz: How many were executed? Lishansky: Not too many. [Later in the conversation] Katz: What was your impression of what had happened in the streets and the houses--how many died there? Lishansky: Quite a lot, but I cannot tell you. The soldiers, after losing comrades, were rampaging, dropping to the ground everything. They were crazy, leaving havoc and destruction behind them. Katz: And this is all because of the eight [soldiers] dead? Lishansky: Yes. Look, they were not used to losing so many dead on our side. In most of the battles they did not encounter much resistance and the Arabs would run or surrender. [Later in the conversation] Katz: From your experience, you know of such things [executions] in other places? Lishansky: Yes, of course. Katz: That people came, took people according to lists, and killed them on the spot? Lishansky: Absolutely. I remember, there or in Jisr al-Zarqa, that for instance we caught someone suspected of killing a Jewish guard, and he was brought to Zichron police, was convicted, and I do not remember exactly what happened to him, but he was wasted. Katz: But here I am talking about many people, taken according to lists and killed on the spot. . . . Lishansky: Yes, yes. We knew about these things. For instance, there were two from Jisr al-Zarqa. . . . Katz: But here we are talking about larger numbers. Lishansky: Yes, I am just giving an example from Jisr. Mordechai Sokoler, a guide from Zichron accompanying the units Katz: The battle was over. The women, children, and old men stayed in the place. For how long? Sokoler: A day or two. After they were transferred. Katz: With all the bodies? Sokoler: With the bodies for two days. Then I brought people from Furaydis and buried them. Katz: It means that the family members stayed in the village. . . . Sokoler: Another day or two. Katz: With all the bodies? Sokoler: Yes, yes. [Later in the conversation] Katz: How many people of Tantura surrendered with their hands over their head? Sokoler: Two hundred and thirty. Katz: Two hundred and thirty--is that an accurate number? You counted them? Sokoler: No, I evaluated them, but after they were killed, we counted them. Katz: And how many were there? Sokoler: The same number. Katz: Two hundred and thirty? Sokoler: Yes. Katz: How many were killed in the battle? Sokoler: They were all killed in the battle. The sniper hit one of the soldiers in the leg, shooting began. And then they were killed, all hell broke out. They did not know who was shooting. Katz: For killing 230 people, it takes time. Sokoler: [Laughing] They were concentrated in one spot. [Later in the conversation] Katz: So you have counted and reached 230? Sokoler: Yes. Katz: From this you say only a few, maybe ten were killed in the battlefield? Sokoler: Only ten [gives the names of the people of Tantura he knew who died in the battle]. [Later in the conversation] Katz: The only question I still have is about where you personally were, so that I can know what you saw with your own eyes. Sokoler: The worst things I didn't see. I had not seen the end of the battle. I left the place. All and all, I was there one day and a half, mainly busy with burying. Katz: You were involved personally with the burial... Sokoler: I and Arabs from Furaydis laid [in the grave] one Arab after the other, closed their eyes with the hatta, row on top of row, and that was it. Katz: I understand that only their eyes and heads were covered [with the kuffiyyeh]. Sokoler: Only the heads, we buried them with their clothing and all... Katz: And this was two days after the fighting. Sokoler: After eight days, I came back to the place where we buried them, near the railway. There was a big mound, for the bodies had inflated. After two or three days, the mound had gone down. Katz: Two or three days later? Sokoler: Yes. Katz: I understand that later they added soil and spread it over the graves. Sokoler: This I do not know. Ali `Abd al-Rahman Dekansh (Abu Fihmi), from Tantura Abu Fihmi: They entered the village, stood us in a row next to the beach, positioned a Bren [a submachine gun] from here and from there, and brought our boats, twelve in number, in order to shoot us. . . . Then came these three people from Zichron Yaacov who said "Why are you doing this? Why are you killing people? They [the soldiers] said to them "These are Iraqis and Syrians." They [the people from Zichron] said, "These are the people of Tantura, and in the summer we visit them. They give us their houses, and they sleep outside. We spend the summer here. Why are you doing this?" So they made us sit [and stopped the shooting]. [Later in the conversation] Abu Fihmi: Shimshon Mashvitz gave me two notebooks and two pencils, gave me ten people and two stretchers to pick up the dead from the streets and take them to our graveyard. He told me to write down the names of all of them. He asked me, "Are you a native here?" And I said "This is my village, and this is my house"--our house was near the harbor. . . . I wrote down ninety-five men and two women. [Later in the conversation] Abu Fihmi: The person who was with me knew Hebrew. He overheard them saying that after they [the diggers] finish the first mass grave, let them dig another one and kill them and put them in it [an action ended by the arrival of people from Zichron Yaacov]. [Later in the conversation] Katz: You told us that you surrendered. What does it mean? Abu Fihmi: We raised the white flag. Katz: Alright, and afterwards they killed, after you raised your hands. How many did they kill? Abu Fihmi: We have not seen, they collected us together. Katz: Roughly how many? Abu Fihmi: According to the announcement made by their army, they said they had killed two hundred and fifty. Katz: This is all in all. But how many were killed after you raised your hands? Two, four, how many? Abu Fihmi: This I cannot tell you. Katz: Roughly? Abu Fihmi: This I do not know. Katz: Did you count them? Many or few? Abu Fihmi: I am telling you their military announcement said they have killed two hundreds and fifty. It is a war military announcement, it was broadcast. Najiah Abu Amr, from Tantura Katz: What do you remember from the day of the occupation? Abu Amr: They entered the village and killed people. They entered from all directions and killed the guards who watched the village and then collected us and took us from the center of the village toward the east. Katz: On the beach? Abu Amr: Yes. First to the beach. Katz: How long were you there? Abu Amr: From 0500 to 1400 on the beach. Katz: All the women? Abu Amr: All the men and the women, and they were separated. Women on one side, men on the other. And then they took us near the graveyard, brought buses, and took the women and children out of the village. Katz: What time was this? Abu Amr: 1500. Katz: On the way to the graveyard, what did you see? Abu Amr: Corpses of the dead [begins to list names]. Katz: Did you see men or women? Abu Amr: I saw one woman killed, and four or five other corpses [gives names]. Katz: But did you see from afar other bodies? Abu Amr: I have not seen with my own eyes, but I was told there were many dead and that they brought people from Furaydis to bury them [gives names]. But I have not seen them, I was told about them. Katz: For instance, did you know that the Abu Safiyya family was murdered? How many were they? Abu Amr: There were [gives ten names of members of the family]. These ten names I remember, but there were thirteen of this family. They were all murdered at the prime of their youth. Katz: Do you know how many dead were there? Abu Amr: I know that many people were killed, but I do not know how many. I estimate that there were about 100 dead [again begins listing names]. There were so many dead in this village, between 100 and 150. . . . Katz: When you reached the graveyard, what did you see? Abu Amr: I saw the soldiers trying to harass the women, but they were pushed away by the women. And when they saw the women not succumbing, they stopped. When we were on the beach, they took two women and try to undress them, claiming they have to check their bodies. They took a lot of gold from the women. I also saw them tying one young man, Salim Abu Shaqr, and killing him in the house of Ihsan al-`Abd. Katz: I want to understand this. They took him with his hands tied behind his back? Abu Amr: No. They took him from within the groups of the young men, tied him with his jacket, and took him to a faraway house and shot him. Katz: Why? Abu Amr: They claimed that he brought weapons into the village. People informed on him. He was very unlucky. His wife, Hayat, is my aunt, a sister of my mother. Fawzi Mahmoud Tanj (Abu Khalid), from Tantura Katz: And what happened on the beach? Abu Khalid: They took a group of seven to ten young men, each time, took them to the streets and shot them. Katz: Only the young men? Abu Khalid: Yes. Katz: Where did it happen? On the beach? Abu Khalid: No. They took them to the village. Katz: They took seven and killed them? Abu Khalid: Yes. They shot them and came to take another group. [Later in the conversation] Katz: How many times they did it? Abu Khalid: They killed ninety people. Katz: It means they came and took ten times? Abu Khalid: Yes. Katz: How many soldiers came? Abu Khalid: Many soldiers. Katz: But with each group? Abu Khalid: Ten to twelve. Katz: The same soldiers? Abu Khalid: No, each group took a group. Katz: And the village is watching? Abu Khalid: Yes, and then they took the men away to the graveyard. Katz: And, tell me, how the people of Zichron stopped it. Abu Khalid: Wait a minute, I will get there. They brought us to the graveyard. Katz: That is, those who remained? And you saw . . . Abu Khalid: We saw the bodies. Katz: After killing ninety, they took those who remained? Abu Khalid: Yes, to the graveyard. Katz: And what happened there? Abu Khalid: They took us there, seated us, aimed the weapons at us, and wanted to kill us. [Then] the people of Zichron came and said, "These don't [kill]. You have killed enough." [Later in the conversation] Katz: Were you present in the digging? Abu Khalid: Yes. Katz: The same day? Abu Khalid: The same day they took them and dug a big hole. Katz: How many were killed in the battle itself? Abu Khalid: Four or five. Mustafa Masri (Abu Jamil), from Tantura Katz: After they occupied the village? Abu Jamil: An officer took the family--we were fourteen people--and started counting us. [He] says to me, "Come here." "What do you want?" I ask. "You sit with the kids." [Abu Jamil was thirteen at the time.] I said OK. He began questioning each young man: "Were you in the war?" This and that said no. I and the [other] person who was released, we walked twenty meters, and then he kills my father and the whole family. Katz: This person knew your father from before? Abu Jamil: No, the person who knew my father handed him to another person. I said to the person we knew, "We know you. We know your wife, your children. You know my father. How could you do this?" He says to me, "In the war, I do not recognize anyone." Katz: In fact, he saved you and another one? Abu Jamil: But they killed fourteen members of my family. Katz: You were the youngest? Abu Jamil: Yes. Katz: So it was our luck you were thirteen? Abu Jamil: No, it was from God. He also killed an old man, I think he was 100. And he killed someone seventeen years old--every man and his fate. Katz: It means you left, and then heard the shooting? Abu Jamil: No, we were close. Fifteen meters, no more. I said to him, "Why did you do it?" He said to me, "I was told to kill them. What can you do in a war?" [Later in the conversation] Abu Jamil: There was a senior officer from Givat Ada, but not in the army. Katz: You remember his name? I was told something like Shimshon. Abu Jamil: Yes, Shimshon. Katz: Shimshon what? Abu Jamil: I do not remember. After he took them, he shot them directly in the eyes. Then he took two, he had such a whip, and lashed them just for fun. . . . [Toward the end of the conversation] Abu Jamil: But believe me, one should not mention these things. I do not want them to take revenge on us, you are going to cause us trouble. I made a mistake in giving you the name of the person who handed my family over. . . . Katz interviewed a total of 20 Jews and 20 Arabs for his research. Since his research, four documents were extracted from the IDF archives. One was a report mentioning twenty Palestinians killed in the battle, followed by a report a week later from IDF headquarters complaining that the unburied corpses in the village could lead to the spread of epidemics and typhoid. In the third document, the Israeli general chief of staff inquired about reports that had reached him "about irregularities in Tantura" and received the response that "overenthusiasm because of the victory" had led to some damage inflicted "immediately after our people entered the place." Finally, a document from the Alexandroni Brigade to IDF headquarters in June notes: "We have tended to the mass grave, and everything is in order." More at: http://www.palestineremembered.com/Haifa/al-Tantura/ |