1952 Beit Jala raid

The Beit Jala reprisal raid was an Israeli attack on Beit Jala, an Arab town on the border between Jordan and Israel (today part of the Palestinian territories) on January 6, 1952. Seven Palestinian Arab civilians were killed in the attack. Based on leaflets dropped at the site it was presumed to be revenge for the rape and murder of a Jewish girl by infiltrators from Beit Jala

Background

In 1949-1953, there were 99 complaints made by Israel about the infiltration of armed groups or individuals and 30 complaints of armed Jordanian units crossing into Israeli territory. Jordan complained of 5 armed groups or individuals infiltrating and 162 of armed Israeli units crossing into Jordanian territory. [http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/017eefb458011c9d05256722005e5499!OpenDocument UN DOC S/PV 630 of 27 October 1953] ]

Investigation

Major Hutchison investigated the Jordanian complaint of a violation of the General Armistice agreement at Beit Jala on behalf of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO). Israel denied her involvement and J.E. Chadwick, a diplomat at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, thought it had been the work of Israeli vigilantes. Hutchison reported that the demolition charges had Israeli markings and machine-guns were used. Benny Morris concludes that the raid was carried out by an IDF platoon.

Reactions

The United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation issued a condemnation to Israel for the "serious breach of the General Armistice Agreement" in the Beit Jala reprisal raid.Israel denied IDF involvement in the raid, and abstained from voting while Jordan and the MAC chairman condemned Israel.The chief of the Arab Legion, John Bagot Glubb, stated that the Israelis had a psychological need to bully their weaker neighborsThe British Embassy in Tel Aviv called the raids "simple reprisals, designed to make Arab infiltration unpopular in the Arab villages". The ambassador compared Israeli/IDF raids with British reprisals against Egyptians in the Suez Canal area.

ee also

* Qibya massacre
* Israel's Border Wars 1949-1956 (book)

References