In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Israeli Perpetrators Of 1948 Massacre Of Palestinians Must Face Justice Washington, DC (February 1, 2000)- American Muslims for Jerusalem today insisted that US authorities assist international groups in bringing to justice those responsible for crimes against humanity in the Palestinian village of Tantura. The call came following revelations concerning the massacre of up to 200 Palestinians by Israeli forces in 1948. "Just like those who perpetrate crimes against humanity in Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo are being brought before international courts, those who murdered the residents of Tantura should see a courtroom An academic paper written at the University of Haifa has recently confirmed details of the Tantura massacre. Teddy Katz, the paper's author, interviewed survivors and Israeli soldiers who were present at the massacre. Katz reports that on May 15, 1948 elements of the Israeli Alexandroni Brigade took villagers and executed them in small groups in the village cemetery. According to a survivor the killings continued until a Jew from a nearby settlement threatened to "shoot himself unless the soldiers stopped the executions." (Reuters, 1/19/00) The village was later razed "to make way for a parking lot for a nearby beach and the Nahsholim kibbutz?" (Reuters, 1/19/00) A member of the Israeli Parliament has called on the government to "take responsibility for what has happened and compensate the (families of) victims of all massacres." (AFP, 1/23/00) "These massacres were designed to inspire fear in the residents of Palestinian villages. They worked, causing many to flee from the threat of indiscriminate slaughter," says Turaani. "To this day these people, their children and grandchildren have not been permitted to return to their land." A United Nations Resolution was passed on Dec. 11, 1948 calling for the repatriation and compensation by Israel of Palestinian refugees. To this day Israel has failed to honor this resolution. Today there are more than 3 million Palestinian refugees. American Muslims for Jerusalem 208 G Street NE Suite 100 Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 548-4200 Fax: (202) 548-4201 E-mail: [log in to unmask] WWW: http://www.amjerusalem.org >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------