Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
22 May
معسكرات العمل القسرية في إسرائيل 1948-55
22 مايو
"في ليلة 22/23 مايو 1948 هاجم اليهود من ثلاث جهات ونزلوا في قوارب من شاطئ البحر. قاومنا في الشوارع والمنازل وفي الصباح شوهدت الجثث في كل مكان. لن أنسى هذا اليوم طوال حياتي. اذ جمع اليهود كل النساء والأطفال في مكان كانوا قد ألقوا فيه كل الجثث ليرون أزواجهن وآبائهم وإخوتهم القتلى وليرهبونهم، لكنهم ظلوا هادئين ". شهادة مروان عقاب اليحيى ، أحد الناجين من مجزرة قرية الصيد الفلسطينية جنوب حيفا ، الذي تابع ليصف النظام في معسكرات العمل القسرية الإسرائيلية ، معسكرات الاعتقال التي كانت تعمل من عام 1948 حتى عام 1955.
"There we were taken to a concentration camp and from there to forced labor. We had to cut and carry stones all day [in a quarry]. Our daily food was only one potato in the morning and half dried fish at night. They beat anyone who disobeyed orders. After 15 days they moved 150 men to another camp. I was one of them. It was a shock for me to leave my two brothers behind. As we left the others, we were lined up and ordered to strip naked. To us this is most degrading. We refused. Shots were fired at us. Our names were read, we had to respond 'Sir' or else. We were moved to a new camp in Ijlil village. There we were put immediately to forced labor which consisted of moving stones from Arab demolished houses. We remained without food for 2 days, then they gave us each a dry piece of bread...etc. One day an English speaking officer announced that we shall be treated as POW and Geneva convention was to apply. We were elated. Next our treatment was improved a little...etc. Five months later we were moved again back to the first camp...[.....]. Two months later, 20 people escaped. I was one of those who remained. Next morning, when the escape was discovered, they put Tantoura people in a cage, poured oil on our clothes and took away our blankets. We were then moved from one camp to another.
One Palestinian survivor of an Israeli round up for forced labour, Moussa, described what he witnessed at the time.
“They took us from all villages around us: al-Bi’na, Deir al-Asad, Nahaf, al-Rama, and Eilabun. They took 4 young men and shot them dead…They drove us on foot. It was hot. We were not allowed to drink. They took us to [the Palestinian Druze village] al-Maghar, then [to the Jewish settlement] Nahalal, then to Atlit.”
A November 16, 1948 UN report collaborated Moussa’s account, stating that some 500 Palestinian men “were taken by forced march and vehicle to a Jewish concentration camp at Nahlal.”
An ICRC report of 11 November 1948 notes that the prisoners were treated "to obtain from them the most extreme hard work to enhance the economy of the State". When reading this, you should remember that ICRC tend to understate the conditions they observe as they believe in improving conditions rather than condemning them. This Israeli practice is a strong reminder of German practices in WWII. Incidentally, many of the Israeli commanders who were guarding the prisoners had just come from Germany. They should know what it was like to be in a concentration camp.
The prisoners remained in Israeli camps for two to five years. Most were released by 1955.
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Also on this day - in 2017 - Dr Michael J Stewart made a speech at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland where he claimed to have been on a bus on Edinburgh’s Princes Street that was stopped by a demonstration of what he called “the Palestinian Support Group”, who were shouting “Kill the Jews”. Church authorities refused to speak to Dr Stewart about such a ridiculous invention broadcast from their Assembly. Police Scotland showed no interest in investigating.
A 'pro-Israel' churchman from St Andrews, Scotland invented a story that a pro-Palestine demonstration in the Scottish capital called for genocide against Jews. The crime is alleged to have happened in 2015.
On 22 May 2017, Stewart addressed several hundred attendees at the Church of Scotland General Assembly in Edinburgh. The video above is 40 seconds of his talk, an example of how monstrous and absurd have become the lies spread by the pro-Israel element in Scotland and around the world to silence pro-Palestine voices.
Stewart described a demonstration on Princes Street supposedly large enough to slow down the traffic, during which he claims genocidal chants of "Kill the Jews" from the demonstrators were loud enough to be heard by passengers inside buses that had been stopped or slowed down by the demonstrations.
Princes Street in Edinburgh has large numbers of CCTV cameras and the only demonstrations in support of Palestine in Edinburgh during this period were called by Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Every one was monitored by police officers. No such crime took place since SPSC is opposed to anti-semitism but no such crime could possibly have taken place and left no record on CCTV foootage or the memories of any participants, onlookers or police.
The Church of Scotland authorities rejected requests that they look into the allegation broadcast live from their annual General Assembly. This leaves the matter on the public record and, theoretically, distressing for those credulous enough to believe the allegation. Interestingly, those who have a record of falsely attibuting hate crimes to SPSC were silent on the matter, were content to let the claim of a genocidally anti-semitic march go unchallenged.
Pro-Israel groups that claim to combat anti-semitism, such as SCoJeC (the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities), the Scottish wing of the UK Board of Deputies of British Jews, did not feel moved to comment on the matter. None of the usual suspects challenged a broadcast claim that hundreds marched through Edinburgh chanting "Kill the Jews", unchallenged by members of the public or Police Scotland.
This is not the only instance of such a fabrication. A Jewish Chronicle reporter similarly invented 'Nazi salutes' and 'Seig Heil' chants at the demonstration against the Israeli 'Peace Festival' in Edinburgh in August 2016 (offences which Police Scotland said did not occur).
We are asked to believe that Police Scotland ignored loud chants of "Kill the Jews" by hundreds of people on Princes Street yet on other occasions officers were quick to charge a lone individual with a "racially aggravated" offence for saying "Viva Palestine", and two others in summer 2014 for denouncing Israeli massacres?
