The demonstration in Kafr Qasim
Photo: Lior Paz
Thousands march in commemoration of Kafr Qasim massacre
A wave of protesters wash through the streets of the Arab-Israeli city, marking the 60th anniversary of the incident in which Israeli Border Police soldiers killed 48 people who were out past a military curfew, many of whom unaware of the order.
Thousands of people marched Saturday at a demonstration in Kafr Qasim, marking 60 years since the massacre that occurred in the central-Israel city, in which 48 Israeli Arabs were gunned down by Israeli Border Police soldiers. They demanded that the Israeli government officially acknowledge the tragic incident.
"We are residents who do not like revenge. We seek to live respectfully. In the Kafr Qasim massacre, they wanted to banish us, but we will stay here and not forget or forgive the murderers of our fallen. Once again, we demand that the Israeli government acknowledge the massacre and expose the motives that caused the murder of 49 people in cold blood," Kafr Qasim Mayor Adel Badir said.
Thousands marched, marking 60 years since the massacre (Photo: Lior Paz)
The Kafr Qasim massacre occurred on October 29, 1956. That day, the Israeli government issued a curfew on several towns, including Kafr Qasim. Israeli Arabs were living under a regime of martial law at the time.
At about 5pm, several dozen locals attempted to return home, unaware of the curfew. They were then shot at by members of the Israel Border Police. 48 people were killed, including 19 men, 6 women, and 23 children under the age of 18. Arab Israelis often cite the number of those killed as 49, due to one of the women who were killed being pregnant at the time.
The protest in Kafr Qasim
The Border Police soldiers who fired the deadly shots were tried and convicted in a case that set a legal precedent for a "blatantly illegal order"—an fundamentally immoral order that, if received, a soldier must refuse to carry out.
