Ras Burqa massacre
Ras Burqa massacre | |
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The Ras Burqa massacre was a
The attack
On 5 October 1985, an Egyptian soldier, Suleiman Khater,
Khatir said the killings were not intentional. He said he could only see a group of people coming towards him in the dark (despite it having been light when he shot them), refusing his orders to stop.[9]
In an interview with Peace Now, Tali Griffel described her memories of the attack: "For many years, I didn't think about what happened. I just blocked out everything and then slowly, slowly I sort of regained feeling. I remember as the shooting started, my mother grabbed me and lay down, putting me under her. She whispered to me, keeping me calm. I can still recall the feeling of the jolt as she got shot. Yet, she continued to hold me and talk to me as she bled to death. When I crawled out, I sat there alone for a very long time. The Egyptian police came and took me away to a dark room where they interrogated me for hours."[3]
Fatalities
- Israeli civilian fatalities
Seven people were killed in the attack:
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Aftermath
Trial and conviction
After the shootings, Egyptian authorities claimed that the perpetrator Khater was
After Khater's death, the
Khater is still praised and valorized in the anti-Israel press. Near the anniversary in October 2018 the Turkey-based Muslim Brotherhood Watan TV host Dina Zakaria called Khater a hero.[19]
Reactions in Egypt
Egyptian opposition politicians hailed Khatir as "hero of Sinai" for committing the
The response of Egyptian
Some prominent Egyptians expressed doubt that Khater was
The beginning of Khater's trial sparked a wave of protest rallies, which the Egyptian government saw as a threat to itself.[20] More than 140 people were arrested, mostly at Zagazig University in the Nile Delta where Khatir had been enrolled as a law student.[17] For the first time, the pro-government press published the real story behind the massacre, revealing that the victims were women and children. The editor of Al-Musawar journal criticized the opposition press for its handling of the story.[22]
An Egyptian newspaper published in February 2014 letters written by Khater, alongside the testimonies of his friends who visited him in prison during his last days. The letters suggest that Khater was mysteriously murdered in prison, and did not commit suicide, as published at the time in Egypt. Before his death Khater told his friends that prison security officials offered to let him escape, and that he suspected that they were looking for an excuse to shoot him. Khater told his friends that there was no reason to run away, because the prison is located deep in the desert. His mother testified that upon hearing this story she felt that her son was in danger. In one of the two letters, in the possession of his friends, Khater said that he was furious at Israel's treatment of Egypt, its attacks on Lebanon, and the many activities of the Israeli Air Force in the Sinai – despite the peace agreement. In a second letter he published a list of the weapons in the hands of his army unit side by side with a description of Israel's air operations in the region, alluding to the large gap in favor of the Israeli army. A friend of Khater, who visited him two days before his death, said Khater was in a good mood, uplifted, and nothing indicated his intention to commit suicide.[23]
Reactions in Israel
The Ras Burka Massacre was a shock and a reality check to Israel's "peace process" with Egypt.[24] Examples of memorials to the victims include: public benches in the name of Ofri Tural in Timrat where her mother lives; the Hebrew University memorial to its staff and students lists Anita Griffel, and; the song "Perach" (Flower) -- lyrics by Suki Lahav, music by Yehuda Poliker and first performed by Gidi Gov.[25]
Compensation to the victims
In 1986, as part of the
See also
- 1990 Cairo bus attack
- 2004 Sinai bombings
- 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks
External links
- Policeman Shoots, Kills 8 In Egypt's Sinai Peninsula – published on the Pittsburgh Presson 6 October 1985
References
- ^ The Pittsburgh Press – Google News Archive Search
- ^ "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ a b To Honor Their Lives
- ^ a b Lewis 233
- ^ "The Jewish Floridian". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ Israeli Officials Criticize Egyptian Reaction To Sinai Killings, Associated Press, 9 October 1985.
- ^ Attack Threatens Israeli-Egyptian Ties Aid to Victims of Sinai Shooting Was Delayed, Some Witnesses Say. The Washington Post, 7 October 1985.
- ^ a b The Middle East: Ten years after Camp David, William B. Quandt
- ^ NewsFilm Online: Egypt: Death of Policeman Conscript who Killed Israelis leads to Anti-government Demonstrations Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "מידע אישי על השופטים – קורות חיים של חמן פורה שלח". elyon1.court.gov.il. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "mynet "כנראה באמת הייתי גיבור" – דף הבית מקומי". mynet.co.il. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008.
- ^ אתר לזכר האזרחים חללי פעולות האיבה
- ^ אתר לזכר האזרחים חללי פעולות האיבה
- ^ אתר לזכר האזרחים חללי פעולות האיבה
- ^ אתר לזכר האזרחים חללי פעולות האיבה
- Wall Street Journal, 29 March 1989.
- ^ a b c No byline. "Egyptian Who Shot 7 is Dead". The New York Times. 8 January 1986. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
- ^ ‘Ras Burqa killer was murdered, didn’t commit suicide’
- ^ "Muslim Brotherhood TV: Perpetrator of the Ras Burqa Massacre was "A Hero Who Fulfilled His Duty"". MEMRI TV. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Lewis 234
- ^ Survey of Jewish Affairs, William Frankel, World Jewish Congress
- ^ Lewis 234–235
- ^ פרסום מצרי: רוצח הישראלים בפיגוע בראס בורקה נרצח בככלא , Army Radio
- ^ Claiborne, William (7 October 1985). "Attack Threatens Israeli-Egyptian Ties". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Perach (פרח) (English translation, transliteration)". Lyrics Translate. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ Inner Cabinet Decision on Taba, 12 January 1986
- ^ Gradstein, Linda. "Israel, Egypt end dispute over beach". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Ten Years After Camp David, New Reasons for Celebration, Wall Street Journal, 29 March 1989; also US Department of State Dispatch, 1 May 1989.