Which Came First – Arab Terror or the ‘Occupation’?

While many claim that the Israeli “occupation” is the cause of Palestinian terror and violence, facts and history clearly debunk this myth. 

By: United with Israel Staff
(With files from Israel’s Foreign Ministry)

Palestinian and Arab propagandists commonly claim that Palestinian terrorism is the result of the so-called Israeli “occupation” of “the West Bank and Gaza,” adding that the violence will cease only when the “occupation” is ended and Israel leaves Judea and Samaria and parts of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

An examination of facts and data and a look at history prove that these assertions are false.

At the outset, it is significant to note that most Palestinian and Arab terror organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, repeatedly declare that even if Israel fully withdraws from “the West Bank and Gaza” they will continue their acts of terrorism, since they oppose Israel’s basic right to exist.

More importantly, however, is the fact that the Palestinian’s basic premise – that the “occupation” causes terrorism – is historically flawed.

Arab and Palestinian terrorism against Israel existed long before the Six Day War of 1967, during which Israel liberated Judea and Samaria and reunited Jerusalem, and even prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Arab terrorism was rampant during a wave of anti-Jewish riots in 1920-21, during similar incidents in 1929, which included the massacre of the Jewish community in Hebron, during the Arab Revolt of 1936-39, and in many other recorded incidents of anti-Jewish violence perpetrated by Arabs throughout the pre-state period.

The Palestinian terrorism campaign was stepped-up on the eve of the UN Partition Resolution of November 1947, and led to the joint Arab invasion of 1948-49, which subsequently delineated the boundaries of the newly established State of Israel.

In fact, Arab violence and terrorism can be traced back to the beginning of the renewed Jewish settlement of the Land of Israel over a century ago.

After the War of Independence, Arab terrorism expanded in scope.

In 1952, when border incursions by “fedayeen” (guerrilla) terrorists reached their height, there were about 3,000 incidents of cross-border attacks, from the malicious destruction of property to the brutal murder of civilians. This anti-Israeli violence targeted both frontier communities and population centers, and was perpetrated, for the most part, against innocent civilians, most of whom were new immigrants.

Furthermore, after Israel uprooted its communities in Gaza and withdrew from the Strip, Palestinian terrorism only intensified in scope and in violence.

In conclusion, the repeated Arab mantra that the Israeli “occupation” is somehow to blame for Palestinian terrorism is nothing more than an empty claim, repudiated by facts and disproved by a century of historical reality.

The following is a partial list of documented acts of Arab terrorism, all occurring prior to the Six Day War of 1967:

Jan 1, 1952 – Seven armed terrorists attacked and killed a nineteen year-old girl in her home, in the neighborhood of Beit Yisrael, in Jerusalem.

Apr 14, 1953 – Terrorists tried for the first time to infiltrate Israel by sea, but were unsuccessful. One of the boats was intercepted and the other boat escaped.

June 7, 1953 – A youngster was killed and three others were wounded, in shooting attacks on residential areas in southern Jerusalem.

June 9, 1953 – Terrorists attacked a farming community near Lod, and killed one of the residents. The terrorists threw hand grenades and sprayed gunfire in all directions. On the same night, another group of terrorists attacked a house in the town of Hadera. This occurred a day after Israel and Jordan signed an agreement, with UN mediation, in which Jordan undertook to prevent terrorists from crossing into Israel from Jordanian territory.

June 10, 1953 – Terrorists infiltrating from Jordan destroyed a house in the farming village of Mishmar Ayalon.

June 11, 1953 – Terrorists attacked a young couple in their home in Kfar Hess, and shot them to death.

Sept 2, 1953 – Terrorists infiltrated from Jordan, and reached the neighborhood of Katamon, in the heart of Jerusalem. They threw hand grenades in all directions. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

Mar 17, 1954 – Terrorists ambushed a bus traveling from Eilat to Tel Aviv, and opened fire at short range when the bus reached the area of Maale Akrabim in the northern Negev. In the initial ambush, the terrorists killed the driver and wounded most of the passengers. The terrorists then boarded the bus, and shot each passenger, one by one. Eleven passengers were murdered. Survivors recounted how the murderers spat on the bodies and abused them. The terrorists could clearly be traced back to the Jordanian border, some 20 km from the site of the terrorist attack.

Jan 2, 1955 – Terrorists killed two hikers in the Judean Desert.

Mar 24, 1955 – Terrorists threw hand grenades and opened fire on a crowd at a wedding in the farming community of Patish, in the Negev. A young woman was killed, and eighteen people were wounded in the attack.

Apr 7, 1956 – A resident of Ashkelon was killed in her home, when terrorists threw three hand grenades into her house.
Two members of Kibbutz Givat Chaim were killed, when terrorists opened fire on their car, on the road from Plugot Junction to Mishmar Hanegev.

There were further hand grenade and shooting attacks on homes and cars, in areas such as Nitzanim and Ketziot. One person was killed and three others wounded.

Apr 11, 1956 – Terrorists opened fire on a synagogue full of children and teenagers, in the farming community of Shafrir. Three children and a youth worker were killed on the spot, and five were wounded, including three seriously.

Apr 29, 1956 – Egyptians killed Roi Rotenberg, 21 years of age, from Nahal Oz.

Sept 12, 1956 – Terrorists killed three Druze guards at Ein Ofarim, in the Arava region.

Sept 23, 1956 – Terrorists opened fire from a Jordanian position, and killed four archaeologists, and wounded sixteen others, near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel.

Sept 24, 1956 – Terrorists killed a girl in the fields of the farming community of Aminadav, near Jerusalem.

Oct 4, 1956 – Five Israeli workers were killed in Sdom.

Oct 9, 1956 – Two workers were killed in an orchard of the youth village Neve Hadassah, in the Sharon region.

Nov 8, 1956 – Terrorists opened fire on a train, attacked cars and blew up wells, in the north and center of Israel. Six Israelis were wounded.

Feb 18, 1957 – Two civilians were killed by terrorist landmines, next to Nir Yitzhak, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip.

Mar 8, 1957 – A shepherd from Kibbutz Beit Govrin was killed by terrorists in a field near the Kibbutz.

Apr 16, 1957 – Terrorists infiltrated from Jordan, and killed two guards at Kibbutz Mesilot.

May 20, 1957 – A terrorist opened fire on a truck in the Arava region, killing a worker.

May 29, 1957 – A tractor driver was killed and two others wounded, when the vehicle struck a landmine, next to Kibbutz Kisufim.

June 23, 1957 – Israelis were wounded by landmines, close to the Gaza Strip.

Aug 23, 1957 – Two guards of the Israeli Mekorot water company were killed near Kibbutz Beit Govrin.

Dec 21, 1957 – A member of Kibbutz Gadot was killed in the kibbutz fields.

Feb 11, 1958 – Terrorists killed a resident of Moshav Yanov who was on his way to Kfar Yona, in the Sharon area.

Apr 5, 1958 – Terrorists lying in ambush shot and killed two people near Tel Lachish.

Apr 22, 1958 – Jordanian soldiers shot and killed two fishermen near Aqaba.

May 26, 1958 – Four Israeli police officers were killed in a Jordanian attack on Mt. Scopus, in Jerusalem.

Nov 17, 1958 – Syrian terrorists killed the wife of the British air attache in Israel, who was staying at the guesthouse of the Italian Convent on the Mt. of the Beatitudes.

Dec 3, 1958- A shepherd was killed at Kibbutz Gonen. In the artillery attack that followed, 31 civilians were wounded.

Jan 23, 1959 – A shepherd from Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan was killed.

Feb 1, 1959 – Three civilians were killed by a terrorist landmine near Moshav Zavdiel.

Apr 15, 1959 – A guard was killed at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel.

Apr 27, 1959 – Two hikers were shot at close range and killed near Masada.

Sept 6, 1959 – Bedouin terrorists killed a paratroop reconnaissance officer near Nitzana.

Sept 8, 1959 – Bedouins opened fire on an army bivouac in the Negev, killing an IDF officer, Captain Yair Peled.

Oct 3, 1959 – A shepherd from Kibbutz Heftziba was killed near Kibbutz Yad Hana.

Apr 26, 1960 – Terrorists killed a resident of Ashkelon south of the city.

Apr 12, 1962 – Terrorists fired on an Egged bus on the way to Eilat; one passenger was wounded.

Sept 30, 1962 – Two terrorists attacked an Egged bus on the way to Eilat. No one was wounded.

Jan 1, 1965 – Palestinian terrorists attempted to bomb the National Water Carrier. This was the first attack carried out by the PLO’s Fatah faction.

May 31, 1965 – Jordanian Legionnaires fired on the neighborhood of Musrara in Jerusalem, killing two civilians and wounding four.

June 1, 1965 – Terrorists attacked a house in Kibbutz Yiftach.

July 5, 1965 – A Fatah cell planted explosives at Mitzpe Massua, near Beit Guvrin; and on the railroad tracks to Jerusalem near Kafr Battir.

Aug 26, 1965 – A waterline was sabotaged at Kibbutz Manara, in the Upper Galilee.

Sept 29, 1965 – A terrorist was killed as he attempted to attack Moshav Amatzia.

Nov 7, 1965 – A Fatah cell that infiltrated from Jordan blew up a house in Moshav Givat Yeshayahu, south of Beit Shemesh. The house was destroyed, but the inhabitants were miraculously unhurt.

Apr 25, 1966 – Explosions placed by terrorists wounded two civilians and damaged three houses in Moshav Beit Yosef, in the Beit Shean Valley.

May 16, 1966 – Two Israelis were killed when their jeep hit a terrorist landmine, north of the Sea of Galilee and south of Almagor. Tracks led into Syria.

July 13, 1966 – Two soldiers and a civilian were killed near Almagor, when their truck struck a terrorist landmine.

July 14, 1966 – Terrorists attacked a house in Kfar Yuval, in the North.

July 19, 1966 – Terrorists infiltrated into Moshav Margaliot on the northern border and planted nine explosive charges.

Oct 27, 1966 – A civilian was wounded by an explosive charge on the railroad tracks to Jerusalem.