Tirza Porat
Encyclopedia
The Beita incident was a confrontation that took place between Israeli settlers from Elon Moreh
and Palestinian residents of Beita, on April 6, 1988. Three people were killed and several others wounded.
, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Beita, had gone hiking during the Passover
school holiday accompanied by a guide and two guards, Romam Aldube and Menachem Ilan. About 10 kilometres South of Elon Moreh, whilst on land belonging to Beita village they came across a farmer, Mousa Saleh Bani Shamseh. After an exchange of words Romam Aldube shot him dead. The group then continued into the village.
Within the village a rumour had spread that the Israelis had come to poison the village well. A crowd gathered and confronted the group. Palestinian residents said the guards provoked the incident by shooting 19-year-old, Hatem Fayez Ahmd al-Jaber who approached the Israelis. Other reports describe the mother of Mousa Saleh throwing a stone at Aldube. The crowd then charged the hikers, disarming the guards and destroyed their guns. Aldube received a serious head wound. 15-year-old Israeli Tizra Porat from Elon Moreh
was killed during this incident. She was the first Israeli civilian casualty in the West Bank during the First Intifada
.
Initial reports in the media stated that Tizra Porat had been killed by Palestinian stone throwers. An official statement spoke of the group falling 'into the hands of pogromists and murderers'. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir
attended her funeral at which there were cries of "Revenge" and "Wipe Beita off the map". The following day the IDF revealed that she had been accidentally shot in the head with the M16
carbine belonging to Romam Aldubi, a Jewish 26-year old violence-prone religious nationalist. It was also revealed that 'the young settlers, instructed by their elders, had rendered untruthful accounts.' Despite knowing from the start who was responsible the Israeli Army dynamited 15 buildings in Beita. They also killed a sixteen-year-old boy Issam Abdul Halim Mohammad Said and arrested all male adult residents, six of whom were later deported. Romam Aldubi was brought to trial in Israel, but the charges were dropped on the grounds "that what had happened [was] already punishment enough".
Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Shomron
later said that Palestinian villagers protected the Israelis from further harm. Some residents helped the teenagers, including several women who hid three girls inside their homes.
A medic in a CBS News
crew on site began treating the Israelis injured, some of whom were evacuated by Palestine Red Crescent Society
ambulances. As well as the two fatalities several villagers suffered severe gunshot wounds. Three people were killed and several others wounded.
Elon Moreh
Elon Moreh is an Israeli settlement located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank northeast of Nablus on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge....
and Palestinian residents of Beita, on April 6, 1988. Three people were killed and several others wounded.
Incident
The incident occurred in when a group of 15 teenagers from the Israeli settlement of Elon MorehElon Moreh
Elon Moreh is an Israeli settlement located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank northeast of Nablus on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge....
, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Beita, had gone hiking during the Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
school holiday accompanied by a guide and two guards, Romam Aldube and Menachem Ilan. About 10 kilometres South of Elon Moreh, whilst on land belonging to Beita village they came across a farmer, Mousa Saleh Bani Shamseh. After an exchange of words Romam Aldube shot him dead. The group then continued into the village.
Within the village a rumour had spread that the Israelis had come to poison the village well. A crowd gathered and confronted the group. Palestinian residents said the guards provoked the incident by shooting 19-year-old, Hatem Fayez Ahmd al-Jaber who approached the Israelis. Other reports describe the mother of Mousa Saleh throwing a stone at Aldube. The crowd then charged the hikers, disarming the guards and destroyed their guns. Aldube received a serious head wound. 15-year-old Israeli Tizra Porat from Elon Moreh
Elon Moreh
Elon Moreh is an Israeli settlement located in the Samarian hills of the West Bank northeast of Nablus on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge....
was killed during this incident. She was the first Israeli civilian casualty in the West Bank during the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
.
Initial reports in the media stated that Tizra Porat had been killed by Palestinian stone throwers. An official statement spoke of the group falling 'into the hands of pogromists and murderers'. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir
Yitzhak Shamir
' is a former Israeli politician, the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, in 1983–84 and 1986–92.-Biography:Icchak Jeziernicky was born in Ruzhany , Russian Empire . He studied at a Hebrew High School in Białystok, Poland. As a youth he joined Betar, the Revisionist Zionist youth movement...
attended her funeral at which there were cries of "Revenge" and "Wipe Beita off the map". The following day the IDF revealed that she had been accidentally shot in the head with the M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
carbine belonging to Romam Aldubi, a Jewish 26-year old violence-prone religious nationalist. It was also revealed that 'the young settlers, instructed by their elders, had rendered untruthful accounts.' Despite knowing from the start who was responsible the Israeli Army dynamited 15 buildings in Beita. They also killed a sixteen-year-old boy Issam Abdul Halim Mohammad Said and arrested all male adult residents, six of whom were later deported. Romam Aldubi was brought to trial in Israel, but the charges were dropped on the grounds "that what had happened [was] already punishment enough".
Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Shomron
Dan Shomron
Gen. Dan Shomron was the 13th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, from 1987 to 1991....
later said that Palestinian villagers protected the Israelis from further harm. Some residents helped the teenagers, including several women who hid three girls inside their homes.
A medic in a CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
crew on site began treating the Israelis injured, some of whom were evacuated by Palestine Red Crescent Society
Palestine Red Crescent Society
The Palestine Red Crescent Society was founded in 1968, by Fathi Arafat, Yassar Arafat's brother. It is a humanitarian organization that part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It provides hospitals, emergency medicine and ambulance services, and primary health care centers...
ambulances. As well as the two fatalities several villagers suffered severe gunshot wounds. Three people were killed and several others wounded.
External links
- Chomsky, NoamNoam ChomskyAvram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, "Scenes from the Uprising". Z Magazine, July 1988