Abu Ghosh 1948 and After

the villagers of abu ghosh had first been expelled in 1948, bulk of inhabitants infiltrated home in following months , years. in second half of 1949, idf , police started descend on abu ghosh in series of more or less brutal search-and-expel operations, rounded recent infiltrators , pushed them on border jordan. (p. 267–268): following 1 such round-up, in 1950, inhabitants of abu gosh sent off open letter , knesset members , journalists, writing israelis had repeatedly

surrounded our village, , taken our women, children , old folk, , thrown them on border , negev desert, , many of them died in consequence, when shot [trying make way across] borders .

so far, inhabitants had held peace.

cannot remain silent in face of latest incident last friday, when woke shouts blaring on loudspeaker announcing village surrounded , trying out shot.... police , military forces began enter houses , conduct meticulous searches, no contraband found. in end, using force , blows, gathered our women, , old folk , children, sick , blind , pregnant women. these shouted there no saviour. , looked on , powerless save beg mercy. alas, our pleas of no avail... took prisoners, weeping , screaming, unknown place, , still not know befell them.

partly due public outcry, of inhabitants allowed home. morris writes (p. 269): in end several dozen abu gosh families remained in exile, refugees, in ramallah area in west bank.