April
April 3-12
The Jenin Massacre (2002)
Israel's barbaric assault against the residents of the Jenin refugee camp. In its 10-day rampage, Israeli Occupation Forces kill at least 50 Palestinians and flatted an entire residential neighborhood. Israel has not allowed the U.N. to investigate, and hundreds of camp residents are still unaccounted for.
The camp that became a slaughterhouse
Article: Jenin Evidence Speaks for Itself
Ten-day ordeal in crucible of Jenin
Amnesty calls for arrest of Israelis for war crimes
Palestine Monitor: Focus on Jenin
Documentary film Jenin Jenin's site
April 5
Palestinian Child Day
Since the start of the Intifada in September 2000, not one Palestinian child has been left untouched by Israel's continued brutal occupation: children too young to walk or speak have been shot dead by Israeli forces, others have seen friends and family members killed or injured, watched as their homes have been destroyed and parents humiliated, been beaten and tortured and thrown into prison without charges or trial. Physically and psychologically, socially and educationally their young lives are systematically being destroyed. Such is the extent of the children's suffering that concepts which are usually key for child rights organisations, such as the right to play, seem like unattainable luxuries. It is impossible to begin discussing these entitlements when Palestinian children are methodically denied even their most basic right: the right to life and personal security. - DCI-Palestine
April 9
Deir Yassin Massacre (1948)
"Members of the underground Jewish terrorist group, the Irgun, led by Menachem Begin, who was to become the Israeli prime minister in 1977, entered the peaceful Arab village of Deir Yassin, massacred 250 men, women, children and the elderly, and stuffed many of the bodies down wells. There were also reports of rapes and mutilations. The Irgun was joined by the Jewish terrorist group, the Stern Gang, led by Yitzhak Shamir, who subsequently succeeded Begin as prime minister of Israel in the early '80s, and also by the Haganah, the militia under the control of David Ben Gurion. The Irgun, the Stern Gang and the Haganah later joined to form the Israeli Defense Forces. Their tactics have not changed." (by William Martin)
April 16
The start of the first Palestinian uprising (1936)
The Arab leadership in the British Mandate of Palestine, led by Haj Amin al-Husseini, declared a general strike to protest Britian's support for the enormous Jewish immigration. The rebellion was also described at "the Great Uprising," and lasted until March 1939.
April 16
Khalil Alwazir (Abu Jihad) assassinated (1988)
Co-founder of Fateh, and the PLO's second-in-command, Abu Jihad was assassinated in his home by an Israeli squad led by Ehud Barak. Abu Jihad has played an instrumental role in supporting the Intifada of 1987-93.
Encyclopedia of the Palestinians: Biography of Khalil Al-Wazir
The political significance of Israel’s assassination policy
Zionist terrorism directed against individuals (list of assassinations)
Letter from Palestine representative to the U.N., with NYTimes article on Israeli assassinations
April 17
Palestinian Prisoners' Day
2004: Worst Year for Palestinian Prisoners
Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association
Addameer: Special Report on the Occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day
Anti-Imperialist News Service: International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Political Prisoners
The Prison experience of Sameh Samha of Jayyous
Aljazeera: Palestinian inmates say Israeli prisoners list a farce
Facility 1391: Israel's Guantanamo
Palestinian mural art in support of prisoners
Palestine Center for Human Rights commemorates Palestinian Prisoners day (2004)
Al Jazeera: Palestinian prisoners (2003)
Palestine Monitor: Compilation of articles about Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel
Maltreatment of Palestinian Juveniles Politically Detained in Israeli Occupation Prisons
On Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails: Violations and Torture, part one | part two
April 18
Qana Massacre (1996)
Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize winner and allegedly a "dove," orders the bombing of a U.N. civilian shelter in south Lebanon, killing more than 100 civilians and injuring hundreds. The U.N. investigation ruled out the possibility of an error, and Peres unapologetically warned that "such things could happen again" (in hypocritical contrast with a motto that he surely subscribes to - "Never Again").
Robert Fisk: Massacre in Sanctuary; Eyewitness
One More Horrible Israeli Crime (warning: graphic photos)
April 21
Tunis proposes full Arab recognition of Israel (1965)
Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, delivering a speech to Arab leaders at a summit in Jordan, publicly urged them to recognize Israel in return for negotiations in the spirit of UN Resolution 181 (1947) recommending the partition of Palestine, and Resolution 194 (1948) calling for the return of Arab refugees to their homes.
Israel and the Maghreb at the Height of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: 1950's to 1970's
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