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President Shimon Peres. (AP)
Last update - 08:34 22/12/2007
President Peres apologizes for Kafr Qasem massacre of 1956
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: massacre, Shimon Peres 

President Shimon Peres apologized Friday for the 1956 massacre in Kafr Qasem, in which Border Police officers killed 47 residents of the Israeli Arab village.

During a reception in the village for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, Peres said that he deliberately chose the holiday for a visit to Kafr Qasem to ask the villagers for forgiveness. "A terrible event happened here in the past, and we are very sorry for it," he said.

On October 29, 1956, during the first day of the Sinai war, three Border Police received a command to shoot anyone who broke the curfew imposed on Kafr Qasem.
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The troops shot and killed 47 of the village's residents as they were making their way home from work, unaware of the newly imposed curfew. Among the dead were women and children.

The soldiers involved in the incident were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, but all received pardons. The brigade commander was sentenced to pay the symbolic fine of 10 prutot (old Israeli cents).

Cabinet ministers have expressed remorse several times in the past. Former education minister Yossi Sarid publicly apologized for the event and worked to add it to the national history curriculum in the 1990s. Former tourism minister Moshe Katsav, who was later appointed president, also said that the families of the victims deserve an apology.

President Peres also said: "The Arab citizens do not need charity, but opportunity. The link between religion and violence should be severed. We are all children of the same god, who has not given us permission to kill, oppress and humiliate others."

The founder of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish, also spoke at the ceremony and called on religious leaders on both sides to build bridges between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

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      1.   Too little too late 18:13  |  Mike the American 21/12/07
      2.   apology wont bring therm back to life 18:28  |  muslim 21/12/07
      3.   It Takes Courage To Face The Past 18:35  |  dyinglikeflies 21/12/07
      4.   Jewish Precepts 18:40  |  Jabotinsky 21/12/07
      5.   Okay Arabs... 18:55  |  Yosemite 21/12/07
      6.   better late then never 18:59  |  Rani Habelgi 21/12/07
      7.   Mike: How long will it take the Arabs to napologize? 19:00  |  Kevin 21/12/07
      8.   There are massacres and "massacres" 19:07  |  Daniel Haarti 21/12/07
      9.   Actually, 19:07  |  Yosemite 21/12/07
      10.   Well done . Just wait for apologizes for the Hebron masacre 1929 19:08  |  Alain 21/12/07
      11.   #1 | @Mike: "60 years for Israel to recognize massacre" 19:10  |  Not amused 21/12/07
      12.   #2 | @muslim 19:12  |  Not amused 21/12/07
      13.   Yes, Yosemite, Where Are the Arabs? 19:13  |  massaraksh 21/12/07
      14.   I take it that ... 19:16  |  Anti-hypocrates 21/12/07
      15.   of course it`s too little too late... 19:28  |  skurt 21/12/07
      16.   #9 Yosemite and Saudi oil 19:33  |  Kevin 21/12/07
      17.   past and present 19:35  |  present 21/12/07
      18.   Useful to remember ... 19:36  |  Axel 21/12/07
      19.   #17: "empty words"? 19:46  |  Politics 21/12/07
      20.   #17 present 19:46  |  Sol 21/12/07
      21.   At least this is a good start 19:47  |  Ben Alofs 21/12/07
      22.   Peres Has to give much more apologies. 19:57  |  Bandar Michaels 21/12/07
      23.   Kevin Reads Yosemite? 20:01  |  Yosemite 21/12/07
      24.   Jabotinsky 20:04  |  Connie 21/12/07
      25.   Thumb up for Peres: well-done! 20:07  |  Alicia 21/12/07
      26.   "One Agora" 20:15  |  Nemesis 21/12/07
      27.   "We are the children of the same G-d" 20:24  |  H 21/12/07
      28.   `Please, excuse my War Crimes..` 20:26  |  POP 21/12/07
      29.   Abbas apologises for Hebron Massacre 20:32  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 21/12/07
      30.   Time for the pasture! 20:37  |  Mark Katzman 21/12/07
      31.   Peres does NOT need to apologize 20:38  |  Brod 21/12/07
      32.   Kevin...it`s a rock 20:42  |  Lynn 21/12/07
      33.   A curfew is a curfew. Tough! 20:43  |  Sage 21/12/07
      34.   2# 20:45  |  Sage 21/12/07
      35.   CENSOR PROBLEM 20:45  |  Yoav Stern 21/12/07
      36.   Axel...court martial strips him of everything 20:45  |  Lynn 21/12/07
      37.   apologize for MUNICH too, dupe. 20:46  |  dav zee 21/12/07
      38.   When will the Arabs apologize for the 22 kindergardeners? 20:46  |  Sage 21/12/07
      39.   I don`t see a need for apologies 20:48  |  Mohammed 21/12/07
      40.   And if they were Fedayeen instead of Ignorant? 20:55  |  Efox 21/12/07
      41.   #31 20:55  |  Atoo Landarv 21/12/07
      42.   re: Mike the American 20:59  |  Efox 21/12/07
      43.   As a soldier I Know they disserve it. 21:04  |  I was at Dier Yassin 21/12/07
      44.   H: Only Jews are the Children of G-d 21:06  |  Yechiel 21/12/07
      45.   And what about compensation, or is that only for Jews? 21:09  |  peacelover 21/12/07
      46.   Let Peres concentrate on the children killed by the IDF recently 21:14  |  Natallie Durson 21/12/07
      47.   Kevin of Baltimore 21:16  |  Yosemite 21/12/07
      48.   Step in the right direction 21:30  |  Yoav 21/12/07
      49.   Has America ever apologized to the Black for slavery? 21:31  |  Alicia 21/12/07
      50.   Thank you 21:32  |  HB 21/12/07
      51.   White Man speak with forked tongue... 21:32  |  Colin Wright 21/12/07
      52.   Pointless apologising to people without manners 21:34  |  Israeli 21/12/07
      53.   Kafr Qasem 21:38  |  P. J. Casey 21/12/07
      54.   #44 Yechiel 21:39  |  H 21/12/07
      55.   An apology to Israeli citizens.... 21:44  |  Ruth 21/12/07
      56.   Ugly cringer Peres ready to apologize for Israel`s existence 21:48  |  Absolute Sweden 21/12/07
      57.   #1 - Spoken like an American Idiot 21:49  |  Steve 21/12/07
      58.   #2 - we`ll remember that next time a Qassam falls 21:50  |  Steve 21/12/07
      59.   Charity NO, Compensation YES 21:59  |  Dave 21/12/07
      60.   Ok Durson, now I`m calling you on this 22:05  |  Steve 21/12/07
      61.   How about Palestinians and Arab states apologizing for decades 22:07  |  Marwan مروان خوري 21/12/07
      62.   Peres did the right thing, and he did it even though he must have 22:08  |  Rebekah S 21/12/07
      63.   Ben Gurion discloses the event to government members (11/11/1956) 22:11  |  Tosefta 21/12/07
      64.   did he really mean it? 22:21  |  Palestinian 21/12/07
      65.   Crocodile tears - all show, no blow 22:22  |  Clickfool 21/12/07
      66.   Natallie 22:44  |  Yosemite 21/12/07
      67.   #42 Efox 22:44  |  DB 21/12/07
      68.   yosemite 5 22:46  |  realism 21/12/07
      69.   1. : Mike the American: more than nothing, as pals have done 22:51  |  KUTW 21/12/07
      70.   #46 Durson 22:53  |  Jabotinsky 21/12/07
      71.   2. muslim: you are right 22:55  |  KUTW 21/12/07
      72.   43 - I was in Deir Yassin 22:58  |  Nicolas from Paris