The 3rd "Alexandroni" Brigade (Hebrew: חטיבת אלכסנדרוני, Hativat Aleksandroni) is an Israel Defense Forces brigade which has fought in many of Israel's wars.[1]
| Alexandroni Brigade | |
|---|---|
| חטיבת אלכסנדרוני | |
 Brigade insignia | |
| Active | 1948–present |
| Country |  Israel |
| Allegiance |  Israeli Ground Forces |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Type | Reserves |
| Size | 5 battalions |
| Part of | 91st Division, Northern Command |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Gil Werner |
Organization
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3rd Infantry Brigade "Alexandroni" (Reserve)
- 7012th Infantry Battalion
- 8101st Infantry Battalion
- 9203rd Infantry Battalion
- (6609th) Reconnaissance Battalion "Alexandroni"
- 5280th Combat Engineer Battalion
- Logistic Battalion
- Signal Company
Role in Tantura massacre
editDuring the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, around 40–200 Palestinian Arab villagers from Tantura were killed in a massacre perpetrated by the Alexandroni Brigade, which at the time was one of six field forces of the Haganah.[2] The massacre, which took place on the night of 22–23 May 1948, occurred following the surrender of Tantura, a village of roughly 1,500 people in 1945 located near Haifa. The bodies of the victims were buried in mass graves, one of which was later covered and a carpark constructed above it.[3][4]
In 1998, an Israeli researcher Teddy Katz interviewed and taped Israeli and Palestinian witnesses to events at Tantura in 1948 and wrote a master's thesis at Haifa University claiming that Israeli units committed a massacre of Palestinians at Tantura. The veterans of the brigade sued Katz for libel. Katz was forced to retract his conclusion and to apologize.[5]
In 2023, an Israeli documentary was published on the Tantura massacre, which interviewed and filmed Katz, as well as several veterans, who agreed to talk about the events.[6] The movie was harshly criticized by the historian Benny Morris, who characterized the documentary as "basically fraudulent".[7]
Gallery
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Alexandroni Brigade memorial overlooking Latrun police station -
Alexandroni Brigade memorial in Netanya -
Mass grave of 87 Alexandroni soldiers fallen in the "Faluja Pocket" during the War of Independence, buried by the Egyptians and reburied in 1949 in Kiryat Gat -
Memorial in Qaqun with Bible citation from Zephaniah 3:19 -
Dan Even (Epstein), commander of the Alexandroni Brigade
.JPG)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Alexandroni Brigade". Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ "The Tantura Massacre, 22–23 May 1948". Journal of Palestine Studies. 30 (3): 5–18. 2001. doi:10.1525/jps.2001.30.3.5.
- ^ "UK study of 1948 Israeli massacre of Palestinian village reveals mass grave sites". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ "Executions and Mass Graves in Tantura". Forensic Architecture. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ Aderet, Ofer (8 June 2022). "Israeli University Head Slams Research on 1948 Tantura Massacre 'Used to Advance Political Agenda'". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022.
- ^ "'Tantura' director: Israelis have been lied to for years about alleged 1948 massacre". Times of Israel. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ Morris, Benny (7 October 2022). "The Tantura Myth: It Makes No Sense That Palestinian Villagers Never Mentioned a Massacre". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022.
External links
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- Official website (in Hebrew)