Ras Burqa massacre
Encyclopedia
The Ras Burqa massacre was a shooting attack in October 1985 on Israeli vacationers in Ras Burqa
, a beach resort area in the Sinai peninsula, in which seven Israelis were killed, including four children.
, machine-gunned a group of Israelis, killing three adults and four young children, on the dunes of Ras Burqa. The only survivor was 5-year old Tali Griffel, whose mother, Anita, shielded her with her body. According to eye witnesses, the Egyptian Central Security Forces
who were nearby refused to help the wounded; furthermore, they stopped an Israeli doctor and other tourists at gunpoint from administering any aid to the victims of the shooting, and the wounded Israelis were left to bleed to death. Egyptian authorities countered that the Israelis bled to death "because this crazy soldier refused to let anyone near the area that some of the victims lay". The gunman killed one of the Egyptian policeman who tried to arrest him." Israel protested the Egyptian refusal to allow the victims to be treated by Israeli doctors or transferred to hospitals in Israel.
Khatir said the killings were not intentional. He said he could only see a group of people coming towards him in the dark, refusing his orders to stop.
Seven people were killed in the attack:
Egyptian soldier
After Khater's death, the Iranian government of Ayatollah Khomeini issued a stamp "In honour of the martyrdom of Sulayman Khater, Hero of Sinai", and named a street in Tehran
for him.
countries, and mass demonstrations were held in his support. Attempting to justify his actions, the press did not report that all but one of the victims were women or children, but instead invented miscellaneous pretexts for the shootings. The press claimed that the Israeli tourists were spies caught photographing secret military installations, that they spat upon and tore up an Egyptian flag, that half-naked Israeli women offended Khatir's Muslim
conscience, or that the tourists attacked him. The pro-governmental press remained silent regarding the facts of the massacre, leaving the claims unchallenged. Many Egyptian intellectuals and religious leaders joined in extolling Khatir and his act. Umar al-Tilimsani, the leader of Muslim Brotherhood
, said that "if every Muslim would do what Sulayman did, Israel would no longer exist". Farid Abd al-Karim, one of the leaders of the Arab Socialist Party, called Khatir "the conscience of this nation", whose bullets "washed away the shame" of the Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt. Ahmad Nasir of the Egyptian Bar Association claimed that history would always honor Khatir as "a living model of a noble Egyptian who refused to be led astray by the treaties of betrayal and surrender".
The response of Egyptian president Mubarak was that "Unfortunately these things happen. They cannot reflect on the entire country."Mubarak's lack of intervention until in a late stage in attempts to present Khatir as a martyred hero hampered efforts to reach an accord on Taba.
Some prominent Egyptians expressed doubt that Khatir was insane. Farid Abd al-Karim wished that the whole Egypt "would be struck with this same mighty madness". Ali Hillal Dessouki, a professor at the University of Cairo, said he was astonished that such men as Khatir could be accused of madness and expressed his sadness for the "so-called sane". Nur al-Sharif, an actor, told Khatir: "You are the sanest among us, for you did what we all want."
The beginning of Khatir's trial sparked a wave of protest rallies, which the Egyptian government saw as threat to itself. More than 140 people were arrested, most at Zagazig University
in the Nile Delta
where Khatir had been enrolled as a law student. For the first time, the progovernment press published the real story behind the massacre, revealing that the victims were women and children. The editor of Al-Musawar
journal criticized the opposition press for its handling of the story.
talks, Egypt agreed to submit a report on the murder at Ras Burka, and discuss the question of reparations to the bereaved families. In early 1989, a special Egyptian legal committee awarded compensation to the victims. The Wall Street Journal said that the amounts were "well within the norms of established international standards". Egypt also made a formal statement to the family of each victim "expressing its acceptance of responsibility, its regret, and its condolences".
Ras Burqa
Ras Burqa is a resort town on the Red Sea in the district of Nuwaiba, Egypt....
, a beach resort area in the Sinai peninsula, in which seven Israelis were killed, including four children.
The attack
On October 5, 1985, an Egyptian soldier, Sulayman KhatirSuleiman Khater
Suleiman Mohammed Abdul-Hamid Khater was an Egyptian soldier who on October 5, 1985 opened fire on Israeli tourists who apparently ignored orders to move away from a military post in the Sinai, killing seven...
, machine-gunned a group of Israelis, killing three adults and four young children, on the dunes of Ras Burqa. The only survivor was 5-year old Tali Griffel, whose mother, Anita, shielded her with her body. According to eye witnesses, the Egyptian Central Security Forces
Central Security Forces
The 350,000 strong Central Security Forces CSF organization is an Egyptian Paramilitary force which is responsible for assisting the Egyptian National Police for the security of governmental fixed sites, foreign embassies & missions, riots & crowds control, publicly crowded events, high risk...
who were nearby refused to help the wounded; furthermore, they stopped an Israeli doctor and other tourists at gunpoint from administering any aid to the victims of the shooting, and the wounded Israelis were left to bleed to death. Egyptian authorities countered that the Israelis bled to death "because this crazy soldier refused to let anyone near the area that some of the victims lay". The gunman killed one of the Egyptian policeman who tried to arrest him." Israel protested the Egyptian refusal to allow the victims to be treated by Israeli doctors or transferred to hospitals in Israel.
Khatir said the killings were not intentional. He said he could only see a group of people coming towards him in the dark, refusing his orders to stop.
Fatalities
Israeli civilian fatalitiesSeven people were killed in the attack:
|
|
Egyptian soldier
Trial and conviction
After the shootings, Egyptian authorities claimed that the perpetrator Sulayman Khatir was mentally ill. During the initial interrogations, Khatir claimed that he had been unaware of the identity or nationality of the people he had shot and that they had made no offense or provocation toward him. The only reason why he had opened fire was that, as Khatir said, they had trespassed on a prohibited territory. He was tried by a closed military tribunal and on December 28, 1985 sentenced to life in prison at hard labor. Ten days later, on January 8, 1986, Khatir was found dead in his prison hospital room hanging by a strip torn from a sheet of plastic. The authorities declared his death a suicide.Opposition parties in Egypt claimed that he had been murdered.After Khater's death, the Iranian government of Ayatollah Khomeini issued a stamp "In honour of the martyrdom of Sulayman Khater, Hero of Sinai", and named a street in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
for him.
Reactions in Egypt
Egyptian opposition politicians hailed Khatir as "hero of Sinai" for committing the massacre of Israelis. The glorification of Khatir as a national hero in the Egyptian opposition press was echoed in other ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
countries, and mass demonstrations were held in his support. Attempting to justify his actions, the press did not report that all but one of the victims were women or children, but instead invented miscellaneous pretexts for the shootings. The press claimed that the Israeli tourists were spies caught photographing secret military installations, that they spat upon and tore up an Egyptian flag, that half-naked Israeli women offended Khatir's Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
conscience, or that the tourists attacked him. The pro-governmental press remained silent regarding the facts of the massacre, leaving the claims unchallenged. Many Egyptian intellectuals and religious leaders joined in extolling Khatir and his act. Umar al-Tilimsani, the leader of Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, said that "if every Muslim would do what Sulayman did, Israel would no longer exist". Farid Abd al-Karim, one of the leaders of the Arab Socialist Party, called Khatir "the conscience of this nation", whose bullets "washed away the shame" of the Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt. Ahmad Nasir of the Egyptian Bar Association claimed that history would always honor Khatir as "a living model of a noble Egyptian who refused to be led astray by the treaties of betrayal and surrender".
The response of Egyptian president Mubarak was that "Unfortunately these things happen. They cannot reflect on the entire country."Mubarak's lack of intervention until in a late stage in attempts to present Khatir as a martyred hero hampered efforts to reach an accord on Taba.
Some prominent Egyptians expressed doubt that Khatir was insane. Farid Abd al-Karim wished that the whole Egypt "would be struck with this same mighty madness". Ali Hillal Dessouki, a professor at the University of Cairo, said he was astonished that such men as Khatir could be accused of madness and expressed his sadness for the "so-called sane". Nur al-Sharif, an actor, told Khatir: "You are the sanest among us, for you did what we all want."
The beginning of Khatir's trial sparked a wave of protest rallies, which the Egyptian government saw as threat to itself. More than 140 people were arrested, most at Zagazig University
Zagazig University
Zagazig University is an Egyptian university in the city of Zagazig, the capital of Ash Sharqiyah governorate.The current president of the university is Professor Dr Maher El-Domiaty.- Faculties :*Faculty of Pharmacy’’’ كلية الصيدلة’’’....
in the Nile Delta
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
where Khatir had been enrolled as a law student. For the first time, the progovernment press published the real story behind the massacre, revealing that the victims were women and children. The editor of Al-Musawar
Al-Musawar
-History:Its first issue was published 24 October 1924. One of its longest-serving editors was journalist Fekry Abaza.-References:...
journal criticized the opposition press for its handling of the story.
Compensation to the victims
In 1986, as part of the TabaTaba
- Places :Egypt:* Taba, Egypt, a town in Egypt near the Gulf of Aqaba.** Taba Border Crossing, a border crossing between Taba in Egypt and Eilat in Israel...
talks, Egypt agreed to submit a report on the murder at Ras Burka, and discuss the question of reparations to the bereaved families. In early 1989, a special Egyptian legal committee awarded compensation to the victims. The Wall Street Journal said that the amounts were "well within the norms of established international standards". Egypt also made a formal statement to the family of each victim "expressing its acceptance of responsibility, its regret, and its condolences".
See also
- Arabs and antisemitism
- Islam and antisemitism
- Terrorism in EgyptTerrorism in EgyptTerrorism in Egypt refers to terrorist attacks in Egypt, many of them linked to Islamic extremism. Targets have included government officials, police, tourists and the Christian minority...
- 2004 Sinai bombings2004 Sinai bombingsThe 2004 Sinai bombings were three bomb attacks targeting tourist hotels in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, on October 7, 2004. The attacks killed 34 people and injured 171.-The bombings:...
External links
- Policeman Shoots, Kills 8 In Egypt's Sinai Peninsula - published on the Pittsburgh PressPittsburgh PressThe Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
on October 6, 1985