Israel Bars Rabin From Relating '48 Eviction of Arabs by David K. Shipler published 23 and 25 October 1979 in The New York Times Part A: Israel Bars Rabin From Relating '48 Eviction of Arabs By David K. Shipler Special to the New York Times JERUSALEM, Oct. 22 -- A censorship board composed of five Cabinet members prohibited former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin from including in his memoirs a first-person account of the expulsion of 50,000 Palestinian civilians from their homes near Tel-Aviv during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. [...] The account does not appear in either the Hebrew edition of Mr. Rabin's memoirs or in the American edition, which was published in the United States this month by Little, Brown & Company under the title "The Rabin Memoirs". Although reports of such expulsions have been published by authors not subject to censorship, Israel remains highly sensitive to the issue, especially when it threatens to bolster Palestinian claims to territory that is now part of Israel. [...] The Rabin account involves two Arab towns, Ramle and Lydda, now called Lod. Both are near Tel Aviv airport and were in strategic positions when the Arabs attacked the new nation in 1948. Mr. Rabin was then commander of the Harel Brigade, assigned to eliminate Arab Legion bases along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Road. A copy of his manuscript was provided to The New York Times by Peretz Kidron, who translated the book from Hebrew to English. Under Israeli law, those who have served in government must submit written material to two sets of censors: the military, which cleared the paragraphs in question, and then a board composed of Cabinet ministers and headed by Justice minister Shmuel Tamir. [...] His narrative opens with a meeting that included him, Mr. Ben-Gurion and Yigal Allon, who later became Foreign Minister. The text is as follows: "While the fighting was still in progress, we had to grapple with a troublesome problem, for whose solution we could not draw on any previous experience: the fate of the civilian population of Lod and Ramle, numbering some 50,000. "Not even Ben-Gurion could offer any solution, and during the discussions at operational headquarters, he remained silent, as was his habit in such situations. Clearly, we could not leave Lod's hostile and armed population in our rear, where it could endanger the supply route to Yiftach [another brigade], which was advancing eastward. "We walked outside, Ben-Gurion accompanying us. Allon repeated his question: 'What is to be done with the population?' B.G. waved his hand in a gesture which said 'Drive them out!'. "Allon and I held a consultation. I agreed that it was essential to drive the inhabitants out. We took them on foot towards the Ben Horon Road, assuming that the legion would be obliged to look after them, thereby shouldering logistic difficulties which would burden its fighting capacity, making things easier for us. "'Driving out' is a term with a harsh ring. Psychologically, this was one of the most difficult actions we undertook. The population of Lod did not leave willingly. There was no way of avoiding the use of force and warning shots in order to make the inhabitants march the 10 to 15 miles to the point where they met up with the legion. "The inhabitants of Ramle watched and learned the lesson. Their leaders agreed to evacuate voluntarily, on condition that the evacuation was carried out by vehicles. Buses took them to Latrun, and from there, they were evacuated by the legion. "Great suffering was inflicted upon the men taking part in the eviction action. Soldiers of the Yiftach brigade included youth-movement graduates, who had been inculcated with values such as international brotherhood and humaneness. The eviction action went beyond the concepts they were used to. "There were some fellows who refused to take part in the expulsion action. Prolonged propaganda activities were required after the action, to remove the bitterness of these youth-movement groups, and explain why we were obliged to undertake such a harsh and cruel action." Mr. Rabin's account does not differ markedly from others. In "O Jerusalem", Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre described "a calculated Israeli policy" to drive people from their homes, and they confirmed reports from some survivors that many elderly people and small children died in the overpowering heat during the forced march. [...] Part B: [Quoting Yigal Allon:] "With all my respect for Rabin during the war of independence, I was his commander and my knowledge of the facts is therefore more accurate. I did not ask the late Ben-Gurion for permission to expel the population of Lydda. I did not receive such permission and did not give such orders." Part C: [from the Palmach archives:] Dani HQ to Yiftah Brigade, 13.30 hours, 12 July 1948: 1. The inhabitants of Lydda must be expelled quickly without attention to age. They should be directed towards Beit Nabala. Yiftah must determine the method and inform Dani HQ and 8th Brigade HQ. 2. Implement immediately. [A similar order for Ramle also exists.] Sources: A. New York Times, October 23, 1979, page A3. B. New York Times, October 25, 1979, page A8. C. B. Morris, Operation Dani and the Palestinian Exodus from Lydda and Ramle in 1948, The Middle East Journal, 40 (1986) 82-109.