The Surafend Massacre / مجزرة صرفند
UnMonumental
On 10 December 1918 Australian, New Zealand and British soldiers invaded the Palestinian village of Sarafand al-Amar and massacred Palestinian civilians.
During World War I, The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) — under command of the British Empire — invaded the Turkish Ottoman Empire in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine.
In early December 1918, the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division, which consisted of Australian light horse, New Zealand mounted rifle and British horse artillery regiments, were encamped near Sarafand al-Amar near Yaffa in Palestine.
On the night of 9 December 1918, Leslie Lowry, a New Zealand soldier who was asleep in his tent in the military camp, had his kitbag stolen. Lowry pursued the intruder. In the ensuing struggle he was shot in the chest and died.
The murderer was never identified and there were only three pieces of evidence: footprints in the sand, a hat and the bullet – identified as shot from an Ottoman colt pistol. There was no conclusive evidence that the murderer of Leslie Lowry was from the nearby village of Sarafand al-Amar.
The next day, on 10 December 1918, 200 Australian, New Zealand and British soldiers attacked Sarafand al-Amar.
The men were executed with bayonets, axe handles and sharpened sticks. Their bodies were thrown down a well until it was full. The village of Sarafand al-Amar was burnt to the ground.
The ANZACs then attacked a nearby Palestinian Bedouin camp, killing a number of people and setting fire to their homes.
An estimated 40–100 Palestinians were murdered by the ANZACs that day.
In the aftermath of the Surafend Massacre, even the British military officer Edmund Allenby was disgusted by the Australian and New Zealand soldiers, condemning them as ‘a lot of cowards and murderers’. However, not a single soldier was charged for the massacre.
The Surafend massacre is generally downplayed by Australian, New Zealand and British sources. It is referred to as the Surafend ‘incident’ or the Surafend ‘affair’.
The Australian government continues to celebrate the light horsemen as brave and heroic.
In truth, the light horsemen were imperialist war criminals. Their crimes include participation in the invasion and theft of Palestine.
Today, Palestine remains under colonial occupation. The Australian government continues to support and legitimise the occupier.
REFERENCES
https://www.smh.com.au/national/massacre-that-stained-the-light-horse-20090723-dux9.html
https://www.smh.com.au/national/anzacs-atrocity-had-to-be-done-digger-20090724-dw5x.html
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/anzac-troops-kill-arab-civilians-surafend