Figure 1.-- This photograph of the village of Iraq Manshiya neat Ghaza. The Israelis as the fighting shifted cut off an besieged an Egyptian Army brigade in the villages of Iraq Manshia and Faluja. Negotiations taking place on Rhodes Island between the Arabs and Israelis resulted in a cease fire. The greement transferred the villages to Israeli control. The besiged Egyptians were allowed, but had to take village residents with them to the agreed Gaza enclave (April 1949). A Palestinian source Arab source provides a little different take. صوره نادره لقرية عراق المنشية غرب مدينة الخليل وقد حاصرت قوات الاحتلال الاسرائيلي الجيش المصري بقيادة جمال عبد الناصر في قرى عراق المنشية والفالوجة وقد جرت مفاوضات في جزيرة رودس بين الجيش المصري وجيش الاحتلال الاسرائيلي تمخضت عن اتفاق يقضي برفع الحصار عن الجيش المصري وفتح طريق امن له للانتقال الى مدينة غزة وكان من بنود الاتفاق ترحيل سكان القريتين في شهر نيسان عام ١٩٤٩ That means something like, "A rare photo of the village of Iraq Manshiya west of Hebron The Israeli occupation forces besieged the Egyptian army led by Gamal Abdel Nasser in the villages of Iraq, Manshia and Faluja. Negotiations took place on Rhodes Island between the Egyptian army and the Israeli occupation army resulted in an agreement to lift the siege on the Egyptian army To the city of Gaza was one of the terms of the agreement to deport the residents of the villages in April of 1949."

Population transfers are nearly as old as history. The great empires of ancient hustory (Assuruan, Babylonian, Persian, Roman, and others) used population transfers as an important element of imperial policy. Both the Assyrians and Baylonians moved Jews out of Palestine. There are countless other examples in history. The Turks simply kille the Armenians to get them out of the way (1915). Following the Gerco-Turish War (1921-22) there were population transfers with the Turks moving the Christians out of Anatolia where thy had lived for three millenia. There were smller numbers of Turks moved our of Greek areas. This was a major aspect of Soviet policy. before, during, and after Workld War II. Agter the War, Germas were moved out of Eastern Europe and there was a huge transfer of Muslims and Hindus in India. We think there were fewer population transfer in the Arab-Isreali War. We know there were some. Several kibutzes in the West Bank were seized by the Arab Legion. Conbatants and civilians were taken prioner and held at camps in Trans Jordan. The Israelies also surrounded some towns held by the Egyptian Army. As part of the truce ending the fighting, the Egyptians were allowed to return to Egypt, but they had to take the civilians with them. We are unable to quantify exchanges like these at this time. The Israelis did not allow the Palestinians to return after the War, nor did the Arabs allow the Israelis to return to their homes on the West Bank.

Created: 4:25 AM 11/6/2017
Last updated: 4:25 AM 11/6/2017