"To the Arabs of al-Tira" – Airborne Leaflet in Arabic – The Israeli War of Independence, 1948 – "If You Want to ...

"To the Arabs of al-Tira" – Airborne Leaflet in Arabic – The Israeli War of Independence, 1948 – "If You Want to Prevent a Nakba, to Avoid Disaster and to be Saved from Certain Doom, Surrender"
An airborne leaflet dropped over the Arab village of al-Tira (الطيرة), presumably just before it was conquered during the "Ten Day Battles". [July 1948]. Arabic.
The leaflet sharply threatens the residents of the village: "To the Arabs of al-Tira, the next few hours are crucial: your destiny is in your own hands… we call upon you to turn in the foreign gang members and the weapons in your possession to the Israeli army… be advised that the sword will be held to your throat mercilessly and without compassion… be advised that our airplanes, tanks and mortars will crush your village to dust, shell your houses, break your backs, rip you out by the root… If you want to prevent a Nakba, to avoid disaster and to be saved from certain doom, surrender". [Presumably, this is one of the first texts to use the word "Nakba" to describe the events of 1948. See: Omar Ghobari (عم الغباري), "Remembering al-Tira/Haifa" (Hebrew), June 2012, pp. 39-42]. The broadside is signed in print: "The Headquarters of the Israeli Army".
The village of al-Tira, also known as Tirat al-Carmel or Tirat al-Lawz was the largest Arab village in the district of Haifa until the Israeli War of Independence. In July 1948, during the Battles of the Ten Days, the village was conquered by IDF forces and its Arab residents were expelled to nearby settlements.
Approx. 23.5X31 cm. Good-fair condition. Fold lines and minor blemishes. Some tears and open tears to edges (one of the tears, slightly affecting text, is reinforced with tape). Numbered by hand on the margins. Handwriting on verso (Hebrew).