58-659: (Redirected from Hama Massacre ) Hama massacre may refer to: 1925 Hama uprising during the Great Syrian Revolt 1964 Hama riot During the Islamist uprising in Syria : 1981 Hama massacre 1982 Hama massacre During the Syrian civil war : Al-Qubeir massacre (also known as the 2012 Hama massacre) 2023 Islamic State attack on Hama (Syria) Topics referred to by
116-686: A Jewish settlement deep in ALA territory. Although he deployed armored cars and a battery of 75 mm artillery to support the ALA infantry, his troops suffered from lack of artillery ammunition and host of other deficiencies. The opposing Golani Twelfth Battalion withstood the attack, inflicting heavy losses on the ALA. The battle ended on 18 July, with the ALA losing the Arab village of Lubiya, which had been their main base in Central Eastern Galilee. The ALA established control of upper central Galilee , from
174-510: A lot of British soldiers killed in that kind of operation." Inside Mandatory Palestine , al-Qawuqji commanded a few thousand armed men who had infiltrated the area. They were grouped into several regiments concentrated in Galilee and around Nablus. According to Collins and Lapierre, Al-Qawuqji told his troops that the purpose was "ridding Palestine of the Zionist plague", and his aim was "to drive all
232-601: A trusted connection. Al-Qawuqji's membership in the French Mandatory army allowed for him to keep track of the routines and activities of the French command in Hama. His party also had the support of large segments of Hama's inhabitants, many of whom were members, while the French lacked any local sympathy. In the months preceding the uprising in Hama, al-Qawuqji had been fostering close ties with Hama's religious leaders, local Bedouin ,
290-455: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages 1925 Hama uprising [REDACTED] France The 1925 Hama uprising was one of the major events of the Great Syrian Revolt . It involved a rebel assault led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji against Mandatory French security installations in Hama and a subsequent uprising by residents sympathetic to
348-722: The 1948 Palestine War . Fawzi al-Qawuqji was born in 1890 into a Turkmen family in the city of Tripoli , which was then part of the Ottoman Empire . He was the son of Abd al-Majid al-Qawuqji, who served in the Ottoman Army, and Fatima al-Rifa'i. He was the great-grandson of the Lebanese Muslim scholar and jurist Abu al-Mahasin al-Qawuqji . In 1912, he graduated from the military academy in Istanbul. Gilbert Achcar has described him as "Arab nationalism's leading military figure in
406-500: The Allenby Bridge on March 6 and 7, leading hundreds of Arab and Bosnian volunteers in a column of twenty-five trucks. The British troops' inaction infuriated General Sir Gordon MacMillan, who stated that al-Qawuqji should not be allowed "to go openly rampaging over territory in which Britain considered herself a sovereign power." General MacMillan did not want to confront al-Qawuqji's force, however, since he saw "no point in getting
464-517: The French Army to join the rebellion, leading the uprising in Hama in early October 1925. al-Qawuqji remained an outlaw thereafter. Shakib Arslan brought al-Qawuqji to the Hejaz to help train the army of Saudi monarch Abdul-Aziz . Al-Qawuqji relates that he was unimpressed with Abdul-Aziz, depicting him as self-infatuated and suspicious, who disappointingly attempted to justify his collaboration with
522-693: The Nablus – Tulkaram – Jenin triangle until the end of October. His title was "Supreme Commander of the Arab Revolution in South-Syrian Palestine". His troops managed to shoot down several RAF warplanes near Tulkaram in September. The military performance of al-Qawuqji's troops became hampered by internal dissensions and animosity between him and Grand Mufti Husseini, the Arab Higher Committee , and
580-780: The Sakhnin –Arabe– Deir Hanna line through Majd al-Krum up to the Lebanese border until October 1948. On 22 October, the date of the third UN Security Council cease-fire order, the ALA attacked Sheikh Abd, a hilltop overlooking Kibbutz Manara and put the kibbutz under siege. Al-Qawuqji told the UN observers that he demanded depopulation of nearby Kibbutz Yiftah forces, and a diminution of Haganah (Israeli) forces in Manara. The Haganah responded by demanding that ALA withdraw from its positions. Al-Qawuqji rejected these counter-demands. The Haganah then informed
638-763: The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine vote go the wrong way, "we will have to initiate total war. We will murder, wreck and ruin everything standing in our way, be it English, American, or Jewish". After the UN Partition vote, the Arab League appointed him to be field commander of the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) in the 1948 Palestine War. This appointment was opposed by Haj Amin Husseini, who had appointed his own kinsman Abdul Qadir al-Husseini as
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#1732855031995696-662: The 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, the two men subsequently reached a rapprochement. Al-Qawuqji followed the Mufti from Lebanon to Iraq in October 1939, along with other members of the Mufti's entourage, including Jamal al-Husayni , Rafiq al-Tamimi , and Sheikh Hasan Salama . Al-Qawuqji became the Mufti's military advisor in the 'Arab Committee' that Haj Amin Husseini formed in Baghdad. Husseini's group, including, al-Qawuqji, played critical roles in
754-502: The Arabs at Sunium. In July 1941, al-Qawuqji wrote a memorandum addressed to General Felmy. This memorandum's subject was the need for German–Arab alliance in Iraq, and included discussions of geography, desert warfare, and combined propaganda efforts directed against Jews. Al-Qawuqji was officially transferred to Sonderstab F after he was fully recovered from the wounds he received fighting against
812-521: The Axis foot-dragging over support for Arab nationalist goals. He opposed incorporating Arab units into the Axis armed forces, since he preferred their formation into an independent Arab nationalist army. In May 1942, after the Axis powers signed secret documents to support the Arab nationalists, al-Qawuqji expressed dissatisfaction with the results, commenting that they were "just symbolic and not an agreement". He
870-459: The Axis powers, including the two competing leaders of the pro-Nazi Arab factions, Grand Mufti Husseini and former Iraqi Prime Minister Rashid Ali al-Gaylani . In June 1941, Wehrmacht High Führer Directive No. 30 and the "Instructions for Special Staff F " (Sonderstab F) designated the Wehrmacht's central agency for all issues that affected the Arab world. General der Flieger Hellmuth Felmy , who
928-679: The British in Iraq, al-Qawuqji was transported to Vichy French -held Syria, and then made his way to Nazi Germany . He remained in Germany for the remainder of World War II, recuperated from his wounds, and married a German woman named Anneliese Müller. Al-Qawuqji's sojourn in Germany has been the subject of considerable controversy. Gilbert Achcar recounts stories of conflicts during his Berlin period: In his memoirs, he tells how, during his stay in hospital, he came under heavy pressure from German civilian and military officials to declare his allegiance to
986-608: The British in Iraq. Gen. Felmy's memoirs (written after the war when he was a prisoner of the allies and published by the US Army) mention the political conflicts between the 'chieftains' (Grand Mufti Husseini and former Iraqi Prime Minister Rashid Ali) among Arabs receiving military training in Greece, and their consequent contact with al-Qawuqji. He consistently campaigned for the formation of an independent Arab nationalist army that would fight as German allies, rather than incorporate Arabs under
1044-668: The British. In 1936, al-Qawuqji began fighting the British in Mandatory Palestine in actions that would become known as the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine . He represented the Iraqi Society for the Defense of Palestine , which was separate from forces under the control of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Husseini . Al-Qawuqji resigned his commission in the Iraqi army and his position at
1102-519: The German Iron Cross, second class, for his bravery in the battle around Nabi Samwil . The book O Jerusalem! claims he fought alongside General Otto von Kreiss's Prussian unit during this period. Al-Qawuqji conducted infiltrations behind British lines to report back directly to General Otto Liman von Sanders , and in his operations, he served as special assistant to a cavalry officer, a certain von Leyser. When his loyalty as an Ottoman officer
1160-493: The German command structure. On 4 September 1941 al-Qawuqji told a comrade in Syria "I will come with Arab and German troops to help you." In 1945, he was captured by Soviet forces, and reportedly held prisoner until February 1947. In 1947 al-Qawuqji traveled to Egypt, via France, and proclaimed that he was "at the disposition of the Arab people should they call on [him] to take up arms again." In August he threatened that, should
1218-449: The German language in a few months in a way that has amazed everyone. The Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I. Al-Qawuqji supported the independence of the short-lived Arab Kingdom of Syria . In 1920, he fought at the Battle of Maysalun , serving in the army of King Faisal as a captain ( ra'is khayyal ) in a squadron commanded by Taha al-Hashimi . After the unsuccessful outcome of
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#17328550319951276-612: The Ghouta, but after the imprisonment and exile of hundreds of nationalist leaders, including al-Qawuqji and al-Atrash, the death of al-Kharrat and the defection of al-Shallash, the rebels were largely defeated by 26 November. Sporadic fighting in Hama as well as Jabal al-Arab continued until 1927. 35°8′0″N 36°46′7″E / 35.13333°N 36.76861°E / 35.13333; 36.76861 Fawzi al-Qawuqji Fawzi al-Qawuqji (sometimes spelled Fauzi el-Kaukji - Arabic : فوزي القاوقجي ; 19 January 1890 – 5 June 1977)
1334-466: The Jews into the sea." Historian Shay Hazkani disagrees, writing that ALA propaganda contains no mention of genocidal threats such as pushing Jews into the sea. In April 1948, the ALA mounted a major attack on the kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek which sat near the strategic road that connected Haifa to Jenin , and was surrounded by Arab villages. On 4 April, al-Qawuqji initiated the first use of artillery during
1392-535: The Jordanian archives. The Haganah and Palmach counter-attacked and the ALA were routed. The battle was over by 16 April, and most of the Arabs in the area fled, disheartened by the defeat of the ALA or demoralized by the Jewish victory. The remaining minority were expelled from the surrounding Arab villages by Jewish forces. In July, al-Qawuqji launched a rolling offensive of counterattacks, focusing on Ilaniya (Sejera),
1450-413: The Mufti's kinsman Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni , who commanded forces that were active in the area around Jerusalem. After a ceasefire had been agreed to on 12 October 1936, the British ordered their troops to desist from hunting him. al-Qawuqji in turn issued an order saying he would personally impose severe penalties on any Arab who opened fire on British soldiers. He was proud of his military achievements in
1508-538: The Royal Military College to lead approximately fifty armed guerrillas into Mandatory Palestine. In June he contacted Fritz Grobba , who was acting as German ambassador to Iraq. This was probably al-Qawuqji's first encounter with a representative of Nazi Germany. In August, he commanded about 200 volunteers, consisting of Iraqis, Syrians, Druze and Palestinians whom he organized into four reinforced platoons, each with an intelligence unit attached, operating in
1566-523: The United Nations that in view of al-Qawuqji's actions it did not feel encumbered by the UN's cease-fire order, and on 24 October launched Operation Hiram . Historian Benny Morris concludes that although the Israelis had planned for Operation Hiram, they might not have launched this campaign without the justification provided by al-Qawuqji's military provocations. The ALA were driven from their positions, and
1624-524: The area between Rutbah and Ramadi. He established a reputation as bold fighter. He was also known to either execute or mutilate his prisoners. After the Rashid Ali regime collapsed, al-Qawuqji and his irregular forces were targeted for destruction by the Mercol flying column and were chased out of Iraq. While still in Iraq, a British plane strafed and almost killed him. After suffering serious wounds fighting
1682-558: The battle, but al-Qawuqji and his men arrived too late. Following massive aerial and ground bombardment of the city, resulting in thousands of deaths and wide scale destruction, French forces retook Damascus. The commander of the French garrison in Damascus reportedly "wished the Damascenes would give France a chance of dealing with them as the Hama rebels had been dealt with." In the following months rebels continued their guerrilla campaign in
1740-649: The campaign to establish the Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria became a French Mandate . Al-Qawuqji then joined the Syrian Legion (also known as the French-Syrian Army ) which had been created by the French mandatory authorities. Al-Qawuqji received formal training at the French École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr . He became commander of a cavalry squadron in Hama . During the rebellion of 1925–1927 , he deserted
1798-612: The captured saray , and negotiated an end to the bombardment. In return, the city's notables agreed to convince the rebels to withdraw from the city. By the end of the day, al-Barazi persuaded al-Qawuqji to depart with his men. The uprising and the subsequent bombardment ended with the deaths 344 Syrians, mostly civilians, according to a petition by the city's residents to the League of Nations. The authorities countered that only 76 people were killed, all of them rebels. However, French intelligence documented more than 100 Syrian deaths. Al-Qawuqji
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1856-479: The city from sunrise the following morning, 5 October, until the early afternoon. The bulk of French ground forces had been concentrated in Jabal al-Arab at the time. Most of Hama's souks ("bazaars") and numerous homes of leading city notables were consequently destroyed. Meanwhile, two companies of French reinforcements from Rayak and Aleppo were rushed to dislodge the rebels. French authorities had also mobilized
1914-404: The city, cutting off its telephone lines, blocking its main thoroughfares and assaulting the government palace ( saray ). In their attack against the saray , the rebels captured several French officers who had not fled and released prisoners being held in the compound. The city had fallen to al-Qawuqji's forces by 11:30 pm. In response, French forces commenced a heavy aerial bombardment of
1972-506: The city, word had spread and rebel groups emerged across the country. Particularly in Damascus, its environs and the Ghouta countryside, relatively autonomous insurgent groups increased their guerrilla efforts against the French Army. According to al-Qawuqji, who continued to foment rebellion in villages across Syria, "The gates of Syria's fields were opened before us for revolt." He boasted about
2030-609: The commander of the Army of the Holy War . The execution of the 1948 Palestine War was marked by the personal, family, and political rivalry between al-Qawuqji (who fought mainly in northern Palestine) and al-Husayni, who fought mostly in the Jerusalem area. In early March 1948, al-Qawuqji moved some of his forces from the Damascus area and crossed (unmolested by British troops) into Palestine over
2088-474: The events in Ḥamâh. The prestige of France is vastly increased ..." After withdrawing, al-Qawuqji and his forces regrouped with Ramadan al-Shallash , a rebel leader from Deir ez-Zor , who had just arrived from British-controlled Transjordan . The revolt in Hama was the first major confrontation between rebels and French troops outside of the Hauran and although press censorship officially blocked news of events in
2146-483: The failure of French intelligence and how the "cunning" of the Arabs triumphed over that of France. On 18 October rebels under the leadership of Hasan al-Kharrat and Nasib al-Bakri led a major rebel assault against French troops based in Damascus, occupying the city and capturing the Azm Palace , which served as the residence of the new high-commissioner, General Maurice Sarrail . Al-Shallash managed to participate in
2204-473: The field, which he considered instrumental in bringing Britain to the negotiating table. Both the British and Haj Amin considered him a threat. With the assistance of 5,000 local villagers, and the connivance of British authorities, on orders from London, who refrained from acting on their intelligence, and had vacated the area, interdicting attempts to intercept him, he crossed the Jordan River with his troops on
2262-570: The führer. He even had an altercation with an SS officer who proffered threats when al-Qawuqji insisted that Germany first formally acknowledge the Arab's right to independence. The next day, his son died of poisoning. Al-Qawuqji, convinced that the Nazis had murdered the young man, refused to take part in the funeral they organized. Achcar reports that al-Qawuqji was as bewildered by rivalries between competing Arab leaders (Grand Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini and exiled Iraqi former Prime Minister Rashid Ali) as by
2320-629: The interwar period ... served as a commander in all the Arab national battles of the period." He served as a captain (Yuzbashi) in the 12th Ottoman corps garrison in Mosul, and in several battles during the First World War, including at Qurna in Iraq and at Beersheba in Ottoman Palestine. He was decorated with the Ottoman Majidi Medal for his role in these battles. He was also awarded
2378-510: The latter assumed authority over the country. In 1920 France gained control of Syria under the auspices of a mandate by the League of Nations , a move largely rejected by the general population. Syria was divided into six autonomous entities, including the State of Damascus and Jabal Druze State . Tensions between the French authorities and the leaders of Jabal al-Druze began to surface from 1922 and in
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2436-482: The merchants and the police, encouraging them to join in a holy war against the French and promising them to divide the riches of the government's offices and banks, which he claimed had been stolen from the Syrian people. The city's landlords also lent their support to al-Qawuqji due to their opposition to planned French land reforms. Despite al-Qawuqji's apparently wide scale campaign promoting rebellion, French intelligence
2494-520: The mid-summer of 1925, the Druze leader Sultan Pasha al-Atrash declared an uprising against the French Mandate after the imprisonment of three prominent Druze leaders who were invited to Damascus for talks with the authorities. After a number of significant military successes against the French Army , Syrian nationalists throughout the country were inspired to take up arms. One of those nationalists who
2552-452: The night of 25/26 October into Transjordan. In November 1936, the leading Sheikhs of Bani Sakhr , Mithqal Al-Fayez and Haditha Al-Khraisha , accompanied Fawzi Al-Qawuqji, Supreme Commander of the Arab Revolution in South-Syrian Palestine, through the desert to ensure his safe journey. A few weeks later he returned to Iraq. Although al-Qawuqji and Grand Mufti al-Husseini had periods of considerable friction and discord, particularly during
2610-500: The organization. Hama itself was far more outwardly religious compared to Damascus . Following the Druze assault against the French Army at al-Musayfirah , al-Qawuqji sent emissaries to al-Atrash to notify him of the strength of his Hama-based forces, request that al-Atrash maintain the pressure against French troops in the Hauran , and to establish oral communication between their forces via
2668-520: The pro-Axis coup. His frequently demonstrated prowess won him fame among the Arab population and the esteem of Haj Amin Husseini. His popular following, however, was not altogether to the Mufti's liking. He was prominent in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Rashid Ali coup of 1941 and, during the subsequent Anglo-Iraqi War , he again fought against the British. Al-Qawuqji led approximately 500 "irregulars" in
2726-540: The rebel cause. Heavy French bombardment of the city and the dispatch of reinforcements followed. The hostilities began on 4 October 1925 and negotiations between a delegation of Hama's leading families and the French authorities resulted in the rebels' withdrawal on 5 October. In 1918, during World War I , the Ottoman Turks were driven out of Syria by the Allied Forces and their Hashemite Arab allies, after which
2784-536: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Hama massacre . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hama_massacre&oldid=1219425949 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Massacres in Syria Military history of Hama Hidden categories: Short description
2842-413: The support of the rural landlords against Hama's urban and tribal nationalist leaders. Hama's major landowning families, who had initially supported al-Qawuqji's plans for revolt, feared further destruction to their property. Represented by mayor Najib al-Barazi and Farid al-Azm, the head of the city's most influential family al-Azm , they broke rebel ranks and met with Eugène Coustillère, the commander of
2900-478: The time, was "known for its Islamic conservatism and fierce opposition to French rule," according to historian Michael Provence. Together with members of the city's religious establishment, al-Qawuqji formed the Hizb Allah ("Party of God"), an outfit for anti-French activity. The party, according to al-Qawuqji, was devoted to nationalism and independence from France, but there was also an apparent religious character to
2958-466: The war by directing his seven 75 and 105 mm field guns to fire on the kibbutz for a 36-hour barrage. During this battle al-Qawuqji issued a number of announcements that were subsequently proven false. In the first 24-hours he announced victory, on 8 April he announced he had taken Mishmar HaEmek, and after the battle was lost he claimed the Jews had been assisted by non-Jewish Soviet troops and bombers. Copies of these mendacious telegrams are preserved in
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#17328550319953016-639: Was a Lebanese-born Arab nationalist military figure in the interwar period . He served briefly in Palestine in 1936 fighting the British Mandatory suppression of the Palestinian Revolt . A political decision by the British enabled him to flee the country in 1937. He was a colonel in the Nazi Wehrmacht during World War II , and served as the Arab Liberation Army (ALA) field commander during
3074-451: Was appointed central authority for all Arab affairs concerning the Wehrmacht under the terms of this "Directive No. 30", wrote about al-Qawuqji's 'active interest' and support of the military training of Arabs by the Nazis: Thus a number of the volunteers had already secretly contacted Fauzi Kaikyi, the Syrian army leader. After his escape by plane from the British, Fauzi had established himself in Berlin and begun to take an active interest in
3132-462: Was awarded the rank of a colonel of the Wehrmacht (German Army), and given a captain to act as his aide, along with a chauffeured car, and an apartment near the clinic at Hansa. His expenses were paid by Wehrmacht High Command and by Rashid Ali's Foreign Minister. The Germans used al-Qawuqji's name and reputation extensively in their propaganda. In Germany, al-Qawuqji continued to oppose the Allies in cooperation with other Arabs who were allied with
3190-409: Was charged with high treason and sentenced to death in absentia while 355 people from Hama were detained by the authorities. Property damage included the destruction of 115 shops, two souks , 144 homes, including several villas. On 10 October the French newspaper Bulletin de Renseignements proclaimed "... the excellent impression produced by the energetic manner in which order was restored during
3248-405: Was particularly impressed by the actions of al-Atrash's men was Fawzi al-Qawuqji , a veteran soldier from the Ottoman army who fought against the Italian occupation of Libya and later against the Allied forces in Syria. In 1925 he served as a cavalry commander for the French Syrian Legion . The city of Hama , which was part of the State of Damascus and was third largest city in Syria at
3306-469: Was questioned because of his Arab origins, von Leyser wrote a letter in his defense, which states: This is to confirm that First Lieutenant Fawzi Bey served with me in his capacity as companion and aide from 1/3/16 until 12/5/17. I can testify to the fact that he offered outstanding service to his country during this period and distinguished himself with unusual energy and experience. (H)e is of good character and intelligent and perceptive, and he has perfected
3364-408: Was unaware of an impending uprising. On 4 October, at 7:00 pm, al-Qawuqji commanded the mutiny of his entire cavalry unit and together with irregulars from the nomadic Mawali tribe, his forces numbered in the hundreds. According to Provence, al-Qawuqji had the local "Syrian Legion, several hundred bedouin tribesmen and the entire population of Hama behind him." The rebels proceeded to occupy
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