Irgun (Hebrew: ארגון‎; shorthand for HaIrgun HaTzva'i HaLe'umi BeEretz Yisra'el, הארגון הצבאי הלאומי בארץ ישראל, "National Military Organization in the Land of Israel") was a militant Zionist group that operated in Palestine between 1931 and 1948. History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement It was established as a militant offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah (Hebrew: "The Defense", ההגנה). PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force but which are not regarded as having the same status Haganah ( Hebrew: "The Defense" ההגנה was a Jewish Paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine For secrecy reasons, people often referred to the Irgun, during that time, as Haganah Bet (Hebrew: literally "Defense 'B' " or "Second Defense", or alternatively as הגנה ב), Haganah Ha'leumit (ההגנה הלאומית) or Ha'ma'amad (המעמד). In present day Israel, Irgun is commonly referred to as Etzel (אצ"ל), an acronym of the Hebrew initials.

The Irgun was the armed expression of the nascent ideology of Revisionist Zionism founded by Ze'ev Jabotinsky. Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement Ze'ev Jabotinsky MBE (זאב ז'בוטינסקי Зеэв Жаботинский born Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky on 18 October 1880 He expressed this ideology as "every Jew had the right to enter Palestine; only active retaliation would deter the Arabs and the British; only Jewish armed force would ensure the Jewish state". PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[1] Initially, a central part of their efforts included attacks against Palestinian Arabs,^[2] but it increasingly shifted to attacks against the British. Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn Some of the better-known attacks by Irgun were the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on 22 July 1946 and the Deir Yassin massacre (accomplished together with the Stern Gang) on 9 April 1948. The King David Hotel bombing was a deadly bomb strike by the Irgun, a Militant Zionist group on the headquarters of the British Mandatory The Deir Yassin massacre was the killing of between 107 and 120 villagers the estimate generally accepted by scholars during and possibly after the battle at the village of Lehi ('lɛxi Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel" לח"י - לוחמי חירות In the West, Irgun was described as a terrorist organization by The New York Times newspaper,^[3][4] and by the Anglo-American Committee of Enquiry. ^[5] Irgun attacks prompted a formal declaration from the World Zionist Congress in 1946, which strongly condemned "the shedding of innocent blood as a means of political warfare". The World Zionist Organization ( Hebrew: ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization ( Hebrew ^[6]

Irgun was a political predecessor to Israel's right-wing Herut (or "Freedom") party, which led to today's Likud party. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities This article is about the political party For other uses see Herut (disambiguation. Likud (ליכוד lit Consolidation) is the major centre-right political party in Israel. Likud has led or been part of most Israeli governments since 1977.

Irgun Commanders

Supreme Commander 1937-1940: Ze'ev Jabotinsky 1931-1937: Avraham Tehomi 1937: Robert Bitker [3] 1937-1938: Moshe Rosenberg [4] 1938-1941: David Raziel[7] 1941-1943: Yaakov Meridor 1943-1948: Menachem Begin

Contents 1 Nature of the Movement 1.1 Structure, command, insignia 2 Prior to World War II 2.1 Founding 2.2 Under Tehomi's command 2.3 The first split 2.4 Illegal Aliyah 2.5 End of restraint 2.6 Increase in operations 2.6.1 During the same period 2.7 First operations against the British 3 During World War II 3.1 The second split 3.2 Towards a change of policy 4 The "Revolt" 4.1 Struggle against the British 4.2 Underground exiles 4.3 Hunting Season 4.4 The Jewish Resistance Movement 4.5 Independent struggle against the British 4.6 The Acre Prison break 4.7 The Sergeants affair 5 The 1948 Palestine War 5.1 Additional information 6 Views about Irgun 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links 10 See also

Nature of the Movement

Members of the Irgun came mostly from Beitar and from the Revisionist Party both in Palestine and abroad. Ze'ev Jabotinsky MBE (זאב ז'בוטינסקי Зеэв Жаботинский born Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky on 18 October 1880 Avraham Tehomi (born as 'Silberg' 1903-1990 was a noted Israel independence fighter and a key figure in the history of the Hebrew National Military Organization. David Raziel ( December 19, 1910 - May 20, 1941) was a fighter of the Jewish underground during the British mandate, and Yaakov Meridor (יעקב מרידור born Yaakov Viniarsky on 29 September 1913, died 30 June 1995) was a Revisionist (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel The Betar Movement (בית"ר also spelled Beitar) is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement The Revisionist Movement made up a popular backing for the underground organization. Ze'ev Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism, was the commander of the organization until he died. Ze'ev Jabotinsky MBE (זאב ז'בוטינסקי Зеэв Жаботинский born Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky on 18 October 1880 He formulated the general realm of operation, regarding Restraint and the end thereof, and was the inspiration for the organization overall. Ha'Havlagah (ההבלגה "The Restraint" was a strategic policy used by the Haganah members with regard to actions taken against Arab groups who were attacking An additional major source of idealogical inspiration was the poetry of Uri Zvi Greenberg. Uri Zvi Greenberg (אורי צבי גרינברג born 22 September 1896, died 8 May 1981) was an Israeli writer and politician The symbol of the organization, with the motto רק כך (Only Thus), alongside a hand holding a rifle in the foreground of all of mandatory Palestine (both sides of the Jordan River), symbolized the striving for Hebrew independence over the entire land of Israel, to be achieved only by the power of Hebrew weapons. This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia

The number of members of the Irgun varied from a few hundred to a few thousand. Most of its members were people who accepted the organization's command, under which they carried out various operations and filled positions, largely in contrast to British law. Most of them were "ordinary" people, who held regular jobs, and only a few dozens worked full time in the Irgun.

The Irgun disagreed with the policy of the Yishuv and with the World Zionist Organization, both with regard to strategy and basic ideology and with regard to PR and military tactics, such as use of force for Zionist ends, attitude towards the Arabs during the riots, and relations with the British mandatory government. Yishuv (ישוב literally "settlement" or Ha-Yishuv (the Yishuv הישוב or the full term הישוב היהודי בארץ ישראל Hayishuv Hayehudi The World Zionist Organization ( Hebrew: ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization ( Hebrew Therefore the Irgun tended to ignore the decisions made by the Zionist leadership and the Yishuv's institutions. This fact caused the elected bodies not to recognize the independent organization, and during most of the time of its existence the organization was seen as irresponsible, and its actions thus worthy of thwarting. Therefore the Irgun accompanied its armed operations with public relations campaigns, in order to convince the public of the Irgun's way and the problems with the official political leadership of the Yishuv. The Irgun put out numerous advertisements, an underground newspaper and even ran the first independent Hebrew radio station - Kol Zion HaLochemet. Kol TSion HaLokhemet (or Kol Zion Halohemet Hebrew: קול ציון הלוחמת voice of fighting Zion) was the underground radio station of the

Structure, command, insignia

As an underground organization, members did not normally call it by its name, rather used other names. In the first years of its existence it was known primarily as "ההגנה הלאומית" (the National Haganah), and also by names such as "Irgun Bet", "Haganah Bet", the "Parallel Organization" and the "Rightwing Organization". Later on it was most widely known as "המעמד" (the Stand). The anthem adopted by the Irgun was "Anonymous Soldiers",^[8] written by Avraham (Yair) Stern who was at the time a commander in the Irgun. Later on Stern defected from the Irgun and founded Lehi, and the song became the anthem of the Lehi. Lehi ('lɛxi Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel" לח"י - לוחמי חירות The Irgun's new anthem then became the third verse of the "Beitar Song", by Ze'ev Jabotinsky.

In August 1933 a "Supervisory Committee" for the Irgun was established, which included representatives from most of the Zionist political parties. The members of this committee were Meir Grossman (of the Hebrew State Party), Rabbi Meir Bar Ilan (of the Mizrachi Party, either Immanuel Neumann or Yehoshua Supersky (of the General Zionists) and Ze'ev Jabotinsky or Eliyahu Ben Horin (of Hatzohar). Meir Berlin, later Hebraized to Meir Bar-Ilan, (1880-1949 born Volozhin, Lithuania, died Jerusalem, Israel) was an Orthodox The Mizrachi (המזרחי HaMizrahi, an acronym for Merkaz Ruhani lit The General Zionists (ציונים כלליים Tzionim Klalim) were centrists within the Zionist movement and a political party in Israel Ze'ev Jabotinsky MBE (זאב ז'בוטינסקי Зеэв Жаботинский born Vladimir Yevgenyevich Zhabotinsky on 18 October 1880 Hatzohar (הצה"ר an acronym for HaTzionim HaRevizionistim (הציונים הרוויזיוניסטים lit The committee was in charge of the Irgun until 1937, when the movement split yet again. From that point on, the Irgun was under Jabotinsky's command. After his death ties were formed between the Irgun and the New Zionist Organization. The New Zionist Organization was an attempt by the Revisionist Zionist movement to establish a rival to the Zionist Organization. These ties were broken in 1944 when the Irgun declared war on the British government.

Within the Irgun, Avraham Tehomi was the first to serve as "Head of the Headquarters" or "Chief Commander". Avraham Tehomi (born as 'Silberg' 1903-1990 was a noted Israel independence fighter and a key figure in the history of the Hebrew National Military Organization. Alongside Tehomi served the "Headquarters". When the movement expanded, districts were laid out within the movement. A local Irgun unit was called a "Branch". A "Brigade" in the Irgun was made up of three sections. A section was made up of two groups, at the head of each was a "Group Head", and a deputy. Later on various newer units were established, who answered to a "Center" or "Staff"). Ranks were put into use later on and were (in ascending order) Deputy, Group Head, Sergeant (for a Section), Sergeant A (Brigade), First Sergeant (Battalion); officer ranks were "Gundar" (District of Unit Commander) and First Gundar (Senior Commander). A rank of Major was awarded to the Irgun commander Yaakov Meridor and a rank of Major General (Aluf) to David Raziel. Yaakov Meridor (יעקב מרידור born Yaakov Viniarsky on 29 September 1913, died 30 June 1995) was a Revisionist David Raziel ( December 19, 1910 - May 20, 1941) was a fighter of the Jewish underground during the British mandate, and Until his death in 1940, Jabotinsky was known as the "Military Commander of the Etzel" or the "Supreme Commander".

The military nature of the organization manifested itself in two ways. First, was the execution of strict drill exercises, carrying out of ceremonies at different times, and strict attention given to discipline, formal ceremonies and military relationships between the various ranks. Another way the military nature was apparent was the organized training regime. The Irgun trained with handguns and submachine guns, hand grenade throwing, and combined attacks on targets. The Irgun put out professional publications on combat doctrine, weaponry, leadership, drill exercises, etc. Among these publications were the 240 page book "The Gun" by David Raziel and Avraham (Yair) Stern, and the 284 page book "The Compiled and Expanded Guide to Drill Exercises" by David Raziel. Up until the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939 the Haganah also made use of these guidebooks (afterwards the Haganah published its own military literature). The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine was an uprising during the British mandate by Arabs in Palestine which lasted from 1936 to 1939

Until World War II the Irgun was able to arm itself by weapons purchased in Europe, primarily Italy and Poland, and smuggled to Palestine. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Irgun also established workshops that manufactured spare parts and attachments for the weapons. Also manufactured were land mines and simple hand grenades. Another way in which the Irgun armed itself was "Confiscations" - smuggling stolen weapons from the British police and military.

Prior to World War II

Founding

The Irgun's first steps were in the aftermath of the Riots of 1929. In the summer of 1929 a long-running dispute between Muslims and Jews over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem escalated and erupted into a series of In the Jerusalem branch of the Haganah there were feelings of disappointment and internal unrest towards the leadership of the movements and the Histadrut (at that time the organization running the Haganah). Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Histadrut ("Federation" labour or HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel These feelings were a result of the view that the Haganah had failed after ten years of existence in the face of murders, violence, property vandalism and Jewish abandonment of settlements and neighborhoods in light of outlaws' violence and local Arab gangs towards Jews. Likewise, critics of the leadership spoke out against alleged failures in the amount of weapons, readiness of the movement and its policy of restraint and not fighting back. On April 10, 1931, commanders and equipment managers announced that they refuse to return weapons to the Haganah that had been issued to them earlier, prior to the Nebi Musa holiday. These weapons were later returned by the commander of the Jerusalem branch, Abraham Tehomi, aka "Gideon". However, the commanders who decided to rebel against the leadership of the Haganah relayed a message regarding their resignations to the Vaad Leumi, and thus this schism created a new independent movement.

At the helm of the new underground movement stood Abraham Tehomi, alongside other founding members who were all senior commanders in the Haganah, members of the Young Labor Party and of the Histadrut. Also among them was Eliyahu Ben Horin, an activist in the Revisionist Party. Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement This group was known as the "Odessan Gang", because they previously had been members of the Haganah Ha'Atzmit of Jewish Odessa. The new movement was named Irgun Tsvai Leumi, ("National Military Organization") in order to emphasize its active nature in contrast to the Haganah. Moreover, the organization was founded with the desire to become a true military organization and not just a militia as the Haganah was at the time.

In the autumn of that year the Jerusalem group merged with other armed groups affiliated with Beitar. The Betar Movement (בית"ר also spelled Beitar) is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in The Beitar groups' center of activity was in Tel Aviv, and they began their activity in 1928 with the establishment of "Officers and Instructors School of Beitar". Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel Students at this institutions had broken away from the Haganah earlier, for political reasons, and the new group called itself the "National Defense", הגנה הלאומית. During the riots of 1929 Beitar youth participated in the defense of Tel Aviv neighborhoods under the command of Yermiyahu Halperin, at the behest of the Tel Aviv city hall. After the riots the Tel Avivian group expanded, and was known as "The Right Wing Organization".

After the Tel Aviv expansion another branch was established in Haifa. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Towards the end of 1932 the Haganah branch of Safed also defected and joined the Irgun. Additionally, many members of the Maccabi sports association. The Maccabi World Union was created at the 12th World Jewish Congress in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia in 1921 At that time the movement's underground newsletter, Ha'Metsudah (the Tower) also began publication, expressing the active trend of the movement. The Irgun also increased its numbers by expanding draft regiments of Beitar - groups of volunteers, committed to two years of security and pioneer activities. These regiments were based in places that from which stemmed new Irgun strongholds in the many places, including the settlements of Yesod HaMa'ala, Mishmar HaYarden, Rosh Pina, Metula and Nahariya in the north; in the center - Hadera, Binyamina, Herzliya, Netanya and Kfar Sava, and south of there - Rishon LeZion, Rehovot and Ness Ziona. This article is about the existing moshav For the village destroyed in 1948 see Mishmar HaYarden Palestine. Rosh Pinna is a town ( local council) of approximately 2300 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin the Northern District Metula (מְטֻלָּה is a town in the Northern District of Israel. Nahariya (נַהֲרִיָּה is a City with an estimated population of 50000 located in Northern Israel, on the Mediterranean sea, just south Hadera (חֲדֵרָה Ḥadera الخضيرة Al-Ḫuḍayraḧ El-Khdera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately half-way between Binyamina (בִּנְיָמִינָה is a town in the Haifa District of Israel, south of Haifa and north of Netanya. Herzliya (הֶרְצְלִיָּה is a city of 84100 residents located on the central coast of Israel. Kfar Saba (כְּפַר סָבָא Kfar Sava, lit "Grandfather's Village" or "Saba's Village" is a city in the Sharon region Rishon LeZion (רִאשׁוֹן לְצִיּוֹן lit First to Zion is the fourth-largest city in Israel, located along the central Israeli Ness Ziona (נֵס צִיּוֹנָה Nes Tziyona) is a city in the Center District of Israel in Israel. Later on regiments were also active in the Old City of Jerusalem ("the Kotel Brigades") among others. The Old City (העיר העתיקה HaIr HaAtika, البلدة القديمة al-Balda al-Qadimah) is a 0 Primary training centers were based in Ramat Gan, Qastina (by Kiryat Mal'akhi of today) and other places. Ramat Gan (רָמַת גַּן is a city in the Tel Aviv district of Israel, which borders Tel Aviv to its west (קִרְיַת מַלְאָכִי also Qiryat Malakhi or Kiryat Malachi) is a city council governed municipality in Israel 's Southern District

Under Tehomi's command

In 1933 there some signs of unrest, seen by the incitement of the local Arab leadership to act against the government. The strong British response put down the disturbances quickly, and the peace was kept. During that time the Irgun operated in a similar manner to the Haganah and was a guarding organization. The two organizations cooperated in ways such as coordination of posts and even intelligence sharing.

In protest against, and with the aim of ending Jewish immigration to Palestine, the Great Arab Revolt of 1936-1939 broke out on April 19, 1936. The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine was an uprising during the British mandate by Arabs in Palestine which lasted from 1936 to 1939 The riots took the form of attacks by Arab rioters ambushing main roads, bombing of roads and settlements as well as property and agriculture vandalism. In the beginning, the Irgun and the Haganah generally maintained a policy of restraint, apart from a few instances. Some expressed resentment at this policy, leading up internal unrest in the two organizations. The Irgun tended to retaliate more often, and sometimes Irgun members patrolled areas beyond their positions in order to encounter attackers ahead of time. However, there were differences of opinion regarding what to do in the Haganah, as well. Due to the joining of many Beitar Youth members, Jabotinsky (founder of Beitar) had a great deal of influence over Irgun policy. The Betar Movement (בית"ר also spelled Beitar) is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Nevertheless, Jabotinsky was of the opinion that for moral reasons violent retaliation was not to be undertaken.

During the first stage of the Revolt, from April 1936 until October of that year, 80 Jews were killed, 369 were injured, 19 schools were attacked, nine orphanages and three old-age homes. 380 attacks on trains and buses were carried out, and approximately 4,000 acres (16 km²) of agricultural land were destroyed. These actions were carried out by armed Arab gangs who were joined by Syrian and Iraqi reinforcements. The Supreme Arab Committee, led by Haj Amin al-Husayni, who directed these riots, also declared a general strike on labor and trade. Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (محمد أمين الحسيني properly transliterated al-Husseini, 1895 / 1897 - July 4, 1974) a member In the beginning of October 1936 gang activity declined due to the intervention of the British Army.

In November 1936 the Peel Commission was sent to inquire regarding the breakout of the riots and propose a solution to end the Revolt. The Peel Commission of 1936-1937 formally known as the Palestine Royal Commission, was a British Royal Commission of Inquiry set out to propose changes to the Mandate for In early 1937 there were still some in the Yishuv who felt the commission would recommend a partition of the land west of the Jordan River, thus creating a Jewish state on part of the land. Yishuv (ישוב literally "settlement" or Ha-Yishuv (the Yishuv הישוב or the full term הישוב היהודי בארץ ישראל Hayishuv Hayehudi This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia The Irgun leadership, as well as the "Supervisory Committee" held similar beliefs, as did some members of the Haganah and the Jewish Agency. The Jewish Agency for Israel (Hebrew הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) also known as the Sochnut or JAFI This belief strengthened the policy of restraint and led to the position that there was no room for defense institutions in the future Jewish state. Ha'Havlagah (ההבלגה "The Restraint" was a strategic policy used by the Haganah members with regard to actions taken against Arab groups who were attacking Tehomi was quoted as saying: "We stand before great events: a Jewish state and a Jewish army. There is a need for a single military force". This position intensified the differences of opinion regarding the policy of restraint, both within the Irgun and within the political camp aligned with the organization. The leadership committee of the Irgun supported a merger with the Haganah. On April 24, 1937 a referendum was held among Irgun members regarding its continued independent existence. David Raziel and Avraham (Yair) Stern came out publicly in support for the continued existence of the Irgun:

The Irgun has been placed. . . before a decision to make, whether to submit to the authority of the government and the Jewish Agency or to prepare for a double sacrifice and endangerment. Some of our friends do not have appropriate willingness for this difficult position, and have submitted to the Jewish Agency and has left the battle. . . all of the attempts. . . to unite with the leftist organization have failed, because the Left entered into negotiations not on the basis of unification of forces, but the submission of one such force to the other. . . ^[9]

The first split

In April 1937 the Irgun split after the referendum. Approximately 1,500-2,000 people, about half of the Irgun's membership, including the senior command staff, regional committee members, along with most of the Irgun's weapons, returned to the Haganah, which at that time was under the Jewish Agency's leadership. In their opinion, in order to remove the Haganah from the Jewish Agency's leadership to the national institutions necessitated their return. Furthermore, they no longer saw significant ideological differences between the movements. Those who remained in the Irgun were primarily young activists, mostly laypeople, who sided with the independent existence of the Irgun. In fact, most of those who remained were originally Beitar people. Moshe Rosenberg estimated that approximately 1,800 members remained. In theory, the Irgun remained an organization not aligned with a political party, but in reality the supervisory committee was disbanded and the Irgun's continued ideological path was outlined according to Ze'ev Jabotinsky's school of thought and his decisions, until the movement eventually became Revisionist Zionism's military arm. One of the major changes in policy by Jabotinsky was the end of the policy of restraint. Ha'Havlagah (ההבלגה "The Restraint" was a strategic policy used by the Haganah members with regard to actions taken against Arab groups who were attacking

On April 27, 1937 the Irgun founded a new headquarters, staffed by Moshe Rosenberg at the head, Avraham (Yair) Stern as secretary, David Raziel as head of the Jerusalem branch, Hanoch Kalai as commander of Haifa and Aharon Haichman as commander of Tel Aviv. On the 20th of Tammuz, (June 29) the day of Theodor Herzl's death, a ceremony was held in honor of the reorganization of the underground movement. Theodor Herzl (בנימין זאב הרצל ( Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl) (May 2 1860&ndashJuly 3 1904 was an Austrian Jewish journalist who founded modern For security purposes this ceremony was held at a construction site in Tel Aviv.

Ze'ev Jabotinsky placed Col. Robert Bitker at the head of the Irgun. Bitker had previously served as Beitar commissioner in China and had military experience. A few months later, probably due to total incompatibility with the position, Jabotinsky replaced Bitker with Moshe Rosenberg. When the Peel Commission report was published a few months later, the Revisionist camp decided not to accept the commission's recommendations. The Peel Commission of 1936-1937 formally known as the Palestine Royal Commission, was a British Royal Commission of Inquiry set out to propose changes to the Mandate for Moreover, the organizations of Beitar, Hatzohar and the Irgun began to increase their efforts to bring Jews to the land of Israel, illegally. Hatzohar (הצה"ר an acronym for HaTzionim HaRevizionistim (הציונים הרוויזיוניסטים lit This Aliyah was known as the עליית אף על פי "Af Al Pi (Nevertheless) Aliyah". Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) As opposed to this position, the Jewish Agency began acting on behalf of the Zionist interest on the political front, and continued the policy of restraint. From this point onwards the differences between the Haganah and the Irgun were much more obvious.

Illegal Aliyah

According to Jabotinsky's "Evacuation Plan", which called for millions of European Jews to be brought to Palestine at once, the Irgun helped the illegal immigration of European Jews to the land of Israel. Aliyah Bet (Hebrew 'עלייה ב meaning " Aliyah 'B'" ( bet being the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet was the code name given to Illegal immigration This was named by Jabotinsky the "National Sport". The most significant part of this illegal immigration prior to World War II was carried out by the Revisionist camp, largely because the Yishuv institutions and the Jewish Agency shied away from such an expensive illegal project, as well as the belief that Britain would in the future allow widespread Jewish immigration. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Revisionist Zionism is a nationalist faction within the Zionist movement Yishuv (ישוב literally "settlement" or Ha-Yishuv (the Yishuv הישוב or the full term הישוב היהודי בארץ ישראל Hayishuv Hayehudi

The Irgun joined forces with Hatzohar and Beitar in September 1937, when it assisted with the Aliyah of a convoy of 54 Beitar members at Tantura Beach (near Haifa). Hatzohar (הצה"ר an acronym for HaTzionim HaRevizionistim (הציונים הרוויזיוניסטים lit The Betar Movement (בית"ר also spelled Beitar) is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with The Irgun was responsible for discreetly bringing the Olim or Jewish immigrants to the beaches, and dispersing them among the various Jewish settlements. Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) The Irgun also began participating in the organizing of the immigration enterprise and undertook the process of accompanying the ships. This began with the ship Draga which arrived at the coast of the land of Israel in September 1938. In August of the same year, an agreement was made between Ari Jabotinsky (the son of Ze'ev Jabotinsky), the Beitar representative and Hillel Kook, the Irgun representative, to coordinate the immigration (also known as Haapala). Hillel Kook (הלל קוק born 24 July 1915, died 18 August 2001) also known as Peter Bergson (Hebrew פיטר ברגסון Aliyah Bet (Hebrew 'עלייה ב meaning " Aliyah 'B'" ( bet being the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet was the code name given to Illegal immigration This agreement was also made in the "Paris Convention" in February 1939, at which also present were Ze'ev Jabotinsky and David Raziel. Afterwards, the "Aliyah Center" was founded, made up of representatives of Hatzohar, Beitar, and the Irgun, thereby making the Irgun a full participant in the organization and execution process.

The difficult conditions on the ships demanded a high level of discipline. The people on board the ships were often split into units, led by commanders. In addition to having a daily roll call and the distribution of food and water (usually very little of either), organized talks were held to provide information regarding the actual arrival in Palestine. One of the largest ships was the Sakaria, with 2,300 Olim, who at the time made up 0. Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) 5% of the Jewish population in Palestine. The first vessel arrived on April 13, 1937, and the last on February 13, 1940. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. All told, about 18,000 Jews reached Palestine with the help of the Revisionist organizations and private initiatives of other Revisionists. Most were not caught by the British.

End of restraint

Irgun members continued to defend settlements, but at the same time began counter-attacks, thus ending the policy of restraint. These attacks were intended to instill fear in the Arab side, in order to cause the Arabs to wish for peace and quiet. In March 1938, David Raziel wrote in the underground newspaper "By the Sword" a constitutive article for the Irgun overall, in which he coined the term "Active Defense":

The actions of the Haganah alone will never be a true victory. If the goal of the war is to break the will of the enemy - and this cannot be attained without destroying his spirit - clearly we cannot be satisfied with solely defensive operations. . . Such a method of defense, that allows the enemy to attack at will, to reorganize and attack again. . . and does not intend to remove the enemy's ability to attack a second time - is called passive defense, and ends in downfall and destruction. . . whoever does not wish to be beaten has no choice but to attack. The fighting side, that does not intend to oppress but to save its liberty and honor, he too has only one way available - the way of attack. Defensiveness by way of offensiveness, in order to deprive the enemy the option of attacking, is called active defense.

The first operations began around April 1936, and by the end of World War II, more than 250 Arabs had been killed. The trend of activities was an attempt to respond "an eye for an eye" in the form of violent operations against Arab violence, and often to match the form of retaliation or its location to correspond to the attack that provoked it. The phrase " an eye for an eye " ( עין תחת עין) is a quotation from in which a person who has taken the eye of another in a fight is instructed to give A number of examples:

• After an Arab shooting at Carmel school in Tel Aviv, which resulted in the death of a Jewish child, Irgun members attacked an Arab neighborhood near Kerem Hatemanim in Tel Aviv, killing one Arab man and injuring another.
• On August 17, the Irgun responded to shootings by Arabs from the Jaffa-Jerusalem train towards Jews that were waiting by the train block on Herzl Street in Tel Aviv. Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The same day, when a Jewish child was injured by the shooting, Irgun members attacked a train on the same route, killing one Arab and injuring five.

During 1936, Irgun members carried out approximately ten retaliatory operations.

Throughout 1937 the Irgun continued this line of operation.

• On March 6, a Jew at Sabbath prayers at the Western Wall was shot by a local Arab. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit A few hours later, the Irgun shot at an Arab in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Rechavia.
• On June 29, a band of Arabs attacked an Egged bus on the Jerusalem - Tel Aviv road, killing one Jew. Egged Israel Transport Cooperative Society Ltd (אגד is the largest Bus company in Israel, and the second largest in the world (after London Buses The following day, two Jews were also killed near Karkur. Pardes Hanna-Karkur (פרדס חנה-כרכור is a town ( local council) in the Haifa District of Israel. A few hours later, the Irgun carried out a number of operations.
  • An Arab bus making its way from Lifta was attacked in Jerusalem. Lifta (لفتا מי נפתוח Mei Niftoach, lit spring of Aramaic for corridor) was a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem which existed since Biblical
  • In two other locations in Jerusalem, Arabs were shot as well.
  • In Tel Aviv, a hand grenade was thrown at an Arab coffee shop on Carmel St. , injuring many of the patrons.
  • Irgun members also injured an Arab on Reines St. in Tel Aviv.
  • On September 5, the Irgun responded to the murder of a rabbi on his way home from prayer in the Old City of Jerusalem by throwing explosives at an Arab bus that had left Lifta, injuring two female passengers and a British police officer. The Old City (העיר העתיקה HaIr HaAtika, البلدة القديمة al-Balda al-Qadimah) is a 0

A more complete list can be found here. During the Great Uprising ( 1936 - 1939) of the Arabs in Palestine, in which more than 320 Jews were killed by Arab attacks the

At that time, however, these acts were not yet a part of a formulated policy of the Irgun. ^[10] Not all of the aforementioned operations received a commander's approval, and Jabotinsky was not in favor of such actions at the time. Jabotinsky still hoped to establish a Jewish force out in the open that would not have to operate underground. However, the failure, in its eyes, of the Peel Commission and the renewal of violence on the part of the Arabs caused the Irgun to rethink its official policy. The Peel Commission of 1936-1937 formally known as the Palestine Royal Commission, was a British Royal Commission of Inquiry set out to propose changes to the Mandate for

Increase in operations

November 14, 1937 was a watershed in Irgun activity. From that date, the Irgun increased its reprisals. Following an increase in the number of attacks aimed at Jews, including the killing of five kibbutz members near Kiryat Anavim (today Ma'aleh Ha'Chamisha Kibbutz), the Irgun undertook a series of attacks in various places in Jerusalem, killing five Arabs. A kibbutz ( Hebrew: קיבוץ קִבּוּץ lit "gathering clustering" plural kibbutzim) is a collective community in Kiryat Anavim (קִרְיַת עֲנָבִים lit City of Grapes) was the first Kibbutz established in the Judean Hills. Operations were also undertaken in Haifa (shooting at the Arab-populated Wadi Nisnas neighborhood) and in Herzliya. Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Herzliya (הֶרְצְלִיָּה is a city of 84100 residents located on the central coast of Israel. The date is known as the day the policy of restraint (Havlagah) ended, or as "Black Sunday". Ha'Havlagah (ההבלגה "The Restraint" was a strategic policy used by the Haganah members with regard to actions taken against Arab groups who were attacking This is when the organization fully changed its policy, with the approval of Jabotinsky and Headquarters to the policy of "active defense" in respect of Irgun actions. ^[11]

The British responded with the arrest of Beitar and Hatzohar members as suspected members of the Irgun. Military courts were allowed to act under "Time of Emergency Regulations" and even sentence people to death. In this manner Yehezkel Altman, a guard in a Beitar battalion in the Nahalat Yizchak neighborhood of Tel Aviv, shot at an Arab bus, without his commanders' knowledge. Altman was acting in response to a shooting at Jewish vehicles on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road the day before. He turned himself in later and was sentenced to death, a sentence which was later commuted to a life sentence.

Despite the arrests, Irgun members continued fighting. Jabotinsky lent his moral support to these activities. In a letter to Moshe Rosenberg on March 18, 1938 he wrote:

Tell them: from afar I collect and save, as precious treasures, news items about your lives. I know of the obstacles that have not impeded your spirit; and I know of your actions as well. I am overjoyed that I have been blessed with such students.

The Irgun continued activities such as these, however following Rosenberg's orders they were greatly curtailed. Furthermore, in fear of the British threat of the death sentence for anyone found carrying a weapon, all operations were suspended for eight months. However, opposition to this policy gradually increased. In April, 1938, responding to the killing of six Jews, in which a woman was raped and dismembered, Beitar members from the Rosh Pina Brigade went on a reprisal mission, without the consent of their commander, as described by historian Avi Shlaim:

On 21 April 1938, after several weeks of planning, he and two of his colleagues from the Irgun (Etzel) ambushed an Arab bus at a bend on a mountain road near Safad. Rosh Pinna is a town ( local council) of approximately 2300 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin the Northern District Avi Shlaim (born October 31, 1945 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Israeli British dual citizen and historian and identifies They had a hand-grenade, a gun and a pistol. Their plan was to destroy the engine so that the bus would fall off the side of the road and all the passengers would be killed. When the bus approached, they fired at it (not in the air, as Mailer has it) but the grenade lobbed by Ben Yosef did not detonate. The bus with its screaming and terrified passengers drove on. ^[12]

Although the incident ended without casualties, the three were caught, and one of them - Shlomo Ben-Yosef was sentenced to death. Shlomo Ben-Yosef (b May 7, 1913 in Poland as Shalom Tabachnik, d Demonstrations around the country, as well as pressure from institutions and people such as Dr. Chaim Weizmann and the Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog did not reduce his sentence. Chaim Azriel Weizmann ( Hebrew: חיים עזריאל ויצמן – November 27, 1874 &ndash November 9, 1952) was a Zionist Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1889&ndash1959 also known as Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State, his term lasting from 1921 In Shlomo Ben-Yosef's writings in Hebrew were later found:

I am going to die and I am not sorry at all. Why? Because I am going to die for our country. Shlomo Ben-Yosef.

On June 29, 1938 he was executed, and was the first of Olei Hagardom. Olei Hagardom ( Hebrew: "Those hanged in the Gallows " עולי הגרדום refers to members of the pre-state Jewish underground who were tried in The Irgun revered him after his death and many regarded him as an example.

In light of this, and due to the anger of the Irgun leadership over the decision to adopt a policy of restraint until that point, Jabotinsky relieved Rosenberg of his post and replaced him with David Raziel who proved to be the most prominent Irgun commander until Menachem Begin. (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel Jabotinsky simultaneously instructed the Irgun to end its policy of restraint, leading to armed offensive operations until the end of the Arab Revolt in 1939. In this time the Irgun mounted about 40 operations against Arabs and Arab villages, for instance:

• After a Jewish father and son were killed in the Old City of Jerusalem, on June 6, 1938, Irgun members threw explosives from the roof of a nearby house, killing two Arabs and injuring four.
• The Irgun planted land mines in a number of Arab markets, primarily in places identified by the Irgun as activity centers of armed Arab gangs. A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person A souk (سوق also sook, souq, or suq, or shuq in Hebrew שוק is a highly fashioned commercial quarter in an Arab or Berber
  • Explosives detonated in the Arab souk in Jerusalem on July 15, killed ten local Arabs. A souk (سوق also sook, souq, or suq, or shuq in Hebrew שוק is a highly fashioned commercial quarter in an Arab or Berber
  • In similar circumstances, 70 Arabs were killed by a land mine planted in the Arab souk in Haifa.

This action led the British Parliament to discuss the disturbances in Palestine. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories On February 23, 1939 the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Malcolm MacDonald revealed the British intention to cancel the mandate over Palestine and establish a state that would preserve Arab rights. The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet official in charge of managing the various British Colonies. Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is a former English footballer nicknamed "Supermac" famed for scoring goals for The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement This caused a wave of riots and attacks by Arabs against Jews. The Irgun responded four days later with a series of attacks on Arab buses and other sites. The British used military force against the Arab rioters and in the latter stages of the revolt by the Arab community in Palestine deteriorated into a series of internal gang wars.

During the same period

In reality, the armed operations against Arabs were the actions of small groups, or even individual Irgun members. Most of the Irgun were involved during this time with protection and defense of settlements. By the late thirties, the Irgun comprised mainly Beitar youth (from its branches or from its work brigades), Hazohar members and the National Workers Union, youth belonging to the Maccabi youth group, members of the religious youth group "Alliance of the Hasmoneans" and students from the national unions Yavneh, Yodfat and Elal. The Maccabi World Union was created at the 12th World Jewish Congress in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia in 1921 In certain places, including settlements in Samaria, the Sharon and southern Judea these were the primary defensive forces. Samaria, or the Shomron ( שֹׁמְרוֹן, Standard Šoməron Tiberian Šōmərôn The Sharon Plain (שרון is the northern half of the coastal plain of Israel. Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised In some areas Irgun forces cooperated with Haganah members, such as in the setting up of Tel Zur (now known as Even-Yehuda), a Tower and Stockade Beitar settlement. Even Yehuda (אֶבֶן יְהוּדָה a town located in the central Sharon region of Israel, near the city of Netanya. Tower and stockade (חומה ומגדל Homa U'Migdal, lit Wall and tower) was a settlement method used by Zionist settlers in the British Mandate

At the same time, the Irgun also established itself in Europe. The Irgun built underground cells that participated in organizing Aliyah convoys. The cells were made up almost entirely of Beitar members, and their primary activity was military training in preparation for emigration to Palestine. Ties formed with the Polish authorities brought about courses in which Irgun commanders were trained by Polish officers in advanced military issues such as guerrilla warfare, tactics and laying land mines. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc A tactic is a conceptual action used by a military unit of no larger than a division to implement a specific mission and achieve a specific objective or to advance toward a Avraham (Yair) Stern was notable among the cell organizers in Europe. In 1937 the Polish authorities began to deliver large amounts of weapons to the underground. The transfer of handguns, rifles, explosives and ammunition stopped with the outbreak of World War II. Another field in which the Irgun operated was the training of pilots, so they could serve in the Air Force in the future war for independence, in the flight school in Lod. An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps, is in the broadest sense the national military or armed service Lod (לוֹד اَلْلُدّْ al-Ludd; Greco-Latin Lydda) is a mixed Arab - Jewish city about 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv in

Towards the end of 1938 there was progress towards aligning the ideologies of the Irgun and the Haganah. Many rid themselves of the illusion that a Jewish state would be soon exist on that divided land. The Haganah founded פו"מ, a special operations unit, (pronounced poom), which carried out armed operations in response to, and in order to prevent Arab violence. These operations continued into 1939. Furthermore, the opposition within the Yishuv to illegal immigration significantly decreased, and the Haganah began to bring Jews to Palestine using rented ships, as the Irgun had in the past. Yishuv (ישוב literally "settlement" or Ha-Yishuv (the Yishuv הישוב or the full term הישוב היהודי בארץ ישראל Hayishuv Hayehudi

First operations against the British

The publishing of MacDonald White Paper in May 1939 brought with it new edicts that were intended to lead to a more equitable settlement between Jews and Arabs. The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over However it was considered by some to be adversely affecting the continued development of the Jewish community. Chief among these was the prohibition on selling land to Jews, and minuscule quotas for Jewish immigration. The entire Yishuv was furious at the contents of the White Paper. There were demonstrations against the White Paper and it was known as the "Treacherous Paper" because it was seen as the Jews' ultimate betrayal by the British, and the end of their desire to establish a homeland in the land of Israel.

The Irgun began sabotaging strategic infrastructure such as electricity facilities, radio and telephone lines. It also started publicizing its activity and its goals. This was done in street announcements, newspapers, as well as the underground radio station Kol Zion HaLochemet. Kol TSion HaLokhemet (or Kol Zion Halohemet Hebrew: קול ציון הלוחמת voice of fighting Zion) was the underground radio station of the The British responded with numerous arrests of Beitar and Hatzohar members, some of whom were mistreated to obtain information about the Irgun. Hatzohar (הצה"ר an acronym for HaTzionim HaRevizionistim (הציונים הרוויזיוניסטים lit The Irgun warned that such activity would lead to a response. On August 26, 1939 the Irgun published a death sentence against Ralph Krans, a British police officer who, as head of the Jewish Department in their secret police, had tortured a number of youths who were underground members. Krans and another British officer in the secret police were killed from a hidden mine explosion by the Irgun.

The British increased their efforts against the Irgun. As a result David Raziel, commander of the Irgun was arrested on May 19. On August 31 the British police arrested members meeting of the Irgun headquarters. On September 1, 1939 World War II broke out. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

During World War II

Following the outbreak of war, Ze'ev Jabotinsky and the New Zionist Organization voiced their support for Britain and France. The New Zionist Organization was an attempt by the Revisionist Zionist movement to establish a rival to the Zionist Organization. In mid-September 1939 Raziel was moved from his place of detention in Tzrifin. Tzrifin (צְרִיפִין is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region in central Israel, located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of This, among other events, triggered the Irgun to announce a cessation of its activities against the British so as not to hinder Britain's effort to fight "the Hebrew's greatest enemy in the world - German Nazism". Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German This announcement ended with the hope that after the war a Hebrew state would be founded "within the historical borders of the liberated homeland". After this announcement Irgun, Beitar and Hatzohar members, including Raziel and the Irgun leadership, were gradually released from detention. The Irgun did not rule out joining the British Army and the Jewish Brigade. For other Jewish regiments see Jewish legion (disambiguation. Irgun members did enlist in various army units. ^[13] Irgun members also assisted British forces with intelligence in Romania and Bulgaria, as well as Morocco and Tunisia. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. An Irgun unit also operated in Syria and Lebanon. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية David Raziel later died in such an operation in the service of Britain.

During the Holocaust Beitar members revolted numerous times against the Nazis in occupied Europe. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as The largest of these revolts was the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising where an armed underground organization fought, comprising Beitar, Hatzohar and Polish Irgun cell members and known as Żydowski Związek Wojskowy (Jewish Military Union). The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (German "Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto", Polish "Powstanie w getcie warszawskim") was the Jewish Żydowski Związek Wojskowy ( ŻZW, Polish for Jewish Military Union) was an underground resistance organization operating during There were instances of Beitar members enlisted in the British military smuggling British weapons to the Irgun.

From 1939 onwards, an Irgun delegation in the United States worked for the creation of a Jewish army made up of Jewish refugees and Jews from Palestine, to fight alongside the Allied Forces. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In July 1943 the "Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People in Europe" was formed, and worked until the end of the war to rescue the Jews of Europe from the Nazis and to garner public support. However, it was not until January 1944 that President Franklin Roosevelt established the War Refugee Board, which achieved some success in saving Jews in Europe. The War Refugee Board, established by President Franklin D Roosevelt in January of 1944 was a U

The second split

Throughout this entire period the British continued enforcing the MacDonald White Paper's provisions, which included a ban on the sale of land to Jews, restrictions on Jewish immigration and increased vigilance against illegal immigration. The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over Part of the reason why the British banned land sales (to anyone) was the confused state of the post Ottoman land registery; it was difficult to determine who actually owned the land that was for sale.

Within the ranks of the Irgun this created much disappointment and unrest, at the center of which was disagreement with the leadership of the New Zionist Organization, David Raziel and the Irgun Headquarters. The New Zionist Organization was an attempt by the Revisionist Zionist movement to establish a rival to the Zionist Organization. On June 18, 1939 Avraham (Yair) Stern and others of the leadership were released from prison and a rift opened between them the Irgun and Hatzohar leadership. The controversy centred on the issues of the underground movement submitting to public political leadership and those of fighting the British. On his release from prison Raziel resigned from Headquarters. To his chagrin, independent operations of senior members of the Irgun were carried out and even some commanders who doubted Raziel's loyalty.

In this stead, Stern was elected to the leadership. Beitar and Hatzohar members resented this appointment because it was seen as undermining Jabotinsky's authority. In the past, Stern had founded secret Irgun cells in Poland without Jabotinsky's knowledge, in opposition to his opinion. Furthermore, Stern was in favor of removing the Irgun from the authority of New Zionist Organization, whose leadership urged Raziel to return to the command of the Irgun, and he finally consented. Jabotinsky wrote to Raziel and to Stern. These letters were distributed to the branches of the Irgun:

'. . . I call upon you: Let nothing disturb our unity. Listen to the commissioner (Raziel), whom I trust, and promise me that you and Beitar, the greatest of my life's achievements, will stand strong and united and allow me to continue with the hope for victory in the war to realize our old Maccabean dream. The Betar Movement (בית"ר also spelled Beitar) is a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in The Maccabees ( Hebrew: מכבים or מקבים, Makabim or Maqabim; Greek Μακκαβαῖοι, /makav'εï/ were . . '

Stern was sent a telegram with an order to obey Raziel, who was reappointed. However, these events did not prevent the splitting of the organization. Suspicion and distrust were rampant among the members. Out of the Irgun a new organization was created on July 17, 1940,^[14] which was first named "The National Military Organization in Israel" (as opposed to the "National Military Organization in the Land of Israel") and later on changed its name to Lehi, an acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel", (לח"י - לוחמי חירות ישראל). Lehi ('lɛxi Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel" לח"י - לוחמי חירות Jabotinsky died in New York, on August 4, 1940, yet this did not prevent the Lehi split. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous

The primary difference between the Irgun and the newly formed organization was its intention to fight the British in Palestine, regardless of their war against Germany. Later, additional operational and ideological differences developed that contradicted some of the Irgun's guiding principles. For example the Lehi supported the exchange of population with regards to the local Arabs. The Irgun, on the other hand, acted according the Revisionist school of thought that said 'There he shall quench his thirst with plenty and happiness, the son of Arab, son of Nazareth (i. e. Christian) and my son. '

Moreover, the Irgun's fight against the British was only intended to expel them from the area, and the option of future diplomatic ties with Britain was not discounted. The Lehi, however, declared total war against imperialism and the empire. Also unlike Irgun fighters, Lehi fighters would travel with their weapon on them at all times. One more striking difference was the fact that the Irgun concentrated its operations against British centers of government and its facilities in Palestine, and sometimes warned the British about impending explosions. This contrasted the Lehi's struggle that, at times, was directed towards personal attacks and the assassination of leadership, military, and police figures.

Towards a change of policy

The Irgun's Anthem[15]

Tagar - Through all obstacles and enemies Whether you go up or down In the flames of revolt Carry a flame to kindle - never mind! For silence is filth Worthless is blood and soul For the sake of the hidden glory To die or to conquer the hill - Yodefet, Masada, Beitar.

The split damaged the Irgun both organizationally and from a morale point of view. As their spiritual leader, Jabotinsky's death also added to this feeling. Together, these factor brought about a mass abandonment by members. The British secret police took advantage of this weakness to gather intelligence and arrest Irgun activists. The new Irgun leadership, which included Meridor, Yerachmiel Ha'Levi, Moshe Segal and others used the forced hiatus in activity to rebuild the injured organization. This period was also marked by more cooperation between the Irgun and the Jewish Agency, however Ben Gurion's uncompromising demand that Irgun accept the Agency's command foiled any further cooperation.

In both the Irgun and the Haganah more voices were being heard opposing any cooperation with the British. Nevertheless, an Irgun operation carried out in the service of Britain was aimed at sabotaging pro-Nazi forces in Iraq, including the assassination of Haj Amin al-Husayni. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (محمد أمين الحسيني properly transliterated al-Husseini, 1895 / 1897 - July 4, 1974) a member Among others, Raziel and Yaakov Meridor participated. Yaakov Meridor (יעקב מרידור born Yaakov Viniarsky on 29 September 1913, died 30 June 1995) was a Revisionist On April 20, 1941, during a Luftwaffe air raid on Habbaniya Airport near Baghdad, David Raziel, commander of the Irgun, was killed during the operation. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous

In late 1943 a joint Haganah - Irgun initiative was developed, to form a single fighting body, unaligned with any political party, by the name of עם לוחם (Fighting Nation). ^[16][17] The new body's first plan was to kidnap the British High Commissioner of Palestine, Sir Harold MacMichael and deport him to Cyprus. Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael GCMG DSO (1882-1969 was a British colonial administrator Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía However the Haganah leaked the planned operation and it was thwarted before it got off the ground. Nevertheless, at this stage the Irgun ceased its cooperation with the British. As Eliyahu Lankin tells in his book:

Immediately following the failure of Fighting Nation practical discussions began in the Irgun Headquarters regarding a declaration of war

The "Revolt"

In 1941 Menachem Begin arrived in Palestine as a soldier in the Polish army-in-exile,^[18] which was commanded by Władysław Anders and known as "Anders Army", from which he was soon released. Eliyahu Lankin (אליהו לנקין 25 September 1914 – 10 August 1994) was a Revisionist Zionist activist Irgun (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel Lieutenant-General Władysław Anders (August 11 1892 &ndashMay 12 1970 was a General in the Polish Anders Army refers to the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the period of 1941-1942 which got its name from its commander Władysław Anders. His arrival created new-found expectations within the Irgun and Beitar. Begin had served as head of the Beitar movement in Poland,^[19] and was a respected leader. Yaakov Meridor, then the commander of the Irgun, raised the idea of appointing Begin to the post. Yaakov Meridor (יעקב מרידור born Yaakov Viniarsky on 29 September 1913, died 30 June 1995) was a Revisionist In late 1943, when Begin accepted the position, a new leadership was formed. Meridor became Begin's deputy, and other members of the board were Aryeh Ben Eliezer, Eliyahu Lankin, and Shlomo Lev Ami. ^[20]

On February 1, 1944 the Irgun put up posters all around the country, proclaiming a revolt against the British mandatory government. The posters started by saying that all of the Zionist movements stood by the Allied Forces and over 25,000 Jews had enlisted in the British military. History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. The hope to establish a Jewish army had died. Throughout the war the Middle East Arabs had favoured Germany's side. European Jewry was trapped and was being destroyed, yet Britain, on its part, did not allow any rescue missions. This part of the document ends with the following words:

The White Paper is still in effect. The White Paper of 1939, also known as the MacDonald White Paper after Malcolm MacDonald, the British Colonial Secretary who presided over It is enforced, despite the betrayal of the Arabs and the loyalty of the Jews; despite the mass enlisting to the British Army; despite the ceasefire and the quiet in The Land of Israel; despite the massacre of masses of the Jewish people in Europe. A ceasefire (or truce) is a temporary stoppage of a War or any Armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees . .

The facts are simple and horrible as one. Over the last four years of the war we have lost millions of the best of our people; millions more are in danger of eradication. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including And The Land of Israel is closed off and quarantined because the British rule it, realizing the White Paper, and strives for the destruction of our people's last hope.

The Irgun then declared that, for its part, the ceasefire was over and they were now at war with the British. It demanded the transfer of rule to a Jewish government, to implement ten policies. Among these were the mass evacuation of Jews from Europe, the signing of treaties with any state that recognized the Jewish state's soveriegnty, including Britain, granting social justice to the state's residents, and full equality to the Arab population. The proclamation ended with:

The God of Israel, God of Hosts, will be at our side. There is no retreat. Liberty or death. . . . the fighting youth will not recoil in the face of sacrifices and suffering, blood and torment. They will not surrender, so long as our days of old are not renewed, so long as our nation is not ensured a homeland, liberty, honor, bread, justice and law.

The Irgun began this campaign rather weakly - the organization was only about 1,000 strong, out of which only some 200 were fighters. Weapons were also sparse. The Irgun underwent a reorganization and was redivided in different brigades: Combat Corps - the Irgun's primary fighting force; The Sea - the Irgun's special operations unit; Delek (דלק - Gasoline) - intelligence; HATAM ( חת"מ - Revolutionary Publicity Corps); and HAT (ח"ת - Planning Division). The Irgun became more secretive and its commanders assumed new identities and homes. Begin, for example, assumed a Rabbi's identity ("Yisrael Sasover"), and was sometimes known as "Ben Ze'ev" or "Dr. Kenigshopper".

Struggle against the British

The Irgun began a terrorist operation against the symbols of government, in an attempt to harm the regime's operation as well as its reputation. The Irgun made a rule for itself - no individual terror and an attempt to avoid causalties. ^[20], it is a matter of debate as to whether Irgun met these rules. The first attack was on February 12, 1944 at the government immigration offices, a symbol of the immigration laws. The attacks went smoothly and ended with no casualties - as they took place on a Saturday night, when the buildings were empty - in the three largest cities: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. On February 27 the income tax offices were bombed. Parts of the same cities were blown up, also on a Saturday night, prior warnings were put up near the buildings. On March 23 the national headquarters building of the British police in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem was attacked, and part of it was blown up. The Russian Compound (מִגְרַשׁ הָרוּסִים Migrash HaRusim) is one of the oldest districts in central Jerusalem, including a large Russian Orthodox These attacks in the first few months were sharply condemned by the organized leadership of the Yishuv and by the Jewish Agency, who saw them as dangerous provocations.

At the same time the Lehi also renewed its attacks against the British. Lehi ('lɛxi Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel" לח"י - לוחמי חירות ^[21] The Irgun continued to attack police stations and headquarters, and Tegart Fort, a fortified police station (today the location of Latrun). A Tegart fort is a style of militarized police "fortress" constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period. Latrun (اللطرون al-Latrun; לטרון is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley overlooking the road to Jerusalem. One relatively complex operation was overtaking of the governmental radio station in Ramallah, on May 17, 1944. Ramallah ( Arabic:) (lit "Height of God" is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank adjacent to Al-Bireh with a population 118000

One symbolic act by the Irgun happened before Yom Kippur of 1944. Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר ˈjɔm kiˈpur also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays Its They plastered notices around town, warning that no British officers should come to the Western Wall on Yom Kippur, and for the first time since the mandate began no British police officers were there to prevent the Jews from the traditional Shofar blowing at the end of the fast. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit A shofar (שופר is a horn used for Jewish religious purposes ^[22] After the fast that year the Irgun attacked four police stations in Arab settlements. In order to obtain weapons, the Irgun carried out "confiscation" operations - they took over British armouries and smuggled stolen weapons to their own hiding places. During this phase of activity the Irgun also cut all of its official ties with the New Zionist Organization, so as not to tie their fate in the underground organization. The New Zionist Organization was an attempt by the Revisionist Zionist movement to establish a rival to the Zionist Organization.

Begin wrote in his memoirs, The Revolt:

History and experience taught us that if we are able to destroy the prestige of the British in Palestine, the regime will break. for other uses see Memoir (disambiguation As a literary Genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire Since we found the enslaving government's weak point, we did not let go of it. ^[23]

Underground exiles

Main article: Irgun and Lehi internment in Africa

In October 1944 the British began expelling hundreds of arrested Irgun and Lehi members to detention camps in Africa. From 1944 to 1948 Irgun and Lehi men were deported by the British Mandate of Palestine authorities to internment camps in Africa, 251 detainees from Latrun were flown on thirteen planes, on October 19 to a camp in Asmara, Eritrea. Latrun (اللطرون al-Latrun; לטרון is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley overlooking the road to Jerusalem. Asmara (English ( Ge'ez: ኣስመራ Asmera, formerly known as Asmera, or in أسمرا Asmaraa Eritrea () ( Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritriya) officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in Eleven additional transports were made. Throughout the period of their detention, the detainees often initiated rebellions and hunger strikes. Many escape attempts were made until July 1948 when the exiles were returned to Israel. While there were numerous successful escapes from the camp itself, only nine men actually made it back all the way. One noted success was that of Yaakov Meridor, who escaped nine times before finally reaching Europe in April 1948. Yaakov Meridor (יעקב מרידור born Yaakov Viniarsky on 29 September 1913, died 30 June 1995) was a Revisionist These tribulations were the subject of his book Long is the Path to Freedom: Chronicles of one of the Exiles.

Hunting Season

Main article: The Hunting Season

On November 6, 1944, Lord Moyne, British Deputy Resident Minister of State in Cairo was assassinated by Lehi members Eliyahu Hakim and Eliyahu Bet-Zuri. The Hunting Season or The Saison (הסזון short for) was the name given to the struggle conducted by the Haganah against the Irgun in late Walter Edward Guinness 1st Baron Moyne DSO and Bar Queen's South Africa Medal MID PC ( 29 March 1880 – 6 November Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. Eliyahu Hakim (אליהו חכים 1925 - 22 March 1945) was a member of the Lehi executed in Egypt for the Assassination Eliyahu Bet-Zuri (1922 &ndash 22 March 1945) was a member of Lehi, who was Executed in Egypt for assassinating Lord This act raised concerns within the Yishuv from the British regime's reaction to the underground's violent acts against them. Therefore the Jewish Agency decided on starting a Hunting Season^[24][25], known as the saison, (from the French "la saison de chasse"). French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people During the Hunting Season people suspected of belonging to or supporting the Irgun or the Lehi were removed from schools, work places and the Klalit HMO. "HMO" redirects here For other uses see HMO (disambiguation. Most of the people who partook in these activities were members of the Haganah and the Palmach. The Palmach ( Hebrew: פלמ"ח an acronym for Plugot Maḥatz (Hebrew פלוגות מחץ Strike Companies) was the regular fighting force The carried out surveillance, kidnapping, investigation of Irgun and Lehi members and either turned them over to the British, or provided details regarding their whereabouts. Among those turned over were members of the Irgun headquarters - Yaakov Meridor, Shlomo Lev Ami, and Eliyahu Lankin.

The Hunting Season managed to paralyze the Irgun's activity for a few months, but not destroy the organization. The Irgun's recuperation was noticeable when it began to renew its cooperation with the Lehi in May 1945, when it sabotaged oil pipelines, telephone lines and railroad bridges. All in all, over 1,000 members of the Irgun and Lehi were arrested and interred in British camps during the Saison. Eventually the Hunting Season died out, and there was even talk of cooperation with the Haganah leading to the formation of The Jewish Resistance Movement.

The Jewish Resistance Movement

Main article: The Jewish Resistance Movement

Towards the end of July 1945 the Labour party in Britain was elected to power. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Yishuv leadership had high hopes that this would change the anti-Zionist policy that the British maintained at the time. However, these hopes were quickly dashed when the government limited Aliyah with the intention that the population of Palestine west of the Jordan River would not be more than one third of the total. Aliyah ( refers to Jewish Immigration to the Land of Israel (and since its establishment in 1948 the State of Israel) This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia This, along with the stepping up of arrests and their pursuit of underground members and illegal immigration organizers led to the formation of the Jewish Resistance Movement. This body consolidated the armed resistance to the British of the Irgun, Lehi, and the Haganah. For ten months the Irgun and the Lehi cooperated and they carried out nineteen attacks and defense operations. The Haganah and the Palmach carried out ten such operations. Furthermore, the Haganah assisted in landing 13,000 illegal immigrants.

Tension between the underground movements and the British increased with the increase in operations. On April 23, 1945 an operation undertaken by the Irgun in Tegart Fort went badly and gunfights broke out. A Tegart fort is a style of militarized police "fortress" constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period. One Irgun member was killed and his body was later hanged on the fort's fence. Another fighter, Yizchak Bilu, was killed as well in a diversionary ploy - an explosive device fell out of his hand, and he leapt onto it in order to save his comrades, who were also carrying explosives. Also in the operation Dov Gruner was caught. Dov Gruner (דב גרונר was a Jewish Zionist leader born in Kisvarda, Hungary on December 6 1912 He stood trial and was sentenced to be executed by hanging, and he refused to sign a pardon request. ^[26] He was hanged on April 16, 1947^[27]

British relations with the Yishuv worsened, at the height of which was Operation Agatha. Operation Agatha (Saturday June 29, 1946) sometimes called Black Shabbat or Black Saturday because it began on the Jewish sabbath The government denied the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry's recommendation to bring 100,000 Jews to Palestine at once. As a result of the discovery of documents tying the Jewish Agency to The Jewish Resistance Movement the Irgun was asked to speed up the plans for the King David Hotel bombing. The King David Hotel bombing was a deadly bomb strike by the Irgun, a Militant Zionist group on the headquarters of the British Mandatory ^[28] The hotel was where the documents were located, the base for the British Secretariat, the military command and a branch of the Criminal Investigation Division (police). On July 22 the Irgun bombed the King David. The Irgun later said that a warning sent out ahead of time was never taken seriously. ^[29] According to Shmuel Katz, in his book Days of Fire:

The Haganah Radio later broadcast a report that on receiving the warning Sir John Shaw, the Chief Secretary of the British administration, had said: "I give orders here. Shmuel "Mooki" Katz, born Samuel Katz (שמואל "מוקי" כץ 9 December, 1914 &ndash 9 May, 2008) I don't take orders from Jews", and that he had insisted that nobody leave the building. The bombing killed 91 people. The Jewish Agency and the Haganah shied away from taking responsibility for the attack and condemned it sharply. One of the dead was Jewish and Etzel sympathizer Yulius Jacobs. Menachem Begin reportedly was very saddened and upset. He was angry that the British did not evacuate and so there were casualties, which was against the Irgun's policy. ^[30]

However file KV 5/35 (1946)^[31] of the British Military Intelligence includes a message from Kim Philby to the Security Service of 9 July 1946 warning of possible Irgun attacks against the British legation in Beirut, just before the attack on the King David Hotel. Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby or HAR Philby ( OBE: 1946-1965 ( 1 January, 1912 – 11 May, 1988)

Independent struggle against the British

The King David Hotel bombing and the arrest of Jewish Agency and other Yishuv leaders as part of Operation Agatha caused the Haganah to cease their armed resistance activity against the British. Operation Agatha (Saturday June 29, 1946) sometimes called Black Shabbat or Black Saturday because it began on the Jewish sabbath Yishuv and Jewish Agency leaders were released from prison at Tegart Fort. A Tegart fort is a style of militarized police "fortress" constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period. From then until the end of the British mandate the resistance was led by the Irgun and Lehi. In early September 1946 the Irgun renewed its attacks, against railroads, communication lines and bridges. One prominent operation was the attack on the train station in Jerusalem, in which Meir Feinstein was arrested and later committed suicide awaiting execution. Meir Feinstein ( Hebrew: מאיר פיינשטיין October 5, 1927 - April 21, 1947) was an Irgun operative who According to the Irgun these sort of operations were legitimate, since the trains primarily served the British, for redeployment of their forces. For a while the British stopped train traffic at night. The Irgun also publicized warnings, in three languages, not to use specific trains in danger of being attacked. The Irgun also re-established many representative offices internationally, and by 1948 operated in 23 states. In these countries the Irgun sometimes acted against the local British representatives or led public relations campaigns against Britain. On October 31, 1946, in response to the British barring entry of Jews from Palestine, the Irgun blew up the British embassy in Rome. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 ^[32]

In December 1946 a sentence of 18 years and 18 beatings was handed down to a young Irgun member. The Irgun made good on a threat they made and after the detainee was beaten, Irgun members kidnapped British officers and beat them in public. The operation, known as the "Night of the Beatings" brought an end to British beatings punishments. The Night of the Beating (ליל ההלקאות refers to an action taken by the Irgun on December 29, 1946 in the British Mandate of Palestine The British, taking these acts seriously, moved many British families in Palestine into the confines of military bases, and some moved home.

On February 14, 1947 Ernest Bevin announced that the Jews and Arabs would not be able to agree on any British proposed solution for the land, and therefore the issue must be brought to the United Nations for a final decision. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ernest Bevin ( 9 March 1881 - 14 April 1951) was a British labour leader politician and statesman best known for his time as The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Yishuv thought of the idea to transfer the issue to the UN as a British attempt to save time until a UN inquiry commission would be established, and its ideas discussed, all the while the Yishuv would weaken. Foundation for Immigration B increased the number of ships which, in fact, saved the lives of European Jews. The Mossad Le'aliyah Bet ( Hebrew: 'המוסד לעלייה ב (English The Institution for Immigration B) was a branch of the Jewish Defense Association ( Haganah The British still strictly enforced the policy of immigration and illegal immigrants were placed in detention camps in Cyprus, which only increased the anger of the Jewish community towards the mandate government. Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía

The Irgun stepped up its activity and from February 19 until March 3 it attacked 18 British military camps, convoy routes, vehicles, and other facilities. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian The most notable of these attacks was the use of a car bomb to destroy the Goldschmidt House Officers Club in Jerusalem, which was in a heavily guarded compound. ^[33] Seventeen officers were killed in the attack. As a result, a curfew was imposed over much of the country, enforced by approximately 20,000 British soldiers.

On March 3 the leader of the opposition in the House of Commons asked Winston Churchill given that the size of the military force in Palestine was four times the size of that in India, at a price of £4,000 per soldier a year - what was the point of continuing the bloodshed? Some of the British press also supported a British exit from Palestine. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 During the martial conditions imposed by the British, the Lehi and the Irgun carried out 68 operations, many against military targets, including Camp Schneller in Jerusalem, by breaking through the outer fortifications. This attack, which succeeded in overcoming the many British security measures, created a media uproar, and the curfew was cancelled four days later.

Executed Members of the Irgun

Shlomo Ben-Yosef Dov Gruner Mordechai El'kachi Yehiel Drezner Eliezer Kashani Meir Feinstein Yaakov Weiss Avshalom Haviv Meir Nakar

The Acre Prison break

Main article: Acre Prison break

On April 16, 1947 Dov Gruner, Yehiel Drezner, Eliezer Kashani, and Mordechai El'kachi were hanged, while singing Hatikvah. Olei Hagardom ( Hebrew: "Those hanged in the Gallows " עולי הגרדום refers to members of the pre-state Jewish underground who were tried in Shlomo Ben-Yosef (b May 7, 1913 in Poland as Shalom Tabachnik, d Meir Feinstein ( Hebrew: מאיר פיינשטיין October 5, 1927 - April 21, 1947) was an Irgun operative who The Acre Prison break (הפריצה לכלא עכו was an operation executed by the Irgun on 4 May 1947 in the British Mandate of Palestine, in which its men broke Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the political party see Hatikva (political party. For the Tel Aviv neighbourhood see Hatikva Quarter. On April 21 Meir Feinstein and Lehi member Moshe Barazani blew themselves up, using a hand grenade, hours before their scheduled hanging. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Meir Feinstein ( Hebrew: מאיר פיינשטיין October 5, 1927 - April 21, 1947) was an Irgun operative who Moshe Barazani, also Barzani (1928-1947 was a Kurdish Jew and a member of Lehi ( The Freedom Fighters of Israel) And on May 4 one of the Irgun's largest operations took place - the raid of the prison in the citadel in Acre. Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV The operation was carried out by 23 men, along with the help of the Irgun and Lehi prisoners inside the prison. Lehi ('lɛxi Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel" לח"י - לוחמי חירות The raid allowed 41 underground members to escape, although some were caught outside of the prison, and some were killed in the escape. Along with the underground movement members, many Arab criminals also escaped. The operation resonated all over the world. Three of the attackers - Meir Nakar, Avshalom Haviv, and Yaakov Weiss - were caught and sentenced to death.

The Museum of Underground Prisoners in Jerusalem commemorates the activity of the underground groups in the pre-state period, recreating the everyday life of those imprisoned there. The Museum of Underground Prisoners is a museum in Jerusalem, Israel, commemorating the activity of the Jewish underground - Haganah, Irgun Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

The Sergeants affair

Main article: The Sergeants affair

After the three's death sentence was final the Irgun tried to save them by kidnapping hostages - two British sergeants, in the streets of Netanya. The Sergeants affair (פרשת הסרג'נטים was an incident that took place in the British Mandate of Palestine in July 1947 in which the Irgun kidnapped two A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security British forces closed off and combed the area in search of the two, but did not find them. On July 29, 1947 in the afternoon Meir Nakar, Avshalom Haviv, and Yaakov Weiss were hanged. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Approximately thirteen hours later the sergeants' death sentence was read before them, and Sergeants Mervyn Paice and Clifford Martin were hanged in a forest south of Netanya. This action caused an outcry in Britain and was condemned both there and by leaders of the Yishuv. ^[34]

This episode, along with the King David Hotel bombing, and the beating of the British officers is thought to be one of the deciding factors in the British final choice to leave Palestine. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) was also influenced by these actions. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP was formed in the May 1947 in response to the British Governments announcement to terminate Mandate of Palestine. At the same time another incident was developing - the events of the ship Exodus 1947. Early history The ship was built in 1928 by Pusey and Jones Corp The 4,500 Holocaust survivors on board were not allowed to enter Palestine. UNSCOP also covered the events. Some of its members were even present at Haifa port when the putative immigrants were forcefully removed from their ship onto the deportation ships, and later commented that this strong image helped them press for an immediate solution for Jewish immigration and the question of Palestine.

Two weeks later, the House of Commons convened for a special debate on events in Palestine, and concluded that the British soldiers must be evacuated as soon as possible.

The 1948 Palestine War

Main article: 1948 Palestine War

UNSCOP's conclusion was a unanimous decision to end the British mandate and majority opinion to divide the area west of the Jordan River between a Jewish state and an Arab state. The 1948 Palestine war refers to the events that happened in Palestine between the vote on the partition plan of Palestine on November 30, 1947 This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia During the UN's deliberations regarding the committee's recommendations the Irgun avoided initiating any attacks, so as not to influence the UN negatively on the idea of a Jewish state. On November 29 the UN General Assembly voted in favor of ending the mandate and establishing two states on the land. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Membership For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly see General Assembly members The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine or United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 was a plan approved by the General Assembly on November 29 That very same day the Irgun and the Lehi renewed their attacks on British targets. Then next day the local Arabs began attacking the Jewish community, thus beginning the first stage of the Israeli War of Independence. The first attacks on Jews were in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem, in and around Jaffa, Bat Yam, Holon, and Ha'Tikvah neighborhood in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world Bat-Yam-municipalityjpg|thumb|Bat Yam municipality building]]Bat-Yam-kikar-hameginim-1 Holon (חוֹלוֹן, Ḥōlōn is a City in Israel, on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel

In the autumn of 1947 the Irgun membership was approximately 4,000 people. The goal of the organization at that point was the conquest of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea for the sake of the future Jewish state and preventing the Arab Legion from destroying the Jewish community. The Arab Legion ( al-Jaysh al-Arabī) was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th Century The Irgun became almost an overt organization, establishing military bases in Ramat Gan and Petah Tikva. Ramat Gan (רָמַת גַּן is a city in the Tel Aviv district of Israel, which borders Tel Aviv to its west Petah Tikva (פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה "Opening of Hope" known as Em HaMoshavot ("Mother of the Moshavot " is a city in the Additionally it recruited openly, thus significantly increasing in size. During the war the Irgun fought alongside the Lehi and the Haganah in the front against the Arab attacks. At first the Haganah maintained a defensive policy, as it had until then, but after the Convoy of 35 incident it completely abandoned its policy of restraint: "Distinguishing between individuals is longer possible, for now - it is a war, and the even the innocent shall not be absolved. The Convoy of 35 (or the Lamed He which means "thirty five" in Hebrew numerals) refers to 35 soldiers of the Haganah who were killed while attempting "^[35]

The Irgun also began carrying out reprisal missions, as it had under David Raziel's command. At the same time though, it published announcements calling on the Arabs to lay down their weapons and maintain a ceasefire:

The National Military Organization has warned you, if the murderous attacks on Jewish civilians shall continue, its soldiers will penetrate your centers of activity and plague you. You have not heeded the warning. You continued to harm our brothers and murder them in wild cruelty. Therefore soldiers of the National Military Organization will go on the attack, as we have warned you.

. . . However even in these frenzied time, when Arab and Jewish blood is spilled at the British enslaver, we hereby call upon you. . . to stop the attacks and create peace between us. We do not want a war with you. We are certain that neither do you want a war with us. . . ^[36]

However the mutual attacks continued. The Irgun attacked the Arab villages of Tira near Haifa, Yehudiya ('Abassiya) in the center, and Shuafat by Jerusalem. Al-Tira (الطيرة also called Tirat al-Lawz or "Tira of the almonds" to distinguish it from other al- Tiras was a Palestinian town located 7 kilometres Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Shu'fat (شعفاط also Shuafat is a Palestinian town within the De facto borders of Israel as part of north-eastern Jerusalem. In Jerusalem Irgun members dropped an explosive device into a large group of unarmed Arabs who were waiting for a bus by Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem, killing many. Jaffa Gate ( Hebrew: Sha'ar Yafo, Arabic: باب الخليل Bab el-Khalil) also David's Gate (Hebrew Sha'ar David) The Irgun also attacked in the Wadi Rushmiya neighborhood in Haifa and Abu Kabir in Jaffa. Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world On December 29 Irgun units arrived by boat to the Jaffa shore and a gunfight between them and Arab gangs ensued. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II The following day seven Arabs were killed, and dozens injured, near the refineries in Haifa. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St In response, Arab workers attacked Jews in the area, killing 41. The Haifa Oil Refinery Massacre of 39 Jewish workers occurred on December 30 1947 at the Oil refinery complex in Haifa, during a period This sparked a Haganah response in Balad al-Sheykh. Balad al-Shaykh, was an Arab village in Palestine, now part of the Israeli town of Nesher where a massacre was perpetrated on the night of The Irgun's goal in the fighting was to move the battles from Jewish populated areas to Arab populated areas. On January 1, 1948 the Irgun attacked again in Jaffa, its men entering the city dressed as British; later in the month it attacked in Beit Nabala, a base for many Arab fighters. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Beit Nabala was a Muslim Arab village in the district of Ramla in Mandatory Palestine that was destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

In February the Irgun attacked traffic near Yehudiya ('Abassiya), Yazur, and Ramle. Ramla (רַמְלָה Ramlāh; الرملة also Ramle and sometimes Rama) is a city in central Israel with a mixed Arab and Irgun fighters participated in fights against Arab militants in Ramle and Qalqilyah. Qalqilyah ( Arabic قلقيلية Qalqīlyaḧ; Hebrew קַלְקִילִיָה) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. In March the Irgun attacked the village of Qaqun (near Tulkarem), which had many Arab militants among its residents. Tulkarm or Tulkarem ( طولكرم Ṭūlkarm; טול כרם) is a Palestinian city in the Tulkarm Governorate in the Deir Yassin, was a village west of Jerusalem that had signed a non-belligerency pact with its Jewish neighbors and the Haganah, and repeatedly had barred entry to foreign irregulars^[37]. The Deir Yassin massacre was the killing of between 107 and 120 villagers the estimate generally accepted by scholars during and possibly after the battle at the village of On 9 April approximately 120 Irgun and Lehi members began an operation to capture the village. Lehi ('lɛxi Hebrew acronym for Lohamei Herut Israel, "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel" לח"י - לוחמי חירות During the operation Irgun members shot at fleeing individuals and families. A Haganah report writes:

The conquest of the village was carried out with great cruelty. Whole families - women, old people, children - were killed. . . . Some of the prisoners moved to places of detention, including women and children, were murdered viciously by their captors. ^[38]

The operation resulted in five Irgun members dead and 40 injured and 100 to 120 dead villagers. ^[39] Some say that this incident was an event that accelerated the Arab exodus from Palestine. ^[40]Four days later, on April 13, the Arabs launched a strike on a medical convoy traveling to Hadassah Hospital. The Hadassah medical convoy massacre took place on April 13, 1948, when a civilian convoy escorted by Haganah militia bringing medical and fortification Around 77 doctors, nurses, and other Jewish civilians were massacred.

The Irgun cooperated with the Haganah in the conquest of Haifa. At the regional commander's request, on April 21 the Irgun took over an Arab post above Hadar Ha'Carmel as well as the Arab neighborhood of Wadi Nisnas, adjacent to the Lower City. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date)

The Irgun acted independently in the conquest of Jaffa (an Arab city according to the U. Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world N. partition plan). On April 25 Irgun units, about 600 strong, left the Irgun base in Ramat Gan towards Arab Jaffa. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Ramat Gan (רָמַת גַּן is a city in the Tel Aviv district of Israel, which borders Tel Aviv to its west Difficult battles ensued, and the Irgun faced resistance from the Arabs as well as the British. ^[41] Under Amichai "Gidi" Faglin's command, the Irgun's chief operations officer, the Irgun captured the neighborhood of Manshiya, which threatened the city of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel Afterwards the force continued to the sea, towards the area of the port, and using mortars, shelled the southern neighborhoods. In his report concerning the fall of Jaffa the local Arab military commander, Michel Issa, writes: 'Continuous shelling with mortars of the city by Jews for four days, beginning 25th April, […] caused inhabitants of city, unaccustomed to such bombardment, to panic and flee. '^[42] According to Morris the shelling was done by the Irgun. Their objective was 'to prevent constant military traffic in the city, to break the spirit of the enemy troops [and] to cause chaos among the civilian population in order to create a mass flight'. ^[43] High Commissioner Cunningham wrote a few days later 'It should be made clear that IZL attack with mortars was indiscriminate and designed to create panic among the civilian inhabitants'. ^[44] These actions caused many Arab residents to flee the city, and 30 Irgun members were killed in the flight. The British demanded the evacuation of the newly conquered city, however the Irgun had previously agreed with the Haganah that British pressure would not lead to withdrawal from Jaffa and that custody of captured areas would be turned over to the Haganah. The city ultimately fell on May 13 after Haganah forces entered the city and took control of the rest of the city, from the south - part of the Hametz Operation which included the conquest of a number of villages in the area. Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. The battles in Jaffa were a great victory for the Irgun. This operation was the largest in the history of the organization, which took place in highly built up area that had many militants in shooting positions. During the battles explosives were used in order to break into homes and continue forging a way though them. Furthermore, this was the first occasion in which the Irgun had directly fought British forces, reinforced with armor and heavy weaponry. The city began these battles with a population estimated at 55,000, which shrank to some 4,100 Arab residents by the end of major hostilities. Since the Irgun captured the neighborhood of Manshiya on its own, causing the flight of many of Jaffa's residents, the Irgun took credit for the conquest of Jaffa.

Additional information

While the strategy, tactics, and operational methods of the organization changed through the years, its primary goals were to:

• Provide a non-Socialist alternative to the leading Zionist organizations;
• Eliminate or reduce the threat of Arab attacks on Jewish targets by assured and harsh retaliation for such attacks;
• Bring to an end the British mandatory rule

The group went through several phases in its short lifespan, not listed above:

• In 1948, the group was formally dissolved and its members integrated into the newly formed Israeli Defense Forces. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit This integration largely coincided with the sinking of the Altalena, a ship with fighters Irgun had recruited and arms Irgun had acquired for the Israeli forces. The Altalena Affair was a violent confrontation that took place in June 1948 between the newly-formed Israel Defense Forces and the Irgun, a paramilitary Jewish group

Views about Irgun

Views about the Irgun have been as disparate as any other political topic in Israeli society. Leaders within the mainstream Jewish Agency, Haganah, Histadrut, as well as British authorities, routinely condemned Irgun operations as terrorist and branded it an illegal organization as a result of the group's attacks on civilian targets. The Jewish Agency for Israel (Hebrew הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) also known as the Sochnut or JAFI Haganah ( Hebrew: "The Defense" ההגנה was a Jewish Paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Histadrut ("Federation" labour or HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion During the Great Uprising ( 1936 - 1939) of the Arabs in Palestine, in which more than 320 Jews were killed by Arab attacks the However, privately at least the Haganah kept a dialogue with the dissident groups.

References

Further reading

• J. Bowyer Bell, Terror Out of Zion: Irgun Zvai Leumi, Lehi, and the Palestine Underground, 1929-1949, (Avon, 1977), ISBN 0-380-39396-4
• Menachem Begin, The Revolt - Memoirs of the leader of the Irgun, Dell Books, (New York, NY, 1978)
• Uri Avnery, Terrorism: the infantile disease of the Hebrew revolution, self-published booklet, 1945. J Bowyer Bell ( 15 November 1931 &ndash 23 August 2003) was an American Historian, Artist and Art critic (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel Uri Avnery (אורי אבנרי also transliterated Uri Avneri, born September 10, 1923 in Beckum, Germany as Helmut Ostermann
• Lossin, Yigal. Pillar of Fire: The Rebirth of Israel trans. Zvi Ofer, Shikmona Publishing Ltd. , 1983.

External links

• Official History of Irgun
• History of Irgun by an American Jewish Organization
• Encyclopedia Britannica Entry on Irgun
• Letter of prominent Jews to New York Times, December 4, 1948, warning of dangers of Irgun
• British Security Service files on Jewish terrorist activities, The National Archives, released through Freedom of information legislation in March 2006. The National Archives (TNA is a British Governmental organisation created in April 2003 to maintain a National archive for " England, Wales
• The Iron Wall: Zionist Revisionism from Jabotinsky to Shamir, by Lenni Brenner
• 1952 Assassination attempt against German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer by Irgun under Menachem Begin

See also

• List of Irgun attacks during the 1930s
• List of notable Irgun members
• British Mandate of Palestine
• Konrad Adenauer#Assassination attempt

During the Great Uprising ( 1936 - 1939) of the Arabs in Palestine, in which more than 320 Jews were killed by Arab attacks the The following persons have been listed either by the Irgun's website or by reputable independent sources (meeting Wikipedia standards for reliability as being notable members of the Irgun The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement Konrad Hermann Josef Adenauer ( 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967 was a German Statesman.

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