Zionist political violence: Difference between revisions

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In the 1930s and 1940s, the Zionist underground committed multiple acts of political violence, during their campaign for a Jewish National Homeland in the British Mandate of Palestine. These include actions by the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi, also known as the Stern Gang, against the British, UN personnel, Arabs, and suspected Jewish collaborators. At the time the British described this as "Zionist terrorism". While the latter term is still used in this way today by some mainstream historians, in reference to present day events outside that historical context the term is used as a political epithet to deprecate Israel or Jews.

The Haganah and Irgun suspended their activity against the British after the beginning of World War II so as not to distract the British from the fight against Nazi Germany. Many members of the underground volunteered for the Jewish Brigade to fight the Nazis. The Irgun resumed attacks in 1944, after the defeat of the Nazis was assured. The smaller Lehi continued anti-British attacks and direct action throughout the war.

A more complete list of incidents can be found at List of Irgun attacks during the 1930s.

During the period 1937-1939, the Irgun conducted a campaign of bombings and other acts of violence against Arab civilians.
Lehi assassinated British minister Lord Moyne in Cairo in 1944.
The killings of several suspected collaborators with the Haganah and the British mandate government during The Hunting Season (1944-1945).
The King David Hotel bombing on July 26, 1946, killing 91 people. The Irgun delivered a warning to the hotel switchboard but there is disagreement over whether it was sufficiently in advance of the explosion or whether the hotel management responded effectively.
Attacked British military airfields and railways several times in 1946.
The bombing by the Irgun of the British Embassy in Rome in 1946.
The 1947 reprisal killing of two British sergeants who had been taken prisoner in response to British execution of two Irgun members in Akko prison.
Lehi assassinated the UN mediator Count Bernadotte in September 1948 for his allegedly pro-Arab conduct during the cease-fire negotiations.

Actions during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

Deir Yassin massacre, in April 1948, by Irgun and Lehi forces
List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war various dates, by various regular and irregular forces.

References

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 *[[Deir Yassin massacre]], in April 1948, by Irgun and Lehi forces
 *[[List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war]] various dates, by various regular and irregular forces.
-<!--Both Arab and Zionist events: should probably just copy the Zionist ones into this article-->
-<!--== Post-Statehood militant incidents ==
-Since the establishment of Israel, there have been isolated incidents of killings of Israelis and [[Palestinians]] by Israelis for political reasons. These actions are '''not''' connected to the organized activities of the Jewish underground in the pre-state period. These acts of [[lone wolf terrorism]] are conducted without the assistance of an organised group or ideology.
-All these incidents have been strongly condemned by the [[government of Israel]] and the Israeli public. It is widely believed by the Israeli public that perpetrators of many of these incidents, (e.g. [[Baruch Goldstein]], [[Eden Natan-Zada]], and [[Asher Weisgan]]), were  mentally unstable.{{fact}}
-* On [[February 25]], [[1994]], [[Baruch Goldstein]], a [[Kach and Kahane Chai|Kach]] supporter, killed 29 [[Muslim]] worshipers in a [[mosque]], injuring approximately 100. Kach is categorized as a terrorist group by the [[United States Department of State|US State Department]], the [[Politics of Canada|Canadian government]],[http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2005/24/c2655.html] the [[Politics of Israel|Israeli government]], and the [[Anti-Defamation League]][http://www.adl.org/terrorism/symbols/kahane_2.asp]. Kach was originally disqualified as a political party by the [[Knesset]] before the 1988 elections for [[racism]].  Although Goldstein acted alone, in response to his affiliation, the outspoken support for his action by some Kach members, and verbal attacks against the Israeli government, the Israeli government outlawed the group under the 1948 Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1900_1949/Prevention%20of%20Terrorism%20Ordinance%20No%2033%20of%205708-19], prohibiting any financial or verbal support, and branding it a "terrorist organization."
-* On [[November 4]], [[1995]], [[Yigal Amir]] assassinated [[Prime Minister of Israel]] [[Yitzhak Rabin]] and injured a security guard at a [[rally]] held in support of the [[Oslo Accords]] in [[Tel Aviv]]. For his crime he was sentenced to life plus 14 years in prison. Amir was a [[law]] [[student]] at [[Bar-Ilan University]] and a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[activist]] who had strenuously opposed Rabin's signing of the Accords.[[Yigal Amir]] was possibly inspired by the political philosophy of [[Meir Kahane]].
-* On [[August 4]], [[2005]], [[Eden Natan-Zada]], 19, an Israeli soldier who had been [[AWOL]] for weeks,  boarded a bus and began shooting at passerby from the busses windows. He killed four [[Israeli Arab]]s and wounded 12. An Arab crowd then [[lynching|lynched]] him, while he was in police custody onboard the bus.
-Prior to the incident, Natan-Zada had deserted his IDF unit after he refused to remove [[Israeli settlement|settlers]] from the [[Gaza Strip]] as part of the [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|disengagement plan]]. Natan-Zada had previously been been recommended for psychiatric observation by the IDF Medical Corps.
-[[Prime minister of Israel|Prime minister]] [[Ariel Sharon]] described the incident as "a reprehensible act by a bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist who sought to attack innocent Israeli citizens."
-[http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050804/1/3tzvd.html]
-* On [[Wednesday]], [[August 17]] [[2005]], in an attempt to disrupt Israel's planned disengagement from the [[Gaza Strip]], [[Asher Weisgan]], a 40-year old Israeli bus-driver, shot and killed four Palestinians and injured two others in the [[West Bank]] settlement of [[Shiloh]]. The Palestinians worked in the settlement's [[aluminum]] factory and two of them had been driven there by Weisgan. He had snatched the rifle used in the slayings from a settlement guard, after threatening him with a knife. The ''[[Haaretz]]'' newspaper quoted Weisgan as saying before entering a courthouse outside of [[Tel Aviv]], "I'm not sorry for what I did." [[Ariel Sharon]] said of the attack, "I view this act of Jewish terror, which was aimed at innocent Palestinians with the twisted thinking that it would stop the disengagement plan, very gravely." [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/613951.html]-->
 == See also ==