Was right-wing Zionism formed by a terrorist organisation?
Whenever the topic of Israel before independence comes up, there is always a discussion on the underground armies. The Irgun and the Lechi are branded “terrorist organisations” by uneducated people who don’t understand the situation. Yes, these organisations were involved in attacks but No, they were not terrorists. They fought ferociously for their nation and believed that waiting and negotiating will amount to nothing. Their thinking was justified based on the fact that the Balfour Declaration was announced 31 years beforehand and still barely anything had been done, as well as the murder of 6 million Jews in the holocaust who’s impact still resonates to this day.
Liars still call upon the “Deir Yassin massacre” caused by the Irgun and Lechi “terrorists” but it must be said that this has been quoted countless times as propaganda against the Jews and Israel. Deir Yassin was a village along the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This village was chosen by Arab terrorists as a base to launch attacks on the Jewish convoys that were travelling along the road to deliver food to citizens in Jerusalem. It was of strategic importance and it was important that it be captured. The Hagannah supported the Irguns plan of capturing the village as a Hagannah commander David Shaltiel wrote to the leaders of the Lechi and Irgun, “I wish to point out that the capture of Deir Yassin and its holdings are one stage in our general plan. I have no objections to carrying out the operation…”. Before the attack began, Menachem Begin (the leader of the Irgun) called for a truck with loudspeakers to park outside the entrance of the village and blast warning messages to the inhabitants. A lot of people took notice of this warning and fled to the nearby hills and await their return after the battle. When the soldiers entered, they were bombarded with enemy fire and they fought back fiercely. Unfortunately, there were many innocent civilians who were caught in the crossfire as they had ignored the warning messages. Some Arab soldiers had dressed up as women to confuse the Irgun and Lechi soldiers and this caused even more casualties, as the soldiers did not know who was who. They even left an escape corridor empty for villagers to escape and over 200 did. After the battle, the Irgun escorted a red cross representative through the village and hosted a press conference to report on the activities (. They took 70 more surviving residents and handed them over to the British without delay. This was war and although tragic, casualties were inevitable.
This incident has been portrayed too often by the media in a different light. Reporters often forget those details about the soldiers trying to avoid casualties. They also claim that rape occurred in the battle. A member of the Palestinian broadcasting service in 1948, Hazam Nusseibi admitted later, “This was our biggest mistake. We did not realise how our people would react. As soon as they heard that women had been raped at Deir Yassin, Palestinians fled in terror.” (Israel and the Arabs: The 50 year conflict – BBC). Another “minor” detail is also often left out of the picture. 4 days after the attack, a Jewish ambulance was destroyed in retaliation killing 77 doctors, nurses and patients on their way to the hospital. The incident at Deir Yassin has been a primary piece of propaganda against Israel for years and to quote it without real knowledge of what happened is only foolish.
The underground armies in Israel – the Irgun and Lechi – were not terrorists. They fought for a cause of 2000 years. Their intention was not to murder the innocent, but to protect them. This was their aim in the years before independence and I would venture to say that without their soldiers and heroic leadership, Israel may never have been strong enough to resist the Arab armies who called for the annihilation of Israel and it’s people in the war of independence.
Liars still call upon the “Deir Yassin massacre” caused by the Irgun and Lechi “terrorists” but it must be said that this has been quoted countless times as propaganda against the Jews and Israel. Deir Yassin was a village along the road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This village was chosen by Arab terrorists as a base to launch attacks on the Jewish convoys that were travelling along the road to deliver food to citizens in Jerusalem. It was of strategic importance and it was important that it be captured. The Hagannah supported the Irguns plan of capturing the village as a Hagannah commander David Shaltiel wrote to the leaders of the Lechi and Irgun, “I wish to point out that the capture of Deir Yassin and its holdings are one stage in our general plan. I have no objections to carrying out the operation…”. Before the attack began, Menachem Begin (the leader of the Irgun) called for a truck with loudspeakers to park outside the entrance of the village and blast warning messages to the inhabitants. A lot of people took notice of this warning and fled to the nearby hills and await their return after the battle. When the soldiers entered, they were bombarded with enemy fire and they fought back fiercely. Unfortunately, there were many innocent civilians who were caught in the crossfire as they had ignored the warning messages. Some Arab soldiers had dressed up as women to confuse the Irgun and Lechi soldiers and this caused even more casualties, as the soldiers did not know who was who. They even left an escape corridor empty for villagers to escape and over 200 did. After the battle, the Irgun escorted a red cross representative through the village and hosted a press conference to report on the activities (. They took 70 more surviving residents and handed them over to the British without delay. This was war and although tragic, casualties were inevitable.
This incident has been portrayed too often by the media in a different light. Reporters often forget those details about the soldiers trying to avoid casualties. They also claim that rape occurred in the battle. A member of the Palestinian broadcasting service in 1948, Hazam Nusseibi admitted later, “This was our biggest mistake. We did not realise how our people would react. As soon as they heard that women had been raped at Deir Yassin, Palestinians fled in terror.” (Israel and the Arabs: The 50 year conflict – BBC). Another “minor” detail is also often left out of the picture. 4 days after the attack, a Jewish ambulance was destroyed in retaliation killing 77 doctors, nurses and patients on their way to the hospital. The incident at Deir Yassin has been a primary piece of propaganda against Israel for years and to quote it without real knowledge of what happened is only foolish.
The underground armies in Israel – the Irgun and Lechi – were not terrorists. They fought for a cause of 2000 years. Their intention was not to murder the innocent, but to protect them. This was their aim in the years before independence and I would venture to say that without their soldiers and heroic leadership, Israel may never have been strong enough to resist the Arab armies who called for the annihilation of Israel and it’s people in the war of independence.
This article originally appeared on our blog here.