The Zionist Irgun and the British In Palestine, 19451948

1
The Zionist Irgun and the British In Palestine,
1945-1948

• PO 483 The Politics of Terrorism

2
Background

• Hertzl and the Zionist Movement (1890s)
• Balfour Declaration and Beginning of British
  Occupation, 1917
• Key Players Historically Divided
• Yishuv
• Jewish Agency
• Hagana (1920)
• Irgun (1938)
• Stern Gang (1940s)

3
Background

• Key Issue Immigration Restriction
• Very few operations during war anti-Arabism
  prevails
• Irgun One of only two groups who felt political
  options were at an end

4
The Irgun

• Declaration of Revolt by Begin (February 1944)
  after continued restrictions, refusal to allow
  Jews into regular army units, and Allies gaining
  upper hand
• Tactical Truce with Arabs
• Dissociation from Stern Gang (political purposes)

5
Structure

• Commander (Begin)
• High Command (14 ministers)
• Major Operational Units (Combat, Reserve,
  Propaganda, Assault Force)
• Regional/District Components
• Benefits Secrecy, Accountability, Separation
• of Operatives

6
Irgun Operations

• Desired to be a cross between terrorist and
  guerilla unit (political purposes), but practical
  infeasibility limited this even their terrorist
  tactics tried to ensure degree of legitimacy
• Employed part-time terrorists secrecy high,
  incognito made British response likely to be
  against entire Yishuv, but could also turn Jews
  against them (Irgun rarely had support of Yishuv)
  
• Robberies of weapons and currency, symbolic
  attacks, bombings of oil pipelines, transport,
  etc., military installations goals were to
  weaken prestige, paralyze movement, weaken morale

7
Chronology

• Early 1944 Symbolic and infrastructure attacks
  Warning given. British response nonexistent
• More major attacks against British
  infrastructure little response
• November 1944 Assassination of Lord Moyne by
  Stern Gang condemned by Irgun, but led to
  launching of Saison

8
Chronology

• March 1945 Saison ends with little British
  success (turned Yishuv against Hagana and Jewish
  Authority)
• Continued infrastructure and pragmatic attacks
  through 1945 and 1946
• Lack of harsh British Response led Irgun to adopt
  more violent tactics (e.g., Goldsmith House
  attack)

9
Three Key Operations

• King David Hotel July 22, 1946
• Planting of bombs in basement of hotel
  (administrative seat of occupying government)
• 91 people killed large loss of life condemned
  by Hagana, Authority, even though they had helped
  plan attack - led to loss of reputation
• Measured British response get armed insurrection
  under control without disrupting relations with
  sympathetic portions of Yishuv
• Operation Shark Curfew, road closings - Capture
  as many members of Irgun and Stern Gang as
  possible (787 arrests)
• Important lesson more violent tactics could be
  effective, but not if they caused Yishuv to
  sympathize with British

10
Three Key Operations

• Assault on Acre Prison, May 1947
• Retaliation for hanging of Irgun members
  originally a jailbreak scheme, but high on
  symbolism
• Nearly 250 people escaped during the attack, but
  only 30 were Irgun
• British soldiers inflicted many casualties by
  trapping fleeing attackers
• Marked new wave of violent attacks, and harmed
  British prestige (even though the British did not
  employ full-scale response), but taught the
  lesson that high profile attacks could result in
  further loss of Yishuv support and loss of
  members if not very carefully planned

11
Three Key Operations

• The Hanging of the Two Sergeants, July 1947
• British had withdrawn some forces already
• Hangings in retaliation for execution of Irgun
  members after months of protest by Yishuv
  (indicative of tit-for-tat approach) British did
  not believe they would do it
• Bodies booby-trapped to maximize loss of life
• Condemned by Yishuv, but effects on British were
  enormous
• Commons condemned hangings
• Increased calls in Britain for withdrawal
• British troops responded by firing into crowds of
  civilians, smashing shop windows made some Jews
  sympathetic
• British also responded by eliminating death
  penalty
• So, a harsh retaliation was elicited, but the
  support after even this was low, as another
  Saison ensued

12
Conclusions

• Yishuv nearly always against Irgun, but the
  importance of international audiences ended up
  being crucial (especially in Britain)
• Increase in attack severity when necessary to
  ensure larger response, decrease when Yishuv was
  in league with the British

13
The British Counterterrorist Effort

• General Countermeasures
• Exile - Begun in 1944 effective (took away
  opportunity to conduct jailbreaks, depleted
  leadership)
• Execution
• Use political measures to turn sectors of the
  Yishuv against the Irgun
• Martial Law
• Extensive Searches
• Committed more than 10,000 troops

14
Example of Success and Failure Operation Agatha
(June 1946)

• Drive wedge between political leadership and
  Irgun, and bring about more moderates (arrest
  implicated leaders)
• Limited in scope did not want to destroy any
  groups, but neutralize their effectiveness
• Borders closed, phone service cut off, curfews
  imposed, search campaign initiated 2000 people
  arrested, numerous arms captured
• Problematic Paralyzed Irgun and Hagana, but only
  for a short time harsh enough to alienate
  important sectors of Yishuv, but limited enough
  that allowed very many operatives and potential
  recruits to remain free

15
Why did the British effort fail?

• Political Indecisiveness and Conflict of
  Attitudes in London
• Military Incompetence and Displeasure with
  Political Decisions
• Jewish Hostility
• Waning Morale Amongst Troops
• Low Public Opinion in Britain
• Proponents of Zionism in the International
  Community