*Zionist political violence* refers to acts of violence committed by Zionists <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism>.
Actions have been carried out by individuals and Jewish paramilitary groups such as the Irgun <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irgun>, the Lehi <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehi_(group)>, the Haganah <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haganah> and thePalmach <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmach> as part of a conflict between Jews, British <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandatory_Palestine> authorities, and Palestinian Arabs <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_people>, regarding land, immigration, and control over Palestine.[1] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-1> British soldiers and officials, United Nations <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations> personnel, Palestinian Arab fighters and civilians, and Jewish fighters and civilians have been targets or victims of these actions. Domestic, commercial, and government property, infrastructure, and material have also been attacked. During World War I <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I>, Zionist volunteers fought in the Jewish Legion <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Legion> of the British Army <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army> against the Ottoman Turks <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Turks> During the 1920 Nebi Musa riots <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920_Nebi_Musa_riots>, the 1921 Jaffa riots <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_riots> and the 1929 Palestine riots <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Palestine_riots>, Palestinian Arabs manifested hostility against zionist immigration, which provoked the reaction of Jewish militias.[2] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-2> In 1935, the Irgun <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irgun>, a Zionist underground military organization, split off from the Haganah <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haganah>.[3] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Welty-3> The Irgun were the armed expression of the nascent ideology of Revisionist Zionism <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revisionist_Zionism> founded by Ze'ev Jabotinsky <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ze%27ev_Jabotinsky>. He expressed this ideology <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology> as *"every Jew had the right to enter Palestine; only active retaliation would deter the Arab and the British; only Jewish armed force would ensure the Jewish state"*.[4] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-4> During the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936%E2%80%9339_Arab_revolt_in_Palestine>, Palestinian Arabs fought for the end of the Mandate and the creation of an Arab state based on the whole of Palestine. They attacked both British and Jews as well as some Palestinian Arabs who supported a Pan-Arabism <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Arabism>. Mainstream Zionists, represented by the Vaad Leumi <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaad_Leumi> and the Haganah, practiced the policy of Havlagah <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havlagah> (restraint), while Irgun militants did not follow this policy and called themselves "Havlagah breakers."[5] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-5> The Irgun began bombing Palestinian Arab civilian targets in 1938.[3] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Welty-3> While the Palestinian Arabs were "carefully disarmed" by the British Mandatory authorities by 1939, the Zionists were not.[3] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Welty-3> After the beginning of World War II <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>, the Haganah and Irgun suspended their activity against the British in support of their war against Nazi Germany <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany>.[6] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-6> The smallerLehi <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehi_(group)> continued anti-British attacks and direct action <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_action_(military)> throughout the war. At that time, the British also supported the creation and the training of Palmach <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmach>, as a unit that could withstand a German offensive in the area, with the consent of Yishuv <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yishuv> which saw an opportunity to get trained units and soldiers for the planned Jewish state[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-7>and during 1944–1945, the most mainstream Jewish paramilitary organization, Haganah, cooperated with the British authorities against the Lehi and Etzel. [8] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-galor-8> After World War II, between 1945 and the 29 November 1947 Partition vote <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine>, British soldiers and policemen <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Police_Force> were targeted by Irgun and Lehi <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_insurgency_in_Palestine>. Haganah and Palmah <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmah> first collaborated with the British against them, particularly during the Hunting Season <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunting_Season>, before actively joining them in the Jewish Resistance Movement <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Resistance_Movement>, then finally choosing an official neutral position after 1946 while the Irgun and the Lehi went on their attacks against the British.[9] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-9> The Haganah carried out violent attacks in Palestine, such as the liberation of interned immigrants from the Atlit <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlit> camp, the bombing of the country's railroad network, sabotage raids on radar installations and bases of the British Palestine police. It also continued to organize illegal immigration. [10] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-jewishvirtuallibrary-10> In February 1947, the British announced that they would end the mandate and withdraw from Palestine and they asked the arbitration of the United Nations <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations>. After the vote of the Partition Plan for Palestine on 30 November 1947, civil war broke out in Palestine <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947%E2%80%9348_Civil_War_in_Mandatory_Palestine>. Jewish and Arab communities fought each other violently in campaigns of attacks, retaliations and counter-retaliations which provoked around 800 deaths after two months. Arab volunteers entered Palestine to fight alongside the Palestinian Arabs. In April, 6 weeks before the termination of the Mandate, the Jewish militias launched wide operations to control the territory dedicated to them by the Partition Plan.[11] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-11> Many atrocities occurred <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killings_and_massacres_during_the_1948_Palestine_War> during this time. The Arab population in the mixed cities of Tiberias <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberias>, Safed <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safed>, Haifa <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haifa>, Jaffa <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa>, Beisan <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beisan> and Acre <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acre,_Israel> and in the neighbouring villages fled or were expelled during this period. During the Battle for Jerusalem (1948) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Jerusalem_(1948)> where the Jewish community of 100,000 people was besieged, most Arab villages of the Tel Aviv <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv> – Jerusalem corridor were captured by Jewish militias and leveled.[12] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-12> At the beginning of the civil war, the Jewish militias organized several bombing attacks against civilians and military Arab targets. On 12 December, Irgun placed a car bomb opposite the Damascus Gate, killing 20 people.[13] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Karsh_2002.2C_p.32-13> On 4 January 1948, the Lehi detonated a lorry bomb against the headquarters of the paramilitary Najjada <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Najjada>located in Jaffa <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa>'s Town Hall, killing 15 Arabs and injuring 80.[13] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Karsh_2002.2C_p.32-13> [14] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-14> During the night between 5 and 6 January, the Haganah bombed the Semiramis Hotel <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiramis_Hotel_bombing> in Jerusalem that had been reported to hide Arab militiamen, killing 24 people.[15] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-15> The next day, Irgun members in a stolen police van rolled a barrel bomb <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel_bomb_(Palestine_and_Israel)>[16] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-16> into a large group of civilians who were waiting for a bus by the Jaffa Gate <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa_Gate>, killing around 16.[17] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-17> Another Irgun bomb went off in the Ramla market on February 18, killing 7 residents and injuring 45.[18] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-18> On 28 February, the Palmah organised a bombing attack against a garage at Haifa, killing 30 people.[19] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-19> Condemnation as terrorism[edit <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zionist_political_violence&action=edit§ion=2> ] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_and_others_letter.jpg> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Einstein_and_others_letter.jpg> Hannah Arendt <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt>, Jessurun Cardozo <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessurun_Cardozo>,Albert Einstein <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein> and others letter Irgun was described as a terrorist <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definition_of_terrorism> organization by the United Nations, British, and United States <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States> governments, and in media such as *The New York Times <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times>* newspaper,[20] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-20>[21] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-21> and by the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-American_Committee_of_Inquiry>.[22] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-22> In 1946, The World Zionist Congress strongly condemned terrorist activities in Palestine and "the shedding of innocent blood as a means of political warfare". Irgun was specifically condemned.[23] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-NYTirgun-23> Menachem Begin <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Begin> was called a terrorist <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism> and a fascist <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism> by Albert Einstein <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein> and 27 other prominent Jewish intellectuals in a letter to the New York Times which was published on December 4, 1948. Specifically condemned was the participation of the Irgun in the Deir Yassin massacre:[24] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-New_Palestine_Party-24> - "terrorist bands attacked this peaceful village, which was not a military objective in the fighting, killed most of its inhabitants – 240 men, women and children – and kept a few of them alive to parade as captives through the streets of Jerusalem." The letter warns American Jews <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews> against supporting Begin's request for funding of his political party Herut <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herut>, and ends with the warning: - "The discrepancies between the bold claims now being made by Begin and his party and their record of past performance in Palestine bear the imprint of no ordinary political party. This is the unmistakable stamp of a Fascist party for whom terrorism (against Jews, Arabs, and British alike), and misrepresentation are means, and a "Leader State" is the goal."[24] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-New_Palestine_Party-24> Lehi was described as a terrorist <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorist> organization[25] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-25> by the British authorities and United Nations mediator Ralph Bunche <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Bunche>.[26] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-26> Jewish public opinion[edit <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zionist_political_violence&action=edit§ion=3> ] During the conflict between Arabs and Jews in Palestine before the war, the criterion of "Purity of arms <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purity_of_arms>" was used to distinguish between the respective attitudes of the Irgun and Haganah towards Arabs, with the latter priding itself on its adherence to principle.[27] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-shapira1-27> The Jewish society in the British Mandate Palestine generally disapproved and denounced violent attacks both on grounds moral rejection and political disagreement, stressing that terrorism is counter-productive in the Zionist quest for Jewish self-determination.[8] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-galor-8> Generally speaking, this precept requires that "weapons remain pure [and that] they are employed only in self-defence and [never] against innocent civilians and defenceless people".[28] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-shlaimdebate-28> But if it "remained a central value in education" it was "rather vague and intentionally blurred" at the practical level.[27] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-shapira1-27> In 1946, at a meeting held between the heads of the Haganah, David Ben-Gurion <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ben-Gurion> predicted a confrontation between the Arabs of Palestine and the Arab states. Concerning the "principle of purity of arms", he stressed that: "The end does not justify all means. Our war is based on moral grounds"[29] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-shapira2-29> and during the 1948 War, the Mapam <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapam>, the political party affiliated to Palmach, asked "a strict observance of the Jewish Purity of arms <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purity_of_arms> to secure the moral character of [the] war".[30] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-gelber1948-30> When he was later criticized by Mapam members for his attitude concerning the Arab refugee problem <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Palestinian_exodus>, Ben-Gurion reminded them the Palestinian exodus from Lydda and Ramle <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Palestinian_exodus_from_Lydda_and_Ramle> and the fact Palmah officers had been responsible for the "outrage that had encouraged the Arabs' flight made the party uncomfortable."[30] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-gelber1948-30> According to Avi Shlaim <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avi_Shlaim>, this condemnation of the use of violence is one of the key features of 'the conventional Zionist account or old history' whose 'popular-heroic-moralistic version' is 'taught in Israeli schools and used extensively in the quest for legitimacy abroad'.[28] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-shlaimdebate-28> Benny Morris <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Morris> adds that '[t]he Israelis' collective memory of fighters characterized by "purity of arms" is also undermined by the evidence of [the dozen case] of rapes committed in conquered towns and villages.' According to him, 'after the 1948 war, the Israelis tended to hail the "purity of arms" of its militiamen and soldiers to contrast this with Arab barbarism, which on occasion expressed itself in the mutilation of captured Jewish corpses.' According to him, 'this reinforced the Israelis' positive self-image and helped them "sell" the new state abroad and (...) demonized the enemy'.[31] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Morris2008p404-31> Some Israelis justify acts of political violence. Sixty years after participating in the assassination of Count Bernadotte, Geula Cohen had no regrets. As a broadcaster on Lehi's radio, she recalled the threats against Bernadotte in advance of the assassination. "I told him if you are not going to leave Jerusalem and go to your Stockholm, you won't be any more." Asked if it was right to assassinate Bernadotte, she replied, "There is no question about it. We would not have Jerusalem any more."[32] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-32> In July 2006, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Begin_Heritage_Center> organized a conference to mark the 60th anniversary of the bombing. The conference was attended by past and future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu> and former members of Irgun.[33] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-spirit-33> The British Ambassador in Tel Aviv and the Consul-General in Jerusalem protested that a plaque commemorating the bombing stated "For reasons known only to the British, the hotel was not evacuated."[33] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-spirit-33> Netanyahu, then chairman ofLikud <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likud> and Leader of the Opposition <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leader_of_the_Opposition_(Israel)> in the Knesset <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knesset>, opined that the bombing was a legitimate act with a military target, distinguishing it from an act of terror intended to harm civilians, since Irgun sent warnings to evacuate the building.[34] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-34> He said, "Imagine that Hamas or Hizbullah would call the military headquarters in Tel Aviv and say, 'We have placed a bomb and we are asking you to evacuate the area.' They don't do that. That is the difference."[35] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-truth-35> The British Ambassador in Tel Aviv and the Consul-General in Jerusalem protested, saying "We do not think that it is right for an act of terrorism, which led to the loss of many lives, to be commemorated", and wrote to the Mayor of Jerusalem <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem> that such an "act of terror" could not be honored. The British government also demanded the removal of the plaque, pointing out that the statement on it accusing the British of failing to evacuate the hotel was untrue and "did not absolve those who planted the bomb."[36] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-36> To prevent a diplomatic incident, changes were made in the plaque's text. The final English version says, "Warning phone calls have been made to the hotel, The Palestine Post and the French Consulate, urging the hotel's occupants to leave immediately. The hotel was not evacuated and after 25 minutes the bombs exploded. To the Irgun's regret, 92 persons were killed." [35] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-truth-35> Selected Irgun, Haganah and Lehi attacks[edit <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zionist_political_violence&action=edit§ion=4> ] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg> This section *needs additional citations for verification <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability>*. Please help improve this article <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zionist_political_violence&action=edit> by adding citations to reliable sources <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing/1>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. *(June 2015)* Main articles: List of Irgun attacks <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irgun_attacks> and Killings and massacres during the 1948 Palestine War <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killings_and_massacres_during_the_1948_Palestine_War> - *June 30, 1924*. Dutch Jew Jacob Israël de Haan <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Isra%C3%ABl_de_Haan> was assassinated by Avraham Tehomi <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avraham_Tehomi> on the orders of Haganah leader Yitzhak Ben-Zvi <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yitzhak_Ben-Zvi> [37] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-DeHaan-37> for his anti-Zionist political activities and contacts with Arab leaders.[38] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-38> - *1937–1939* The Irgun conducted a campaign of violence against Palestinian Arab civilians resulting in the deaths of at least 250.[39] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-39> [40] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-40> - *July 15, 1938** A bomb left in the vegetable market in Jerusalem by the Irgun injured 28[41] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-41> - *July 25, 1938** The Irgun threw a bomb into the melon market in Haifa resulting in 49 deaths[42] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-42> - *November 6, 1944* Lehi assassinated British minister Lord Moyne <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Guinness,_1st_Baron_Moyne> in Cairo <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo>, Egypt <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt>. The action was condemned by the Yishuv <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yishuv> at the time, but the bodies of the assassins was brought home from Egypt in 1975 to a state funeral and burial on Mount Herzl <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Herzl>.[43] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-43> - *1944–1945* The killings of several suspected collaborators with the Haganah and the British mandate government during the Hunting Season <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunting_Season>. - *1946'* Letter bombs sent to British officials, including foreign minister Ernst Bevin, by Lehi. - *July 26, 1946* The bombing of British administrative headquarters at the King David Hotel <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_bombing>, killing 91 people — 28 British, 41 Arab, 17 Jewish, and 5 others. Around 45 people were injured. In the literature about the practice <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism> and history <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_terrorism> of terrorism, it has been called one of the most lethal terrorist attacks of the 20th century.[44] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-rapoport2004-44> - *1946* Railways and British military airfields were attacked several times. - *October 31, 1946* The bombing by the Irgun of the British Embassy in Rome. Nearly half the building was destroyed and 3 people were injured. [45] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-45> - *April 1947** An Irgun bomb placed at the Colonial Office in London failed to detonate.[46] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-46> - *July 25, 1947* The Sergeants affair <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sergeants_affair>: When death sentences were passed on two Irgun members, the Irgun kidnapped Sgt. Clifford Martin and Sgt. Mervyn Paice and threatened to kill them in retaliation if the sentences were carried out. When the threat was ignored, the hostages were killed. Afterwards, their bodies were taken to an orange grove and left hanging by the neck from trees. An improvised explosive device <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvised_explosive_device> was set. This went off when one of the bodies was cut down, seriously wounding a British officer.[47] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Britainsince1945-47> - *December 1947 – March 1948* Numerous attacks on Palestinian Arabs in the context of civil war after the vote of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine - '*1947* Letter bombs sent to the Truman White House by Lehi - *January 5–6, 1948* The Semiramis Hotel bombing <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiramis_Hotel_bombing>, carried out by the Haganah (or, according to some sources, Irgun) resulted in the deaths of 24 to 26 people - *April 1948* The Deir Yassin massacre carried out by the Irgun and Lehi, killed between 107 and 120 Palestinian villagers,[48] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-numKilled-48> the estimate generally accepted by scholars.[49] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-49> [50] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-50> - *September 17, 1948* Lehi assassination of the United Nations mediator Folke Bernadotte <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folke_Bernadotte>,[51] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-Independent-51> [52] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence#cite_note-52> whom Lehi accused of a pro-Arab stance during the cease-fire negotiations. On Monday, November 9, 2015 at 1:56:49 PM UTC-6, Travis wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-violence-ayaan-hirsi-ali-debate-islamic-state/ > Islam Is a Religion of Violence > > [image: Islam Is a Religion of Violence] > > *In the past few weeks, both Russia and the United States have escalated > their military campaigns against the Islamic State. As the brutal jihadist > group continues to wreak havoc in Syria and Iraq, *Foreign Policy* asked > Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of *Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now*, > and United States Institute of Peace acting Vice President Manal Omar > <https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-peace-manal-omar-debate-islamic-state/>, > > one of the foremost voices on peace and Islam, to debate what is behind > this newest breed of extremism, and how can it be defeated. In the age of > al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and Boko Haram, is there a link between the > violence these groups perpetrate and the faith they profess? (Read Manal > Omar’s piece here > <https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-peace-manal-omar-debate-islamic-state/>.)* > > In the 14 years since the attacks of 9/11 brought Islamic terrorism to the > forefront of American and Western awareness and then-President George W. > Bush launched the “Global War on Terror,” the violent strain of Islam > appears to have metastasized. With tracts of Syria and Iraq in the hands of > the self-styled Islamic State, Libya and Somalia engulfed in anarchy, Yemen > being torn apart by civil war, the Taliban resurging in Afghanistan, and > Boko Haram terrorizing Nigeria, policymakers are farther away from > eliminating the threat of violent Islamism than they were when they began > the effort. In fact, Western countries are increasingly witnessing domestic > attacks such as the murder of British military drummer Lee Rigby and the > Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, the shootings at Parliament Hill in > Canada in 2014, the attacks at satirical newspaper *Charlie Hebdo* and at > a Jewish supermarket in Paris this past January, and most recently the > terrorist attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on a military recruiting center > and Naval compound. > > But does this violent extremism stem from Islam’s sacred texts? Or is it > the product of circumstance, which has twisted and contorted Islam’s > foundations? > > To answer this, it’s worth first drawing the important distinction between > Islam as a set of ideas and Muslims as adherents. The socio-economic, > political, and cultural circumstances of Muslims are varied across the > globe, but I believe that we can distinguish three different groups of > Muslims in the world today based on how they envision and practice their > faith. > > The first group is the most problematic — the fundamentalists who envision > a regime based on sharia, Islamic religious law. They argue for an Islam > largely or completely unchanged from its original seventh-century version > and take it as a requirement of their faith that they impose it on everyone > else. I call them “Medina Muslims,” in that they see the *forcible > *imposition > of sharia as their religious duty, following the example of the Prophet > Mohammed when he was based in Medina. They exploit their fellow Muslims’ > respect for sharia law as a divine code that takes precedence over civil > laws. It is only after they have laid this foundation that they are able to > persuade their recruits to engage in jihad. > > The second group — and the clear majority throughout the Muslim world — > consists of Muslims who are loyal to the core creed and worship devoutly > but are not inclined to practice violence or even intolerance towards > non-Muslims. I call this group “mecca Muslims.” The fundamental problem is > that the majority of otherwise peaceful and law-abiding Muslims are > unwilling to acknowledge, much less to repudiate, the theological warrant > for intolerance and violence embedded in their own religious texts. > > More recently, and corresponding with the rise of Islamic terrorism, a > third group is emerging within Islam — Muslim reformers or, as I call them, > “modifying Muslims” — who promote the separation of religion from politics > and other reforms. Although some are apostates, the majority of dissidents > are believers, among them clerics who have come to realize that their > religion must change if its followers are not to be condemned to an > interminable cycle of political violence. > > The future of Islam and the world’s relationship with Muslims will be > decided by which of the two minority groups — the Medina Muslims and the > reformers — wins the support of the meccan majority. That is why focusing > on “violent extremism” is to focus on a symptom of a much more profound > ideological epidemic that has its root causes in Islamic doctrine. > > To understand whether violence is inherent in the doctrine of Islam, it is > important to look at the example of the founding father of Islam, Mohammed, > and the passages in the Quran and Islamic jurisprudence used to justify the > violence we currently see in so many parts of the Muslim world. In Mecca, > Mohammed preached to his fellow tribesmen to abandon their gods and accept > his. He preached about charity and the conditions of widows and orphans. > (This method of proselytizing or persuasion, called *dawa* in Arabic, > remains an important component of Islam to this day.) However, during his > time in Mecca, Mohammed and his small band of believers had little success > in converting others to this new religion. So, a decade after Mohammed > first began preaching, he fled to Medina. Over time he cobbled together a > militia and began to wage wars. > > Anyone seeking support for armed jihad in the name of Allah will find > ample support in the passages in the Quran and Hadith that relate to > Mohammed’s Medina period. For example, Q4:95 states, “Allah hath granted a > grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons > than to those who sit (at home).” Q8:60 advises Muslims “to strike terror > into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others > besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know.” Finally, Q9:29 > instructs Muslims: “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, > nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His > Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the > People of the Book, until they pay the *Jizya* with willing submission, > and feel themselves subdued.” > > Mainstream Islamic jurisprudence continues to maintain that the so-called > “sword verses” (9:5 and 9:29) have “abrogated, canceled, and replaced” > those verses in the Quran that call for “tolerance, compassion, and peace.” > > As for the example of Mohammed, Sahih Muslim, one of the six major > authoritative Hadith collections, claims the Prophet Mohammed undertook no > fewer than 19 military expeditions, personally fighting in eight of them. > In the aftermath of the 627 Battle of the Trench, “Mohammed felt free to > deal harshly with the Banu Qurayza, executing their men and selling their > women and children into slavery,” according to Yale Professor of Religious > Studies Gerhard Bowering in his book *Islamic Political Thought*. As the > Princeton scholar Michael Cook observed in his book *Ancient Religions, > Modern Politics*, “the historical salience of warfare against unbelievers > … was thus written into the foundational texts” of Islam. > > There lies the duality within Islam. It’s possible to claim, following > Mohammed’s example in Mecca, that Islam is a religion of peace. But it’s > also possible to claim, as the Islamic State does, that a revelation was > sent to Mohammed commanding Muslims to wage jihad until every human being > on the planet accepts Islam or a state of subservience, on the basis of his > legacy in Medina. > > *The key question is not whether Islam is a religion of peace, but rather, > whether Muslims follow the Mohammed of Medina, regardless of whether they > are Sunni or Shiite.* > > The key question is not whether Islam is a religion of peace, but rather, > whether Muslims follow the Mohammed of Medina, regardless of whether they > are Sunni or Shiite. > > > > Today, the West is still struggling to understand the religious > justification for the Medina ideology, which is growing, and the links > between nonviolence and violence within it. Two main viewpoints have > emerged in the debate on the causes of violent extremism in Islam. The > difference between them is reflected in the different terminology used by > proponents of the rival views. > > Popular academics such as John Esposito at Georgetown and author Karen > Armstrong believe that religion — Islam, in this case — is the > “circumstantial” bit and that the real causes of Islamist violence are > poverty, political marginalization, cultural isolation, and other forms of > alienation, including real or perceived discrimination against Muslims. > These apologists for Islam use words such as “radicalism,” “violent > extremism,” and “terrorism” to describe the various attacks around the > world committed in the name of Islam. If Islam is mentioned at all, it is > to say that Islam is being perverted, or hijacked. They are quick to assert > that Islam is no different from any other religion, that there are terrible > aspects to other religions, and that Islam is in no way unique. That view > is more or less the “official” view of policymakers, not only of the U.S. > government, but also of most Western countries (though policy changes are > beginning to appear on this front in some countries such as the U.K., > Canada, and Australia). > > But the apologists’ position has been a complete policy failure because it > denies the religious justifications the Quran and the Hadith provide for > violence, gender inequality, and discrimination against other religions. > > Proponents of the alternative view, such as the late academic Patricia > Crone and author Paul Berman, rely on different terms such as “political > Islam,” Islamism, Salafism, Wahhabism, and Jihadism. All of these terms are > designed to convey the religious basis of the phenomenon. The argument is > that an ideological movement to impose sharia law, by force if necessary, > is gaining ground across the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and > even in Europe. In a speech > <https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/extremism-pm-speech> this past > July, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “[S]imply denying any > connection between the religion of Islam and the extremists doesn’t work, > because these extremists are self-identifying as Muslims. The fact is from > Woolwich to Tunisia, from Ottawa to Bali, these murderers all spout the > same twisted narrative, one that claims to be based on a particular faith. > Now it is an exercise in futility to deny that.” I agree. > > The view that the ideology of radical Islam is rooted in Islamic scripture > understands fully the cause of terrorism; it takes religious arguments > seriously, and does not view them as a mere smokescreen for underlying > “real” motivations, such as socio-economic grievances. This school of > thought understands that the problem of radicalization begins long before a > suicide bomber straps on his vest or a militant picks up his machine gun; > it begins in mosques and schools where imams preach hate, intolerance, and > adherence to Medina Islam. > > Western governments have tried to engage with “moderate Muslims”: imams > and community leaders who denounce terrorist attacks and claim to represent > the true, peaceful Islam. But this has not amounted to meaningful > ideological engagement. These so-called moderate representatives of Islam > insist that violence has *nothing* to do with Islam and as a result the > intolerant and violent aspects of the Quran and the Hadith are never > acknowledged or rejected. There is never any discussion about change within > Islam to bring the morally outdated parts of the religion in line with > modernity or genuine tolerance for those who believe differently. > > Despotic governments, civil war, anarchy, economic despair — all of these > factors doubtless contribute to the spread of the Islamist movement. But it > is only after the West and, more importantly, Muslims themselves recognize > and defeat the religious ideology on which this movement rests that its > spread will be arrested. And if we are to defeat the ideology we cannot > focus only on violent extremism. We need to confront the *non-violent > preaching *of sharia and martyrdom that precedes all acts of jihad. > > We will not win against the Medina ideology by stopping the suicide bomber > just before he detonates himself, wherever he may be; another will soon > take his (or her) place. We will not win by stamping out the Islamic State > or al Qaeda or Boko Haram or al-Shabab; a new radical group will just pop > up somewhere else. We will win only if we engage with the ideology of > Islamist extremism, and counter the message of death, intolerance, and the > pursuit of the afterlife with our own far preferable message of life, > liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. > > *Read Manal Omar’s piece here > <https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-peace-manal-omar-debate-islamic-state/>.* > > MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images > > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmM3N2MG05BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NDcwOTU3OTQ-> > > > > [image: Yahoo! 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