In 1943 and 1944 Jews in Europe were massacred every day and those who escaped on boats to the Homeland were sent back into the sea to drown. So in February of 1944 the armistice between the British and the Jews of Palestine established in 1940 was declared “over.” (Mendel Malatzky)

Prior to 1944 the Detention Camps for illegal immigrants at Cyprus / Atlit / Mauritus were "open" - they now become enclosed in barbed wire with British guards as in the concentrations camps of Nazi Europe imposing inhumanely harsh conditions on these refugees escaped or surviving from Hitler's "extermination machine."

The Mandatory government had enacted new Emergency Regulations which make every citizen liable to arrest, deportation and execution.  Legal experts argued that even in Nazi Germany there had been no law so arbitrary.

(Feb 01) "Revolt" declared by M. Begin, Commander of IZL:

  • Mine placed in Church of St. George for British High Commissioner, MacMichael
  • Tax Offices of Jerusalem bombed
  • Bombings in Tel Aviv and Haifa

All together on Passover:

  • CID Building - Jerusalem
  • Police Department - Jaffa
  • Police Department - Haifa
  • Central Broadcasting Station captured by Underground in Ramallah

Menachem Begin (IZL) sends out posters warning British about Yom Kippur:
          "ANY BRITISH OFFICER INTERFERING ... WILL BE TREATED AS A
          CRIMINAL AND PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY."

By the mid 1940s several thousand sons and daughters of David were taking shots at the 90,000 plus British Goliaths occupying their country.

With all respect to the books, you do not know the spirit of Irgun soldiers. (M. Begin)

Under Yair's orders we rose to forever wrest the homeland from foreign hands, and to renew the Hebrew mastery over the redeemed land!  (Eldad spoke about Yair Stern)

Zvi Tabori: (at his trial) With Jewish refugees being driven away from the shores of Palestine, and in the face of the acts of oppression and murder perpetrated by the British, not only is there a reasonable justification for bearing arms but it is the plain duty of every Hebrew youth to do so. 

Hame'iri-Begin: (at his trial) This court serves no objective law, no justice or factual truth.  It serves only the interest of the Government.  Only such Jews as have not realized the truth of this are capable of appearing before you, seeking to justify themselves and trying to seem respectable law-abiding citizens.  We are not of their ilk - we do not argue with you.  We fight you ...

(Apr) Eldad is caught by British Police, beaten until 20 bones and his pelvis are broken, and then thrown into solitary confinement cell in Jerusalem Central Prison.  One week after his internment, he is again writing articles for "Hazit."

Kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh attacked by British who arrested the men, beat the women, and killed one Jew under "suspicion of concealing weapons"

A meeting is held between Eliyahu Golomb, Head of the Haganah, Moshe Sneh, Haganah Chief of Staff, Menachem Begin, Commander of the IZL, and Eliyahu Lankin of the IZL Command.  Golomb demanded that IZL actions cease and support the Labor Party.  The IZL Commanders rejected these demands.  Golomb then threatened that the Haganah would destroy and finish the Etzel (IZL).

The Season: British arrest and deport to African exile until July 1948 300 underground leaders and fighters. There names were betrayed by Haganah and Jewish Agency

"The intensification of activities against the British government
was matched by growing condemnations by the Jewish Agency
and the heads of the "organized Yishuv." The fighters of the
Irgun Zvai Leumi, who were called "terrorists," were ordered to
stop the attacks against the British. This was accompanied by a
severe warning that if the Irgun would not agree to this demand,
the Haganah would use force against the IZL in order to silence it.
A few months later, the Haganah began giving the names of Irgun
members to the British authorities. In addition to this informing,
IZL commanders were kidnapped, brought to hiding places in a
number of kibbutzim, and were intensively interrogated, and even
severely tortured. This operation was given the code name
"Season" (i.e., the hunting season), and it continued until
the end of the Second World War.

Matityahu Shmulevich: (at his trial) Our profound trust in Britain blinded us from seeing that, from the very first, they were toying with us, amusing themselves with doubleedged promises ... We failed to realize why Aharon Aharonson had to be drowned in the British Channel after having served the British Empire as well as in the First World War.  We did not understand that we were no more than a means to further their imperialistic ends.  (Then reading from Psalms 144)  ... deliver me from the hand of strange children whose mouth speaketh vanity and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

British tortures of underground fighters increase beyond sadistic imagination

(Sep) Assassination attempt on Tom Wilkin, British officer in charge of Jewish Dept of CID successful

(Oct 19) 251 Latrun prisoners flown to Detention Camp in Eritrea

In Africa attempts for escape include Rueben Franco so that he can continue acquiring illegal immigration ships.  He mastery of 12 languages allows him to operate in many foreign countries.  (He secures the ship "Altalena.")

"Inshalla" - God willing.  Motto of exiles.

Rabbi Kahane, in Kenya, felt it his prime duty to give us his active support (in escapes).

(Nov) IZL blows up Income Tax Building, Jerusalem

(Nov 06) Lord Moyne is killed by Eliyahu Beit Tzuri (23) and Eliyahu Hakim in Cairo

Hakim's speech at his trial: My comrade and I were brought up in the spirit of the Bible which says: Thou shalt not kill. But there were no other means available by which we could assert our rights which had been trampled on, so we decided to act and our cause was supremely just.  We now have to answer the accusation of conspiracy to kill Lord Moyne., We accuse Lord Moyne and the Government he represented, of the murder of hundreds and thousands of our brothers and sisters.  We accuse him of robbing us of our homeland and looting our possessions.  Is there any law by which they could be tried for their crimes?  Is there any forum to which we could turn for justice?  No such law exists as yet, so we had no option but to see that justice was done ourselves.

This event evoked sympathy for Jews of the Diaspora and in Palestine world wide.  Even Egypt made protest against the British regime for the sentencing of these two Jewish youth.  Churchill most vehemently called for the quick and final death sentence on Hakim and Beit Tzuri.

Having turned their backs on the doomed Jews, the same leaders (Ben-Gurion, Weizmann, Jewish Agency) later utilized the extermination for raising millions on millions, and for collecting billions in reparations from the Germans.

NOV 22: Ben-Gurion's speech (SPEECHES)

Premier Sztojay and his Arrow Cross regime came to power in Hungary.



 

Multimedia | Historical Foundation | Documents | Speeches | Irgun Zvai Leumi | Lechi | Katz
Timeline | Scriptures | Themes | In Their Own Words | Articles | Resources | Gallery | Home