A Reward for Terrorism

Perhaps you’ve heard this saying, or some variation of it: “Giving the Palestinians a state would be akin to rewarding terrorism.”

This is, of course, nonsense. It’s a trope. It’s a way of shirking international law, denying Palestinians the right to self-determination, and buying time for Israel to complete its takeover of the entirety of historical Palestine.

Let me pose this question to you: What if it was Israel, in fact, that was rewarded for terrorism?

Consider the following historical facts:

• A Jewish terrorist group called Haganah was founded in 1920, out of which was eventually formed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1948
• A more extreme Jewish terrorist group called Irgun Zvai Leumi (or simply Irgun, a.k.a. Etzel) was formed in 1931 to oppose Haganah
• On July 6, 1938, Irgun terrorists detonated car bombs at a market in Haifa, slaughtering 21 civilians and injuring tens more
• An even more extreme Jewish terrorist group called Stern Gang (a.k.a. Lohamei Herut Israel, acronymized as Lehi) was founded in 1940, which split from Irgun
• On November 25, 1940, Haganah terrorists launched a heinous attack on a ship called Patria filled with illegal Jewish immigrants (in an effort to prevent those immigrants from being deported), bombing and sinking the ship; this resulted in the killing of more than 250 Jews, British soldiers, and crew members
  • Notably, Palestinians helped rescue the survivors, and the surviving Jews were given permits to remain in Palestine
• Haganah’s Palmach unit launched an unscrupulous terrorist group in 1942 called Mista’arvim (a.k.a. Musta’ribeen in Arabic), which consisted of Israeli agents dressing up as Arabs to infiltrate Palestinian society and carry out attacks
  • Remember this and be wary of who/what you trust, as Mista’arvim units still operate today
• On November 6, 1944, Stern Gang (Lehi) terrorists assassinated Britain’s Lord Moyne (Walter Edward Guinness)
  • Interestingly, Lord Moyne was a good friend of Winston Churchill, a supporter of Zionism
• Beginning in October 1945 and lasting several months, Haganah, Irgun, and Stern Gang (Lehi) terrorists teamed up and launched more than 70 attacks against British forces in Palestine by targeting troops, bases, oil refineries, and railways and trains
• On July 22, 1946, Irgun terrorists bombed the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which the British military was using as headquarters; more than 90 people were killed and tens injured
  • Note that this operation involved Jewish terrorists dressed up as Arabs
• On October 30, 1946, Irgun terrorists set off three bombs at Jerusalem’s main railway station, killing three
• On March 1, 1947, Irgun terrorists launched a comprehensive attack on the Goldsmith Officers Club, killing nearly 20 people
• On September 29, 1947, Irgun terrorists barrel-bombed the police headquarters in Haifa, killing around 10 people and injuring many others
• In early 1948, Stern Gang (Lehi) terrorists carried out a couple attacks using mines against the Cairo-Haifa train; the February 29th attack killed 28 British soldiers, and the March 31st attack killed 40 civilians
• On April 9, 1948, Irgun and Stern Gang (Lehi) terrorists attacked the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin, slaughtering approximately 100 Palestinians (including women and children), wiping out more than 10% of the village’s total population

Perhaps you noticed that all of the above took place before Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948. Unfortunately it didn’t end there. Other massacres took place following this date, including in the Palestinian villages of Tantura, Lydda, and Saliha.

Now go ahead and ponder the question: Was the creation of the State of Israel a reward for terrorism?