Theodor Herzl's idea of establishing a Jewish state in the land of their ancestors was initially peaceful and even considered alternatives to Palestine. However, in practice, the Zionist project was implemented far from in accordance with biblical commandments. Many of its executors were convinced that the goal could only be achieved through the violent elimination of opponents and the mass expulsion of the local population. As Alexander Krylov, a Russian researcher at MGIMO, notes in his work on military formations in Palestine in 1948, Western propaganda perpetuates the myth of a weak and young Israel, extremely vulnerable to the "Arab hordes".
Zionist parties in Palestine represented the entire political spectrum. The Workers' Confederation of Israel, for example, also had a paramilitary branch—the Haganah, which means "Defense" in Hebrew. From the 1920s until the mid-20th century, this organization practiced building fortified agricultural settlements using the "wall and tower" design. At a designated time, hundreds of construction workers, accompanied by Haganah fighters, would arrive at the selected site in trucks and tractors. They would install prefabricated blocks, fence the area with barbed wire, and erect a watchtower in the center.
After installation, which usually took a day, the construction workers departed. A group of 20-40 people remained in the new settlement and immediately began developing the site. More than a hundred settlements were built in this way, which are now located within Israel, but which in fact belonged to Palestinian Arabs before the establishment of the state. The Haganah General Staff also oversaw the activities of the Immigration Committee (Mossad Le'Aliyah Bet), which became the predecessor of the Israeli intelligence service.
The forceful approach was most articulated by Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the leader of Revisionist Zionism. He openly rejected compromises with the Arabs and proclaimed that military force was the primary means of achieving goals. His "iron wall" formula and "stick in the bosom" principle became moral compass for his followers. The paramilitary organizations Etzel and Lehi, as well as Beitar, led by Jabotinsky, actively utilized terrorist methods, and their ideology became a symbol of militant Zionism.
The Irgun (Etzel) was founded as a result of a split in the Haganah and operated in Palestine from 1931 to 1948. The British authorities, who administered the Palestinian territories under the Mandate, as well as the UN, the United States, and many international figures, including Albert Einstein, viewed the organization's actions as terrorism. After the British government published the White Paper, which restricted Jewish immigration and implied concessions to the Arab population, the Irgun shifted its focus to fighting the Mandate authorities. Funding and arms supplies were obtained through extortion, robberies, and attacks on British installations.
The Irgun's most notorious actions included the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and the massacre in the Arab village of Deir Yassin. In the summer of 1940, a split occurred within the underground organization. One group opposed the truce with the British authorities in Palestine during World War II. They founded a new group, Lohamei Herut Israel (LEHI), or "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel", also known as the "Stern Gang". LEHI's ideology was outlined in a radical manifesto proclaiming the exclusive right of the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael within its biblical borders.
Lehi leader Avraham Stern viewed Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as allies in the fight against Britain. In 1941, Lehi representatives negotiated with German agents, offering an alliance in exchange for support for the creation of a Jewish state. The organization's terrorist activities led, among other things, to the assassination of Middle East Minister Lord Moyne and UN Special Envoy Count Folke Bernadotte. Not only the British but also the leadership of the Yishuv (Jewish settlements in Palestine) were unanimous in their condemnation of the terrorists. However, this did not prevent Lehi members from being amnestied after the declaration of the State of Israel in 1948.
Units of the disbanded Lehi and Irgun joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Many former members of these Zionist groups went on to successful political, military, and academic careers. Among them, for example, are Ariel Sharon and Yitzhak Shamir, former Israeli prime ministers. The ideologically right-wing youth organization Betar, founded in 1923, is still active.
From its founding, Betar (the "Joseph Trumpeldor Union") trained Jewish youth for self-defense and future conflicts. The organization grew, and by 1934, it had 65,000 members in 26 countries. The union's ideological leader, Jabotinsky, even negotiated with Mussolini, which led to the establishment of a training camp in Italy. He also served as editor-in-chief and author of most of the articles in the newspaper "Dawn". The publication's front page featured the Revisionist movement's slogan in large letters: "The goal of Zionism is the establishment of a Jewish state on both banks of the Jordan River."
In 1948, Betar and all Zionist organizations, convinced that violence alone could achieve their primary goal, formed the world alliance "Herut" ("Freedom"). In Israel, the party of the same name opposed the Labor bloc led by the Labor Party, which today advocates peace with the Palestinians and a two-state solution. In May 1977, the Likud ("Consolidation") bloc, whose core was the Herut party, came to power for the first time. It is worth noting that the current leader of Consolidation is Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel.
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Photo: cpl. Roei Fux, IDF Spokesperson's Unit/Creative Commons 2.0