I would not use the term radical but I would use the term terrorist. The Irgun started as a retaliatory organization to instill terror in those who targeted Jews. The British were not protecting Jews in the area so the Irgun took an 'eye for an eye' approach. They did not initiate violence till later in their existence and that violence mainly targeted the British government that was in control of the area at the time.
The term atrocity is a totally loaded one and its use is debatable in reference to the Irgun. The bombing of the King David Hotel (the center of British government control of the area) was accompanied by multiple warnings to which were ignored. The truth of Deir Yassin is so convoluted between scholarship of facts, of politics, of propaganda, and of 'alternate' views that it can barely be used in any clear conversation. I'm not going into the British double standards that helped breed the Irgun. Too similar to what is still happening. On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 8:05 PM, Larry C. Lyons <[email protected]> wrote: > > Haganah was formed in the 20's after the anti-Jewish riots in Palestine. > They were primarily defensive, protecting jewish settlements. After the war > of independence in 1948 they became the IDF. The Irgun was a radical > splinter group that left the Haganah in the early 30's. They fit more > within the mold of a terrorist group using assassinations, kidnapping and > bombings to try and achive independence. During 1944 the Haganah with the > cooperation of the British went to war with the Irgun. BTW there was an > Arab batallion in the Haganah. The last group the Lehi or Stern Gang was > even more radical than the Irgun. Even though the 3 groups reached a peace > accord in 1945, during the war of independence the Irgun and Stern Gang > were associated with a number of atrocities. The Haganah and Palmach were > responsible for bringing the perpetrators to the Israeli courts after > independence. Monachim Begen, a right wing Prime Minister of Israel was one > of the leaders of the Irgun. > > Michael and Judith may have a different take on the history though. > > On Monday, February 27, 2012, Judah McAuley wrote: > >> >> I'm really not familiar with the various groups that operated in the >> area between the end of WWII and the declaration of statehood in 48. >> >> Judah >> >> On Mon, Feb 27, 2012 at 4:08 PM, Larry C. Lyons >> <[email protected]<javascript:;>> >> wrote: >> > >> > Pity she belonged to a terrorist group. Haganah I can see, but a group >> that >> > used terrorism and bombings on civilians, peacekeeepers and other Jewish >> > defensive groups I find beyond the pale. At least it was not the Stern >> Gang. >> > >> > On Monday, February 27, 2012, Judah McAuley wrote: >> > >> >> >> >> Dr. Ruth also talks a little about her Orthodox Jewish parents. During >> >> World War II, Westheimer was sent from Frankfurt to a children's home >> >> in Switzerland after her father was rounded up by the Nazis; both her >> >> parents later died in the Holocaust. She was an only child. The war >> >> ended when she was 16. "I then went to Palestine, lived on a kibbutz, >> >> which is a collective farm," she explains, "and then worked in the >> >> underground movement as a sniper." (Dr. Ruth was a member of the >> >> Zionist paramilitary group the Irgun.) "So if you don't ask me good >> >> questions today, watch out," she teases interviewer Derek Blasberg. "I >> >> can still put five bullets in a little red circle." >> >> >> >> From the article: >> >> >> >> >> http://jezebel.com/5888692/exclusive-dr-ruth-is-a-trained-israeli-sniper-who-doesnt-like-to-treat-people-who-are-into-bondage >> >> >> >> Huh. Definitely something I did not know about Dr. Ruth. She's a >> >> fascinating individual and damn smart. I'd love to have a drink with >> >> her some time. >> >> >> >> Cheers, >> >> Judah >> >> >> >> >> > >> > >> >> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:347562 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
