Bulletin of Palestine Studies

Abstract

This study examines the ideologies and activities of the Jewish underground organizations Etzel, Lehi and Palmach that existed during the British mandate in Palestine. In this context, this study provides a guide to understanding the anatomy of the violence that the Israeli State inflicts on Palestinians based on the ideologies of the Jewish underground organizations. Although the Jewish underground organizations emerged within rival versions of the Zionist ideology, they were similar to each other in terms of method and sometimes acted together. Etzel, who emerged from the revisionist Zionist ideology, was criticized by a more radical faction within himself for his policies, and this group separated from Etzel and founded another organization called Lehi, which advocated implementing harsher policies. After the establishment of the State of Israel, these two organizations joined the political system and transformed into the Etzel Herut political party, while Lehi participated in the first elections under the name of the Fighters' List. Later, the Fighters' List also joined the Herut movement. The third underground organization, Palmach, was based on the ideology of Yitzhak Tabenkin, a left-wing extremist who came from the Kibbutzim tradition. Although this group was allowed to be established by the British during the mandate period, it was later attempted to be disbanded, but the organization went underground and resorted to terrorist methods. After the establishment of the State of Israel, the group continued its ideological existence in both Mapai (Israeli Workers' Party) and Mapam (United Labor Party). Before the 1977 elections, those from the Palmach tradition separated from the left-wing labor movement and merged with Herut, establishing the current Likud (Unification) party. This situation is the subject that this study focuses on, which ideologies are behind the violence that the Likud political movement, which is in power today, implements against Palestinians.