Havlagah

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The Great Uprising in Palestine. A Jewish bus equipped with wire screens to protect against rock and grenade throwing

The Havlagah (Hebrew: ההבלגה, "The Restraint") was a tactic policy used by Haganah as for the actions need to be taken against Arab gangs who were attacking the Jewish settlement in Palestine during the British mandate. Its core principles are fortification and abstention from revenging the Arabs by attacking innocent civilians. The left-wing working class supported the Havlagah policy.

[edit] Support

Many of the Zionist leadership saw Havlagah as a moral policy and a source of pride for the Jews.

[edit] Jewish National Council of Palestine

Vaad Leumi, the Jewish National Council, posted an announcement with his opinion about Havlagah:

"Not with pouring innocent blood our holies' blood would be forgiven, but with new methods to promote our project and a never ending aiming at new actions for our freedom. For our deep sorrow Jerusalem had saw a revenge actions at Arabs, which had stained the honor of the Jewish settlement and put in danger the peace of Jerusalem. The national council gathering... horrified about these crimes, subverting the moral basics of Judaism and Zionism, spreading hatred in this region's nations and can bring a tragedy for the Jewish settlement and the whole land."

[edit] Workers Party of the Land of Israel

Berl Katznelson, one of Mapai's (the pre-Labor political party) leaders said Havlagah is a form of self defense meaning "righteousness of weapon" and non-hurting innocents:

"Havlagah means, our weapon will be pure. We learn weapon, we carry weapon, we resist those who come to attack us, but we do not want our weapon to be stained with blood of innocents... Havlagah is both political and moral system, caused by our history and reality, our behavior and the conditions of our fight. If we were not loyal to ourselves and adopt a different tactic, we would have lose the fight along time ago."

David Ben-Gurion, another leader of Mapai in those times, supported the Havlagah for more practical reasoning. He noted that the restraint will bring good relations with Britain and a positive sentiment to the Zionist ideology in the world, which will bring effort for the Jewish settlement:

"For political reasons who should not act like the Arabs... The Arabs are fighting England, and their political interest is to fight England because they want to banish it from the land they believe belongs to them. We do not wish to banish England, on the contrary, we want to get it closer to this land, attract it, make it purchase this land and help us return to the Land of Israel."

[edit] Chief Rabbinate of Israel

Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, said:

"We are now standing in a very hard position... I said to one man who came to argue with me; If I will be shot and become a moribund, I would command all of Israel and the Yishuv to be careful and to abstain any revenge actions. We should not learn the way of the violent non-Jews. What have we reached for two years? A great achievement, Kiddush Hashem, and here in the Land of Israel the Yishuv showed for two years a pure spirit, gave an expression for this Jewish institute, yes this is a great achievement..."

[edit] Rejection

Irgun members, acting against the Arab aggression and violating the Jewish settlement's decision, called themselves as "Havlagah breakers". Their vision was attacking for self defense. Irgun's policy led also revenge actions against innocent Arabs, as a return for the Arab terrorism.

[edit] Zeev Jabotinsky

Zeev Jabotinsky, leader of the Revisionist movement said:

"... I have mentioned the word "Havlagah". A rare word. Never heard before in modern, everyday life Hebrew language in the Land of Israel. It seems this word is now the most common and hated word in the Land of Israel... The Jews should not distort the facts and complain. In the Land of Israel there are young people from the left and the right who are not afraid to clash with British soldiers, who are forcing them to act like cowards. They do not fear about their own lives, they fear for the destruction of the Balfour Declaration and the violation of the alliance between England and the Jewish nation...

Any indigenous people are fighting the settlers as long as they believe there is a chance to get rid of the foreign settlement danger. This is how the Arabs in the Land of Israel are acting and will act in the future, as long as they have the spark in their hearts that they could stop the transformation of Palestine into the Land of Israel... Therefore our settlement can grow under a force who is not dependent in the local population, behind an "iron wall" that the local population could not break."

[edit] Irgun

See also: List of Irgun attacks during the 1930s

David Raziel, commander of Irgun, said that violent reaction will bring an end for the Arab terrorism, because the foe Arabs "only understand power":

"The Arab terrorism and his loyal friend the Jewish restraint, made a situation that a Jew must avoid several jobs because death was waiting on the roads, while the Arab could go anywhere he wants and do everything he wishes, even in a pure Jewish environment. That is how the Jews' financial lives suffered while the Arabs continued with their normal lives and normal jobs. Defensive actions only will never bring the victory. If the purpose of war is breaking the enemy's spirit, it is impossible without breaking his power, so it is obvious that defensive actions only are not enough...

All these calculations lead to one conclusion: one who does not want to be defeated has no option but attack... he should storm his enemy and break his power and desire. Before the enemy will do his attack, he must neutralize the enemy's possibility to attack..."

Part of a proclamation 5 monthes before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War:

"Stop the passive self-defense! We shall arrive to the killers' nest and eliminate them! We do not have a quarrel with the Arab people. We seek peace with the near nation. But the hands of the murderers we will cut off with no mercy. And the murderers are not only the inflamed Arab rioters, they are also – or mostly – the Nazo-British enslaver's emissaries."

[edit] Impact

Ariel Sharon, shortly after elected as Israeli Prime Minister in the 2001 elections, held an unexpected way of action as for the Palestinian terrorism, declaring that "Restraint is Power". In the first two weeks for Sharon's leadership, 20 Israeli civilians killed by terror attacks and Sharon gained high criticism from fellow Likud members, such as Benjamin Netanyahu.[1] In this period the terror attacks against Israel (such as the Dolphinarium massacre) escalated. In Sharon's February 2002 national speech he said:

I know it is not easy to talk in these days, but stay in patience. I said restraint is power and I say today — insistence is power too. We already proved that. It is hard for us — for me — but I request you to continue with this (the restraint). The financial situation and the security situation are not easy, but together, and together only, we can overcome it.

Shortly after March 2002, when 130 Israeli civilians were killed by terror attacks, Israel went to Operation Defensive Shield.