I have no problem with criticism, Jewish or non-Jewish of the ‘British Palestine’ issue/history.
What I object to is the argument the British decisions were made because of antisemitism or that the British people were or are anti-Jewish (the British people were and are the complete opposite). I also object to the hero worship of the Irgun and Stern gang or their characterisation as freedom fighters or militia. When in fact they were the Jewish IRA. Terrorists. Nothing more and nothing less.
We’ve had this discussion before. I don’t “hero worship” the Irgun, and certainly not Lehi. But terrorists, the Irgun most emphatically was not. Let’s just examine the charge once and for all, so we don’t have to keep going over this. “Terrorism” has come to mean guerrilla fighters whose main tactic is to target civilian non-combatants for political ends. The Irgun, far from targeting civilians, posted signs before operations warning civilians in Hebrew, English and Arabic to stay out of the area. On the contrary, the Irgun boldly attacked military and police targets and prevailed against incredible odds. They destroyed the CID building twice. They affected daredevil prison breaks and raided munitions depots for arms. They publicly beat British sergeants for abusing their power. That is not terrorism as the term is conventionally understood. As for Lehi, I hold no brief for them. Their assassination of an ambassador was inexcusable.
Terrorism in the past has meant a guerrilla fighting force that refuses to wear recognizable uniforms or have officers, and hides among civilian populations, using them as shields. In other words, violators of the 4th Geneva Convention. Irgunists admittedly did live normal lives in civilian areas, partly as camouflage for their subterranean activities. Menahem Begin writes of his years in Tel Aviv in which he was a bearded congregant in a small synagogue in a poor neighborhood. But that is not the same thing as using civilians as shields, as Hamas now does. In fact, when Yaakov Meridor was captured, he immediately admitted who he was and came along quietly, rather than subject his wife, children and neighbors to the ordeal and dangers of a struggle to evade armed British soldiers.
So did the Irgun violate the Geneva Convention? Yes. But “terrorists, plain and simple” they were not. They were freedom fighters in every sense of the word, not by any stretch comparable with the IRA, Hamas or the PLO.
As for allegations of British anti-Semitism, I would rather not go there. Suffice it to say that General Allenby and Co., the Cairo-Khartoum cabal, were willing to use anti-Semitism to solidify their hold on the Middle East. It backfired. The Grand Mufti turned on them and joined the Nazis, nearly costing Britain the war. But it’s the thought that counts. Had there been no White Paper, perhaps a half million or a million might have been saved. Had they not instigated Arab pogroms and attacks via their pal Haj Amin elHusseini and friends, there would not have been a White Paper. Were they anti-Semitic themselves, the Cairo-Khartoumists? It’s a moot point. Lord Samuels was even Jewish, but he went along with their machinations, and the entire world is still suffering for their folly.