Havlagah

Havlagah (Hebrew: הַהַבְלָגָה, romanized: ha-Havlagah, lit. 'The Restraint') was the strategic policy of the Yishuv during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. It called for Zionist militants to abstain from engaging in acts of retaliatory violence against Palestinian Arabs in the face of Arab attacks against Jews, and instead encouraged the Jewish community to respond to the attacks through non-violent means, such as by fortifying their settlements. The policy was supported by the Yishuv's political leadership and many left-wing Zionists. It was adopted by Haganah, the main Zionist paramilitary in Mandatory Palestine, as an official operational strategy. On the other hand, Irgun, Lehi, and other like-minded Zionist paramilitaries rejected the policy and engaged in indiscriminate violence against the Arab community. The Havlagah policy was seen by many Jews, including the Zionist leadership, as a source of pride; it was a framework by which they morally differentiated themselves from their Arab rivals. The Jewish National Council posted an announcement in support of the policy: 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 seen 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. Berl Katznelson, a leader of Mapai, stated that the Havlagah policy is a form of self-defense meaning "righteousness of weapon" and not hurting innocent life: Havlagah means our weapon will be pure.