From the introduction of:
Idith Zertal – From catastrophe to power. The Holocaust survivors and the emergence of Israel (1998)
Zertal is a professor of history who has worked in Israel and in Basel, Switzerland, among many other places.
Quote, of which the second paragraph is highlighted:
"The focus of the book is a small Zionist group that organized the clandestine immigration, Ha'mossad Le'aliya Bet, known as the Mossad, during 1945-48. The declared goal of the Mossad from its inception on the eve of World War II was to bring Jews to Palestine covertly, circumventing the restrictions on Jewish immigration imposed by the British Mandate authorities.
From 1946, however, the British navy had effectively prevented Mossad ships carrying Jewish refugees from reaching the shores of Palestine. Beginning in August of that year, the passengers on those ships were sent to British detention camps in Cyprus. The Mossad was thus transferring Jewish refugees from the displaced persons (DP) camps in Europe to British camps in Cyprus, at a very high cost. The Mossad persisted in sending ships, turning their launches and voyages into political demonstrations and dramatic media productions. Even before this, however, there had been a gradual shift in Mossad activities, from rescue actions and the assertion of the fundamental Jewish right to immigrate to Palestine, to political demonstrations aimed at breaking the British quarantine and bringing about the establishment of a Jewish state."
I keep saying that those who know the history of #Palestine would have MORE reason to work towards peaceful and equitable coexistence, not less.
The commonalities and parallels are many.
Here is Mossad applying the Flotilla concept after World War II.
Quote by Idith Zertal.
#israel #hist