The Truth Behind Those Headlines

95 Percent of Palestinian Jews Oppose the Terrorists

By Reuven Dafni

The Truth Behind Those Headlines — St. Louis Jewish Light, 6 March 1947 — St. Louis Jewish Light · St. Louis, Missouri · 6 March 1947

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Transcribed from the clipping

“EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of this article was the commander of the group of Palestinian Jews who served in the British Military Intelligence behind German lines in Nazi Europe with the mission of rousing resistence and obtaining secret information. One of Palestine’s outstanding war heroes, Dafni founded the fishing village of Ein Geb.

The following is excerpted from a speech made by Dafni February 23 before the United Jewish Appeal conference in Washington. I want you to realize that we in Palestine can have peace within 10 minutes—peace, protection (as if we need it), prosperity and praise by Mr. Bevin, I assure you, if we would say, ‘All right. We don’t care what happens to the Jews of Europe.

What do we care if they die? What do I care if my mother lives or dies? What do I care? The main thing is that we live well.’ I would like to touch now one problem which I am sure must have been in your minds for the last number of months. It is the so-called terrorism.

Let me tell you first of all that I have yet to meet that American Jew who is more opposed to terrorism than I am, and 95 percent of the Palestinian Jews. I have yet to meet him. On the contrary, I have found in this country (the United States) more moral and more financial support for the terrorists in Palestine than there exists in Palestine.

And if you watch the newspapers coming from Palestine you would see that I am right, because why do you think the terrorists hold up banks, rob diamond factories and government buildings of money? Why do they do it? Because they are not getting any support from the Jews of Palestine. But I want to be very fair. They are no criminals either.

They are good and fine and decent boys and girls, Jewish boys and girls, who have been driven into desperation so much that they are so mad they do not realize that by what they are doing they are playing the British game.”

Context added by this archive

Palestinian Jews under the headline and in the editor’s note. A speech telling American Jews that the money for the Irgun is coming from America, not from Palestine. The subhead is “Not Criminal, Just Desperate.” “resistence” is the paper’s.

Cite this clipping

"The Truth Behind Those Headlines," St. Louis Jewish Light, 6 March 1947, p. 1. Covering Palestine archive, CP-1947-028. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-1947-028