Zionist Quotes: Ze'ev (Zeev) Jabotinsky-A Brief Biography & Quotes

BASED On Declassified Israeli Documents & Personal Diaries

1880-1940

Ze'ev Jabotinsky was born in 1880 in Odessa-Tsarist Russia, to a liberal Jewish family. He is considered the most important right-wing Revisionist Movement member (which eventually evolved into the post-1948 Herut Party and later became the Likud Party), who provided the ideological map for its future policies. At an early stage, Jabotinsky was involved in organizing a militia to defend the Jews of Odessa, and in 1903, he went to Kishinev to cover the aftermath of its infamous pogrom. He worked as a journalist in Rome and Vienna and, at an early age, began to devote his outstanding skills as a writer, orator, translator, and polemicist to the Zionist cause. During WWI, Jabotinsky promoted the establishment of Jewish fighting units within the Allied armies and was one of the founders of the Haganah (the Zionist paramilitary militia army before the 1948 war).

Hitler's Message To The West: If Jews are such noble citizens and you care about them, how come you're not letting them in?

Jabotinsky protested the exclusion of Transjordan from British Mandate Palestine. In response, he established the Revisionist Party in 1925 (so named because it sought to "revise" the terms of the Mandate, particularly to provide for the re-inclusion of Transjordan in Mandatory Palestine). He also set up the party's youth movement, Betar, which was characterized by militaristic, some might say fascist, appearance (dark brown uniforms), activities (parade ground drill) with firearm exercises, slogans, and a militaristic ideology and structure. Jabotinsky admired Mussolini (see photo), and his movement repeatedly sought affiliation with and assistance from Rome. Jabotinsky version of Zionism was single-minded, exclusivist, and rigid. He died in America in 1940 in a car accident on a mission to organize Jewish participation in the Allied war effort.

Mussolini's gift to his fascist buddy Jabotinsky: The Betar Naval Academy

Jabotinsky was an exceptionally talented and versatile man, an original thinker and ideologue, and a powerful political leader. His followers worshiped him (and still do today), while his enemies detested him passionately. Jabotinsky was one of the earliest advocates of using force to curb Palestinian nationalism, which he eloquently articulated in his IRON WALL article published in Ha'aretz Daily in 1923. He stated:

".... Settlement can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an IRON WALL which they will be powerless to break down. ....a voluntary agreement is just not possible. As long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not rubble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they give up all hope of getting rid of the Alien Settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogan 'No, never' lose their influence, and only then their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against PUSHING THEM OUT, and equality of civil, and national rights."

Meet chief Pogromist Symon Petliura, Jabotinsky's 1st antisemitic ally

Contrary to the mainstream Zionist leadership, Jabotinsky publicly spoke his mind, and in our opinion, he also strategically influenced the conduct of the Zionist movement toward the Palestinian people. From the start, he criticized the ideologues in the Zionist leadership (such as Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett) who thought that Palestinians could be bribed into selling their country and rights. Jabotinsky thought that Jewish justice overrides Palestinian rights. He was the first to warn the Zionist Movement that the clash between Jewish and Palestinian nationalisms is inevitable and it should not be ignored. On the other hand, he advocated the use of force to curb the inevitable clash and to keep it at bay instead of negotiating with the Palestinian people to resolve this issue. In that respect, he stated in 1923:

"The Arabs loved their country as much as the Jews did. Instinctively, they understood Zionist aspirations very well, and their decision to resist them was only natural ..... There was no misunderstanding between Jews and Arabs, but a natural conflict. .... No Agreement was possible with the Palestinian Arabs; they would accept Zionism only when they found themselves up against an 'iron wall,' when they realize they had no alternative but to accept Jewish settlement." (America And The Founding Of Israel, p. 90)

Why did Great Britain indict two of Israel's future PMs on charges of terrorism? Those evil British must have been "Jew-hating" antisemites!

Jabotinsky's IRON WALL doctrine caused many Zionists to brand him as a racist in the 1920s. However, as the Nazis rose to power in Germany, Ben-Gurion and other Zionist leaders recognized the "importance" of Jabotinsky's doctrine. Ironically, the Israeli Political Right's arguments dictated Israel's policies toward the Palestinian people from the 1930s to the present day.

In our opinion, tactically, Jabotinsky pointed out that Palestinian nationalism could not be bribed but may be curbed by force. On the other hand, his doctrine has irreversibly shaped Israel's public opinion and made its society rigid and inflexible. As a result, this doctrine has dictated a continuous state of war between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors. We are not here to defend Jabotinsky. However, we don't believe he envisioned the current state of affairs when he wrote his famous doctrine. We also predict that if he were alive today, he would disapprove of the current Israeli state of affairs. Based on our research, Jabotinsky was one of the few pragmatic Zionist leaders ever to exist, and he rarely allowed rhetoric to go ahead of reality. Sadly, over the years, "flexibility & diplomacy" in Israel became synonymous with weakness if not anti-Zionism. What is even sadder is the impact of this doctrine on Palestinian and Arab societies, too. Just as in Israeli society, over the years, Palestinians and Arabs became radicalized, and in general, they have started to develop their versions of the IRON WALL doctrine.

Sources

Righteous Victims, p. 108
Iron Wall, p. 11

Related Links

• Jabotinsky's Institute in Israel
• IRON WALL, Jabotinsky's doctrine.
• Zionist FAQ: Why do Arabs only respect the language of force?
• Zionist FAQ: Israel has the strongest army in the Middle East, why Arabs cannot come to terms with this fact?
• More About Ze'ev Jabotinsky and 'Transfer' by Rabbi Dr. Chaim Simons
• The Ideology of Betar by Ze'ev Jabotinsky

Famous quotes

Browse this gallery that shows hundreds of Palestinian land deeds that prove land ownership

Ze'ev Jabotinsky wrote supporting Palestinian dispossession. He stated in December 1918:

"This matter is not an issue between the Jewish people and the Arab inhabitants of Palestine, but between the Jewish people and the Arab people. The latter, numbering 35 million, has [territory equal to] half of Europe, while the Jewish people, numbering ten million and wandering the earth, hasn't got a stone. . . Will the Arab people stand opposed? Will it resist? [Will it insist] that . . . they. . . shall have it [all] for ever and ever, while he who has nothing shall share forever have nothing." (Righteous Victims, p. 79)

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What is perplexing is that this argument is much better suited to the United States than to Palestine. European Jews could have chosen New York City as well, where American Jews were influential in building the most important city on earth. Why should Jews be homeless while American Christians have vast unpopulated areas in the U.S.? It's also worth noting that Palestine in the early 20th century had twice the population density of the United States.

It is not only that this is fallacious argument, also if it is applied around the world, it would create chaos, especially when religion is used to carve up countries along religious lines, click here to read more about this argument.

Often, Ze'ev Jabotinsky empathized with the Palestinian people's attachment to their country. He stated in 1923:

"They look upon Palestine with the same instinctive love and true favor the Aztecs looked upon Mexico or any Sioux looked upon his prairie. Palestine will remain for the Palestinians not a borderland, but their birthplace, the center and basis of their own national existence." (Righteous Victims, p. 36)

In a similar vein, he also wrote in 1923:

"The Arabs loved their country as much as the Jews did. Instinctively, they understood Zionist aspirations very well, and their decision to resist them was only natural ..... There was not misunderstanding between Jew and Arab, but a natural conflict. .... No Agreement was possible with the Palestinian Arab; they would accept Zionism only when they found themselves up against an 'iron wall,' when they realize they had no alternative but to accept Jewish settlement." (America And The Founding Of Israel, p. 90)

The Sarah I: a 190-foot & 750 tons used as a training ship by the Betar Naval Academy in Fascist Italy

These quotes should prove to the average Israeli or Zionist that Jabotinsky viewed Zionism as cruel and also perhaps a necessary evil as well since he empathized more with the plight and the injustice that came upon Europe's Jews. Similarly, David Ben-Gurion stated more than once of his readiness to "sup with the devil" (Shabtai Teveth, p. xiii, Preface) to increase Jewish immigration to Palestine, especially when the sword was hanging over Europe's Jews after the Nazis rose to power in Germany in 1933.

Adolf Eichmann & company coined a special Gold Medallion in the honor of Nazis' relationship with Zionists! Do you've any ideas why he visited Palestine in 1937?

The road map for the Israeli leaders' policies towards the Palestinian people was clearly stated by Ze'ev Jabotinsky in an article published in Ha'aretz newspaper in 1923:

".... Settlement can thus develop under the protection of a force that is not dependent on the local population, behind an IRON WALL which they will be powerless to break down. ....a voluntary agreement is just not possible. As long as the Arabs preserve a gleam of hope that they will succeed in getting rid of us, nothing in the world can cause them to relinquish this hope, precisely because they are not a rubble but a living people. And a living people will be ready to yield on such fateful issues only when they give up all hope of getting rid of the Alien Settlers. Only then will extremist groups with their slogan No, never lose their influence, and only then their influence be transferred to more moderate groups. And only then will the moderates offer suggestions for compromise. Then only will they begin bargaining with us on practical matters, such as guarantees against push them out, and equality of civil, and national rights." (Iron Wall, p. 14)

Ze'ev Jabotinsky advocated the colonization of Palestine under the protection of arms regardless of the Palestinian people's objections. He stated in 1925:

"Zionist colonization, even the most restricted, must either be terminated or carried out in defiance of the will of the native [Palestinian] population. This colonization can, therefore, continue and develop under the protection of a force independent of the local population --an iron wall which the native [Palestinian] population cannot break through. This is, in to, our policy towards the Arabs. To formulate it any other way would be hypocrisy." (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 28)

Palestinians were ethnically cleansed out of Iraq al-Manshiyya in March of 1949

He also stated that Zionists believed in an "Iron Wall" as follows:

"In this sense, there is no meaningful difference between our militarists and our vegetarians. One prefers an Iron Wall of Jewish bayonets, the other proposes an Iron Wall of British bayonets, the third proposes an agreement with Baghdad, and appears to be satisfied with Baghdad's bayonets-a strange and somewhat risky taste--but we all applaud, day and night, the Iron Wall." (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 28)

Jabotinsky reiterated his IRON WALL doctrine again and again. He wrote in an essay, titled "The Iron Law", explaining how Zionist colonization of Palestine should be done. He wrote:

"If you wish to colonize a land in which people are already living, you must provide a garrison for the land, or find a benefactor who will maintain the garrison on your behalf. ... Zionism is a colonizing adventure and, therefore, it stands or falls on the question of armed forces." (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 45)

Fake Valor: Why did two of Israel's future PMs, Menachem Begin and Yizhak Shamir, bomb WWII war efforts while their families were being gassed in Poland?

Jabotinsky was one of the few Zionists to recognize the conflict between Jewish and Palestinian nationalisms early. However, he advocated the IRON WALL doctrine instead of advocating a dialog to resolve this potential conflict. He stated in 1926:

"The tragedy lies in the fact that there is a collision here between two truths ..... But our justice is greater. The Arabs is culturally backward , but his instinctive patriotism is just as pure and noble as our own; it can not be bought, it can only be curbed ... force majeure." (Righteous Victims, p. 108)

Despite this quote (and many other similar Zionist quotes), Israelis and Zionists adamantly argue that Palestinians have no right for self-determination since they were neither a nation nor a people , click here to read our response to his argument.

Ze'ev Jabotinsky declared that settlement of the "land" is the only "law". He declared:

"There is no justice, no law, and no God in heaven, only a single law which decides and supercedes all---- [Jewish] settlement [of the land]." (Righteous Victims, p. 108)

According to Ze'ev Jabotinsky, European Jews have little in common with the "Orient". He stated:

"We Jews have nothing in common with what is called the 'Orient,' thank God. To the extent that our uneducated masses have ancient spiritual traditions and laws that call the Orient, they must be weaned away from them, and this is in fact what we are doing in every decent school, what life itself is doing with great success. We are going in Palestine, first for our national convenience, [second] to sweep out thoroughly all traces of the 'Oriental soul.' As for the [Palestinians] Arabs in Palestine, what they do is their business; but if we can do them a favor, it is to help them liberate themselves from the Orient.'" (One Palestine Complete, p. 151)

Palestinians were being ethnically cleansed out of 'Imwas & Yalu on June 7th 1967, by Zionists Jewish forces on direct orders from Yitzhak Rabin

The concept of a Jewish majority in Palestine was an essential pillar for Zionism to be realized. This point was repeated over and over by all Zionists, not just Jabotinsky. For example, Ze'ev Jabotinsky introduced the Betar's Oath as follows in 1934:

"I devote my life to the rebirth of the Jewish State, with a Jewish majority, on both sides of the Jordan." (Israel: A History, p. 76)

JTA Sept. 3rd, 1933 Quoting Nahum Sokolow: "Hitlerism enables us to convert all Jews to Zionism."

Similarly, he stated

"For a long time, many Jews, including Zionists, were unwilling to understand the simple truth. They maintained that the creation of important positions in Palestine (settlements, cities, schools, etc.) is enough. According to them a national life could be freely developed even though the majority of the population were to be Arab. This is a great mistake. History proves that any national position, however strong and important cannot be safeguarded as long as the nation which built it does not constitute a majority. A minority can safeguard its cultural position only as long as it can control the local majority. Sooner or later, every country in the world is to become the national state of the predominant nation there. Thus if we desire that Eretz Yisrael should become and remain a Jewish State, we must first of all create a Jewish majority." The Ideology of Betar by Ze'ev Jabotinsky

Like all Zionists, Jabotinsky advocated not just a Jewish majority in Palestine but also the use of force to "transfer" them out of their homes, farms, and businesses. Ze'ev Jabotinsky stated in a letter to one of his Revisionist colleagues in the United States dated November 1939:

"There is no choice: the Arabs must make room for the Jews of Eretz Israel. If it was possible to transfer the Baltic peoples, it is also possible to move the Palestinian Arabs." (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 29)

Browse hundreds of pictures depecting Palestinian culture & folklore

Similarly, he envisioned "brooming" the Palestinian people out of their homes in 'Eretz Yisrael". He stated:

"We Jews, thank God, have nothing to do with the East. . . . The Islamic soul must be broomed out of Eretz-Yisrael. . . . [Muslims are] yelling rabble dressed up in gaudy, savage rags." (Expulsion Of The Palestinians, p. 29)

Using the term "brooming" is meant to portray the Palestinian people as "subhuman", a term often suitable to describe flies. It is very sad how often politicians resort to dehumanizing their enemies to make a political point. What is even sadder, that this tactic was advocate by many Zionists who themselves had been victims of similar dehumanization tactics. Click here if you wish to read more racist Zionist quotes.

Just before Jabotinsky died in 1940, he justified "transferring" the Palestinian people out of their homes as follows:

"The world has become accustomed to the idea of mass migrations and has become fond of them." He later added, "Hitler--- as odious as he is to us---has given this idea a good name in the world." (One Palestine Complete, p. 407)

Ironically, a Jew with Jabotinsky's caliber used Adolf Hitler as precedent to "transfer" the Palestinian people out of their homes. It should be noted that the atrocity of forcible expulsion ("transfer") was among the charges against Adolf Eichmann, one the architects of the Nazi Holocaust. The questions which begs to be asked is:

Isn't it anti-Semitism if a non-Jew (Goyim) uses Hitler as an example to make a point?

It should be NOTED that when a "Jewish majority" in Palestine was not attainable based on Jewish immigration and natural population growth, Zionists advocated the use of force to cleanse and dispossess the Palestinian people ethnically. Click here if you wish to learn more about the subject.