Eliyahu Bet-Zuri
Encyclopedia
Eliyahu Bet-Zuri was a member of Lehi
, who was executed in Egypt for assassinating Lord Moyne, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East
.
Born in Tel Aviv
, Bet Zuri attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He also joined the Etzel
, but later left that movement to join the Lehi
.
On 6 November 1944, Bet Zuri and Eliyahu Hakim
assassinated Lord Moyne in Cairo
. They were caught immediately and put on trial before a military court. At the trial, Bet-Zuri gave a decidedly nationalist
speech, inspired by the Canaanite movement in Palestine:
He and Hakim were both sentenced to death. They were hanged in Cairo on 22 March 1945, singing Hatikvah
, the Israeli anthem, from the gallows.
Earlier in 1944 Bet Zuri had suggested assassinating Prime Minister Churchill
and other highly placed British political personalities, according to secret files not publicly released by MI5
until April 2011.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/8425271/MI5-files-Zionist-terrorist-plotted-to-kill-Winston-Churchill.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373100/Zionist-Bet-Zuri-proposed-killing-Churchill-MI5-records-reveal-1944-plot-Stern-Group.htmlhttp://news.scotsman.com/worldwarii/Jewish-extremist-hatched-plan-to.6745420.jp
In 1975 Egypt gave their remains to Israel
in exchange for 20 Arabs who had been imprisoned by Israel as terrorists or spies. They were interred on Mount Herzl
with full military honors.
Lehi (group)
Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
, who was executed in Egypt for assassinating Lord Moyne, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Born in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Bet Zuri attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He also joined the Etzel
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
, but later left that movement to join the Lehi
Lehi (group)
Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
.
On 6 November 1944, Bet Zuri and Eliyahu Hakim
Eliyahu Hakim
Eliyahu Hakim was a Lehi member who took part in the 1944 assassination of Lord Moyne, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East.Born in Beirut, Hakim moved to Mandatory Palestine with his family when he was seven. He grew up in the port city of Haifa. As a teenager, he joined Lehi, but...
assassinated Lord Moyne in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. They were caught immediately and put on trial before a military court. At the trial, Bet-Zuri gave a decidedly nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
speech, inspired by the Canaanite movement in Palestine:
"We do not recognize England's right to give us Palestine or take it away from us. Let me make clear to the court: My ideas are not Zionist ideas. We don't fight to uphold the Balfour Declaration. We don't fight for the sake of the National Home. We fight for our freedom. In our country a foreign power rules."
He and Hakim were both sentenced to death. They were hanged in Cairo on 22 March 1945, singing Hatikvah
Hatikvah
"Hatikvah" is the national anthem of Israel. The anthem was written by Naphtali Herz Imber, a secular Galician Jew from Zolochiv , who moved to the Land of Israel in the early 1880s....
, the Israeli anthem, from the gallows.
Earlier in 1944 Bet Zuri had suggested assassinating Prime Minister Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and other highly placed British political personalities, according to secret files not publicly released by MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
until April 2011.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/8425271/MI5-files-Zionist-terrorist-plotted-to-kill-Winston-Churchill.htmlhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373100/Zionist-Bet-Zuri-proposed-killing-Churchill-MI5-records-reveal-1944-plot-Stern-Group.htmlhttp://news.scotsman.com/worldwarii/Jewish-extremist-hatched-plan-to.6745420.jp
In 1975 Egypt gave their remains to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in exchange for 20 Arabs who had been imprisoned by Israel as terrorists or spies. They were interred on Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl , also Har HaZikaron , is the national cemetery of Israel on the west side of Jerusalem. It is named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb lies at the top of the hill. Yad Vashem, which commemorates the Holocaust, lies to the west of Mt. Herzl....
with full military honors.