Hamaas
Encyclopedia
Hamaas was a publication of the Lehi
, an armed Zionist
militant group in Mandate Palestine
.
The publication first came to public attention in July 1946 after the report of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry
and a British Colonial Office
White Paper
identified an article in the second issue indicating that a Lehi attack on the Haifa
Oil Refinery on the night of 31 October/1 November 1945 had been coordinated with other attacks on the same night by the Haganah
(on railways), the Irgun
(on Lydda
railway station) and the Palmach
(on two British coast guard vessels in Haifa harbour) under the overall direction of the Jewish Agency
. Hamaas noted,
In addition to the Hamaas article the British government published intercepted telegrams between the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem and Zionist leaders in London
that demonstrated Jewish Agency control over the formal organisation established by the Haganah, Irgun and Lehi to coordinate their actions, which was known as the Tenuat Hameri (United Resistance Movement).
During the operations mentioned by Hamaas the Haganah planted 500 explosive devices causing 242 breaks in the railway lines, and damaged the stationmasters office in Jerusalem, a telephone installation on the Jerusalem-Lydda line, and a petrol wagon in the Tel Aviv
railway yard. The Irgun attack at Lydda destroyed one locomotive and damaged six others. In the Lehi attack on Consolidated Refineries in Haifa one Lehi operative, Moishele Bar Giora, was killed in a premature explosion and another, Abraham Yehudai, was badly wounded.
The operations were publicised by the illegal Haganah underground radio station Kol Yisrael
. The Mandate authorities and the British government in London were outraged by the intensity of the violence and mobilised additional military forces.
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...
, an armed Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
militant group in Mandate Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
The publication first came to public attention in July 1946 after the report of the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry
Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry
The Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry was a joint British and American attempt in 1946 to agree upon a policy as regards the admission of Jews to Palestine. The Committee was tasked to consult representative Arabs and Jews on the problems of Palestine, and to make other recommendations 'as may be...
and a British Colonial Office
Colonial Office
Colonial Office is the government agency which serves to oversee and supervise their colony* Colonial Office - The British Government department* Office of Insular Affairs - the American government agency* Reichskolonialamt - the German Colonial Office...
White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
identified an article in the second issue indicating that a Lehi attack on the Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
Oil Refinery on the night of 31 October/1 November 1945 had been coordinated with other attacks on the same night by the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
(on railways), the Irgun
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...
(on Lydda
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
railway station) and the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
(on two British coast guard vessels in Haifa harbour) under the overall direction of the Jewish Agency
Jewish Agency for Israel
The Jewish Agency for Israel , also known as the Sochnut or JAFI, served as the organization in charge of immigration and absorption of Jews from the Diaspora into the state of Israel.-History:...
. Hamaas noted,
The events of 1 November have given a striking expression of the firm resolution of the Jews to fight for the freedom of their homeland. The scope of the attack has proved that the Jews are capable of acting under the most difficult conditions.
However the most significant achievement on that night was that for the first time the attack was coordinated and concentrated. The Jewish Resistance Movement has embraced all the Jewish resistance forces with a view to their being guided by a single authority which would control the common fight. (Hamaas, Issue No. 2., November 1945).
In addition to the Hamaas article the British government published intercepted telegrams between the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem and Zionist leaders in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
that demonstrated Jewish Agency control over the formal organisation established by the Haganah, Irgun and Lehi to coordinate their actions, which was known as the Tenuat Hameri (United Resistance Movement).
During the operations mentioned by Hamaas the Haganah planted 500 explosive devices causing 242 breaks in the railway lines, and damaged the stationmasters office in Jerusalem, a telephone installation on the Jerusalem-Lydda line, and a petrol wagon in the 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...
railway yard. The Irgun attack at Lydda destroyed one locomotive and damaged six others. In the Lehi attack on Consolidated Refineries in Haifa one Lehi operative, Moishele Bar Giora, was killed in a premature explosion and another, Abraham Yehudai, was badly wounded.
The operations were publicised by the illegal Haganah underground radio station Kol Yisrael
Kol Yisrael
Kol Yisrael is Israel's public domestic and international radio service, operated as a division of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.-History:...
. The Mandate authorities and the British government in London were outraged by the intensity of the violence and mobilised additional military forces.