- Incident Date:
1944, November 6
- Location:
Cairo, Egypt
- Key Findings:
Israel assassinates British Lord over immigration policies. The terrorist that planned the murder would later become Israel Prime Minister. Others involved were protected by Israel.
- Resource Link:
- Additional Resources:
Walter Guinness, 1st Baron Moynem assassinated by Israel in Cairo sent shock waves thru Palestine.
The attack was planned by Yitzhak Shamir who later became the Prime Minister of Israel. The assassins were trained by Yehoshua Cohen who traveled from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to spend several weeks preparing them for the assassination. Yehoshua Cohen later committed the assassination of Swedish UN Diplomat Folke Bernadotte. He was protected by the Israeli government who hid the murder weapon until after the statute of limitations for the murder was over.
The assassination of Lord Moyne by the Jewish group Lehi (also known as the Stern Gang) on November 6, 1944, was one of the pivotal events in the history of the Zionist struggle for a Jewish state. The reasons they listed as to why this act of terrorism was carried out:
- British Immigration Policies: Moyne was seen as an architect of Britain’s immigration policies into Palestine.
- Symbol of British Rule: As a high-ranking British official in the Middle East, Moyne symbolized British control and policies that were increasingly seen as obstructive to Zionist goals. His assassination was intended to send a message against British imperialism in the region.
- Lehi’s Objectives: According to members of Lehi, the assassination aimed at several goals:
- To demonstrate that the conflict was not merely between a government and its citizens but between occupiers and the occupied.
- To show the efficacy of armed resistance against British rule.
- To provoke international attention and possibly change British policy towards Palestine.
- Impact on the Zionist Movement: Many Zionist leaders at the time, it was viewed as a bold move to push for British withdrawal from Palestine, which eventually happened in 1948.
The assassination of Lord Moyne was a significant event that underscored the tensions and the violent methods Israel was willing to employ to achieve their nationalist objectives for Zionists. It also reflected the broader struggle for control over Palestine, which would culminate in the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.
