ABSTRACT
David Ben-Gurion, head of the Jewish Agency, decided that only a demonstration of the Yishuv's military potential might force the British to reverse their pro-Arab policy. In October 1945, he authorized the formation of a Jewish resistance movement (JRM), to co-ordinate joint insurgency operations by the three Jewish undergrounds the Hagana, IZL and LEHI. The strategic goal of the JRM was to sabotage British military and communications systems in Palestine, thereby demonstrating to the British that they could not control Palestine without the support and co-operation of the Yishuv. The JRM decided to organize Aliya Gimmel, illegal immigration, with Hagana combat units on board, with orders to resist British attempts to apprehend them. In England, the hangings seared the national psyche, provoking universal outrage and disgust. They ignited anti-Semitic riots in London and in many of the depressed cities of northern England. They also crystallized an all-party consensus in Parliament that Britain must evacuate Palestine.
