Pluto Journals

Fascist Components in the Political Thought of Vladimir Jabotinsky

Author(s): Madeleine Tress
Source: Arab Studies Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Fall 1984), pp. 304-324
Published by: Pluto Journals
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Fascist Components in the
Political Thought of Vladimir Jabotinsky

Madeleine Tress

The ascendencyof MenachemBeginand the Likud Coalition in Israel in

1977aftertwenty-nine yearsof Labor partyruleoughtto have givenriseto
an analysisof Revisionist-Zionism, the forerunnerof the Herutparty.The
purposeof thisstudyis to examinetherootsofthe Herutparty,particularly
the political ideology of VladimirJabotinsky,the founderof the Zionist-
Revisionistmovement,a movementwhich was so abhorrentto Labor
ZionismthatDavid Ben-Gurionis reputedto have once referred to Vladimir
Jabotinskyas "Vladimir Hitler."
This study is not a work on the general political philosophy of
Revisionism, nor a political biography of Jabotinsky;rather,it will
concentrateon the fascist componentsin Jabotinsky' s political thought.
Since discussion will be limitedto Jabotinsky,only some mentionwill be
made of the ideology and practice guiding those organizations and
individuals in the Revisionist movement,such as the Brit Trumpeldor
(known as Betar, the Revisionistyouth organization), the Irgun, and
Menachem Begin and the Herutparty.Similarly,it will not concentrateon
the tactical relationshipbetweenEuropean Fascism and Zionism per se.1
The firstsection will discuss the origins of fascism and distinguish
betweenwhat Renzo de Felice calls "fascismas movementand fascismas
regime."2This is followed by an examination of Jabotinskyvis-à-vis

MadeleineTressis a doctoralcandidateintheDepartment
of Politics,
NewYork
University.
1. MeetingsbetweenZionistleadersand Fascistsduringthe 1930shave been
documented.See, for example,Lenni Brenner's"Zionismand Nazism,"Arab
Perspectives 2 (August 1981): 7-13; his Zionismin the Age of the Dictators
(Westport, Conn.:LawrenceHill,1983);Renzode Felice,Storiadegliebreiitaliana
sottoilfascismo[HistoryoftheItalianJewsunderFascism](Turin:GiuloEinaudi,
1961);Meir Michaelis,Mussoliniand theJews:German-Italian Relationsand the
JewishQuestionin Italy1922-1945(Londonand Oxford:The Institute ofJewish
Affairs/The ClaredonPress,1978);andNathanWeinstock, Zionism:FalseMessiah
(London:Ink LinksLtd., 1979),as wellas AlexanderCockburn's columnsin The
VillageVoiceand articlesin theNew York Yiddish-language press.
2. Renzode Felice,Fascism:An Informal Introduction
toIts TheoryandPractice
(New Brunswick, N.J.:TransactionBooks, 1977),passim.

304 ASQ Volume 6 Number 4

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Jabotinsky 305

communism.The thirdsectionwill detail those aspects of fascismwhich

appear in Jabotinsky's politicalthought.These include his attitudetoward
the labor force,the conceptof a "new Jewishman," his obsession witha
Jewish army, the militarizationof Revisionism,the initial anti-British
postureof Revisionism,and the racial element.Mention will also be made
of Jabotinsky'sdirectcontactwiththe Fascist movement.A finalsection
will analyse the cult of leadership.This examination will conclude that
although Betar and the Revisionistmovementmay be characterizedas
havingfascistelements,it is questionablewhetherJabotinskyhimselfwas a
fascist.Furthermore, I argue that those who call themselvesRevisionists
today have actually revised Revisionismand that many of Jabotinsky's
policies(such as the"iron wall") wereactuallyadopted by Mapai. The scope
of this studyis limitedto eventsbeforeJabotinsky'sdeath in 1940.

THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF FASCISM

The Class Basis

Fascism,like all historicalphenomena,has a class meaningas wellas an

organizationaland intellectualdiscourse.Dwight MacDonald sees fascism
emergingduringthe economicand politicalcrisesfollowingWorld War I.
The "intolerableeconomicsituationof largesectorsofthemiddleclass" was
one elementwhich interplayedwithtwo others:(1) a sector of the petite
bourgeoisiewas persuadedthroughdemagoguery"to supportthepoliciesof
their chief oppressors,the big bourgeoisie,"and (2) this demagoguery,
manifested as politicalmysticism,was subsidizedby big business.3Since the
big bourgeoisie subsidized the movement, MacDonald views themas the
class exercisingpoliticalhegemony.Nicos Poulantzas, on the otherhand,
sees no class or class fractionexertingpoliticaldomination.4A thirdview,
put forwardby Felice, is thatthe leadershipwas in the petitebourgeoisie:
"Fascism was thereforethe attempt of the petite bourgeoisie in its
ascendency - not in crisis- to assert itselfas a new class, a new force."5

3. DwightMacDonald,Introduction to Fascismand Big Businessby Daniel

Guerin,trans.Francesand MasonMerrill(NewYork:PioneerPublishers,
1939),p.
XV.
4. NicosPoulantzas,Fascismand Dictatorship: andthe
TheThirdInternational
Problemof Fascism(London:NLB, 1974),passim.
5. de Felice,Fascism
, p. 49.

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306 Arab Studies Quarterly

Fascism as Movement

Fascism as movementis a collection of elements,both objectiveand

conscious. Felice stipulatesseven conditions in order for the conscious
factorto be unleashed: (1) therehas to be a rapid,intenseprocessof social
mobility,especiallyvertical;(2) theremustbe a feudalagrarianeconomynot
totallyintegratedinto the nationaleconomy;(3) a state of economiccrisis
must exist; (4) traditional moral values should be in the process of
transformation; (5) the parliamentary systemis in crisis;(6) thereis no valid
alternativewithin the state apparatus itself;and (7) a war or warlike
situationdoes not resolvethegeneralnationalcrisischaracterizedbypoints
(3) through(6).6 In WesternEurope, particularlyItaly and Germany,the
democraticformof the State proved totallyincapable of dealingwiththe
working class. Although this sort of crisis is also characteristicof a
revolutionarysituation,the working-classresponsewas particularlyweak,
and working-classand revolutionaryorganizationswere undergoingtheir
own ideological crises. As a result,the workingclass was ripe for fascist
ideology.7
Althoughthe class basis for fascismis essentiallybourgeois,a fascist
movement asserts itself through revolutionaryideology. This is what
distinguishes fascismfromotherexceptionalpoliticalforms,includingthose
based on some sort of Mussolini-typecorporatemodel. Fascism needs the
mobilizationand activeparticipationof thepopulationat large.It promises
to create a new kind of man who is complete.As Mussolini wrote:"he is
political, he is economic, he is religious,he is a saint, he is a warrior."8
Fascist rhetoricincludes a promiseto achieve the transformation of both
society and the individual in a directionwhich had never been attemptedor
realized in the past.
One of the revolutionaryelementsthat fosteredfascismwas Mussolini's
brandof nationalism,whichappealed to boththepetitebourgeoisieand the
workingclass because it was "a colonizationbased on immigration, which
hoped that large numbers of Italians would be able to transfer into new
territoriesto find work, to find opportunitiestheydid not have in their
nativeland."9 A. James Gregorwritesthatalthoughit was imperialistic, it

6. Renzode Felice,Le Interpretazioni

del Fascismo[Interpretations
of Fascism]
(Rome: LaterzaPublishers,1974),pp. 24ff.
7. Poulantzas,Fascismand Dictatorship, passim.
8. BenitoMussolini,TheCorporate State(Florence:VallecchiPublishers,
1938),
p. 33.
9. de Felice,Fascism, pp. 65-66.

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 Jabotinsky 307

anticipated vast social changes;it was directedagainstbothforeignand

revolutionaryoppressors; itconjuredupan imageofa renewed andregenerate
nationthatwouldperform an historical
mission;it invokeda moralsenseof
and commitment
selflesssacrifice in the serviceof collectivegoals; and it
recalledancientgloriesand anticipated a sharedand greaterglory.1?

In short,fascistnationalismwas mystical.But a general mysticismthat

transcendednationalismwas evidentthroughoutthe period when fascism
was a movementand was the key elementin consolidatingfascismas a
regime.National securitybecame a materialelementcontributingto the
successof nationalismwithinthe fascistmovement;in turn,consciousand
unconsciousculturaland psychologicalelements(mysticism)became moral
componentscoexistingwith the materialone (nationalism).
As a movement, fascismwas fractured. 11It pointedto a new society,yet
needed everyconveniencethat advanced capitalismhad to offer.Daniel
Guerin writesthat fascist mysticismwas characterizedby "propaganda
throughmoderntechnology,intensiveutilizationof symbols,repetitionof
slogans, spoken propaganda, suggestion,mass meetings,and marching
togetherand the uniformfetish."!2Fascism was presentedas anti-clerical,
yetthemysticism was manifestedas a religion,and theleader becamea sort
of messiah who exalted the fatherland,the cult of the dead (especially
unknownsoldiers),and youth (who were particularlyimportantin the
movement).13*

Fascism as Regime

As noted above, the mystical element is a key component in the

consolidationoffascismas regime.Felice citesseveralotherfactorsinvolved
in the transformation of fascismfroma political movementto a formof
exceptionalState. These include: (1) the continuousmobilizationof the
massesby havingthe "capo" in directcontactwiththem;(2) the formation
of a single party,with the party militia having complete control over
propaganda;(3) thepresenceof rhetoricwhichis revolutionary in formbut
conservativein essence,mitigatedby a seriesof concessionsof the welfare
type;(4) an attemptto createa new rulingclass; (5) the creationof a strong

10. A. JamesGregor,YoungMussoliniand theIntellectual Originsof Fascism

(Berkeley and Los Angeles:Universityof CaliforniaPress,1979),p. 99.
11. de Felice,Fascism,p. 45.
12. Guerin,Fascismand Big Business , pp. 57-66.
13. Ibid.,p. 62 and Renzode Felice,Interpretations
of Fascism, trans.Brenda
HuffEverett (Cambridge,Mass.and London:HarvardUniversity Press,1977),p.
179.

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308 Arab Studies Quarterly

militaryapparatus; and (6) the creationof an economic regimebased on

private property,but characterized by a tendencyto expand public
initiative,withthetransferof leadershipgoingto theState whichwillact as
the mediatorof work.1*
Of these severalcomponentsof fascism,the directcontactof the leader
withthemasseswas particularlyused bytheRevisionistmovementvis-à-vis
Jabotinsky.However,althoughappearingas fascist,the Revisionistmove-
ment could neverbe characterizedas such because its class meaningwas
totally different.Fascism's economic base was capitalisticalthough it
appeared to be a classlesshierarchy whichwould facilitatetheconstruction
of a unifiedsociety.Since the class strugglewas nonexistent, thetraditional
role of autonomoustradeunionswas destroyed.In reality,theworkerswere
stillunderthe controlof the industrialists who employedthem.The "Carta
de Lavoro" (Labor Law), however,statedthatthe Statecontrolledboththe
workersand the industrialclasses (i.e., the capitalistclass) and thatno one
was outside the forcesof production.15The fascistpropaganda machine
convincedworkersthattheyhad to disciplinethemselves, and containtheir
demands for higherwages while increasingproductionand payinghigher
taxes. Trade unionshad onlyone purpose:to disciplinethe organizationof
work.Revisionismhad thesame appearancesas Europeanfascismbutnever
presenteditselfas being anticapitalistic.
Ther are key differences betweenfascismas movementand fascismas
regime. As a movement, fascism appears to be a collectionof elements
which bear littledirectrelationshipto each otherexcept that theyare all
symptomaticof a national crisis. Fascist regimessucceed when situations
are similarto Leninistrevolutionarysituationsexcept that the crisisalso
includesa crisisof ideology.Fascism began to emergein Italyand Germany
whenthe State was incapableof dealingwiththeworkingclass and reliedon
another party- the fascistmovement - to act in its interest.

JABOTINSKY AND COMMUNISM

Vladimir Jabotinskyjoined the Executive Committee of the World

ZionistOrganization(WZO) earlyin 1921and resignedtwo yearslater.His
basic difference
withthe WZO turnedon thequestionof a Jewishmilitiain

14. de Felice,Le Interpretazioni del Fascismo, pp. 24ff.

15. It shouldbe pointedout,though, thatinmanywaystheLaborLawwasmore
liberalthantheliberalbourgeoisState,especially in therealmsof maternity leave,
long-term illness,and nationalhealthinsurance.
Thecomplete textofthe"Cartade
Lavoro"can be foundintheAppendixto Renzode Felice,Mussoliniilfascista.II.
L'organizzazione dellostatofascista1925-1929[MussolinitheFascist.Vol. II. The
organization oftheFasciststate1925-1929] (Turin:GiulioEinaudi,1968),as wellas
in Mussolini,The CorporateState.

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Jabotinsky 309

Palestine,i.e., how and whento breakwithBritishimperialism.(Territorial

differences have also been citedas a cause forthe split,althoughclaiming
theEast Bank of theJordanRiverwas hardlyunique to the Revisionists.)16
Jabotinsky's resignationwas actuallya resultof theBolshevikRevolution.
Although the BolshevikRevolution accorded the Jewscompleteequality,
the new Soviet State opposed Zionismand "all ideological nationalism."17
As a result,local Zionist leaders allied themselveswith nationalists.In
August1921,Jabotinsky signeda pact withMaxim Slavinsky,theambassa-
dor of Simon Petliura;Petliurawas the head of the Ukrainiannationalist
regime,whichwas on the vergeof collapse. Jabotinskypledgedto forman
anti-SovietJewishmilitaryunit,whichratherthan fightthe Red Army,
would guard Jews livingin the towns captured by Petliura's Ukrainian
soldiers..18
Petliurahad been accused in the past of appallingpogromsagainstJews
in the Ukraine.19The secretpact betweenJabotinskyand Slavinsky- an
agreementmade withoutreferenceto the WZO - was disclosed by the
Ukrainians"to provethattheyhad changedtheirways."20WhentheZionist
Executive learned of these negotiations,they began an investigationof
Jabotinsky's activities.This promptedhis resignation.Jabotinskydefended
his actions, writingthat he would ally with any force (including the
Leninists)as long as it would save Jewishlives:

Whenever thereis a dangerofpogroms, becauseofa conflict

betweentwoor
morenon-Jewish armedcamps,I recommend an agreementto forma Jewish
gendarmerie. A Jewishgendarmerie withthe WhiteArmy,a Jewishgen-
darmerie withtheRed Army, a Jewish gendarmeriewiththeLilac and Pea-
greenArmy, ifany;letthemsettletheirquarrels,
weshallpolicethetownsand
see to it thattheJewishpopulationshallnot be molested.21

alliancewithPetliurawas onlyto
It is questionablewhetherJabotinsky's
save Jewishlives.PerhapsJabotinsky would havealliedwiththe Red Army,
as he notedin theprecedingpassage, buthe preferrednot to. Nearlytwenty

16. See,forexample, themapon p. 85 ofWalterLaqueur'sA History ofZionism

(NewYork:SchockenBooks,1972).The territory whichtheZionistOrganization
partofPalestine
claimedas an integral wentas farnorthas Sidonand as fareastas
Amman.
17.. Brenner, Zionism, p. 13.
18. Ibid.,p. 109.
19. Weinstock, Zionism , p. 148.
20. Brenner, Zionism, p. 109.
21. VladimirJabotinsky, as quoted m JosephB. Schechtmaa Rebel and
Statesman: The Vladimir JabotinskyStory.TheEarlyYears(New York:Thomas
Yoseloff,Inc., 1956),p. 406.

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310 Arab Studies Quarterly

yearslater,in his last book, The JewishWar Front,22he wroteoftheSoviet

Union: "A totalitarianregimemustbe moreunbearableto theJewsthanto
any otherhumanpeople, forno otherrace has so fardisputedtheJews'title
to priorityin the matterof individualityand rebelliousness."23
Part of his anti-communism stemmedfromthe officialSoviet position
vis-à-visJewishnationhood, namely,that withinthe socialist State one
should striveforreconciliationofnationaland regionaldifferences, and that
the practiceof any religion,includingJudaism,should be discouraged.24 He
believed that his Jewish nationalism "was a protest and in diametric
oppositionto thedepersonalizationwhichis thegoal of internationalism."25
The nationalism/internationalism schism was not Jabotinsky'sonly
complaint about communism and socialism. He viewedthe Histadrut,the
Labor Zionist trade union, as a socialist instrument.When Jabotinsky
visitedthe UnitedStates in 1935,Dr. StephenS. Wise,a prominent member
of the American Jewish community,accused him of buildinga fascist
movement.Wise criticizedJabotinsky'sattitudetoward Labor Zionism,
sayingthat the assertionthatit was "introducingclass war intoPalestineis
either utter nonsense or unforgivabledishonesty."26Jabotinsky'santi-
communismwas one elementindicativeof his fascisttendencies.
Jabotinsky'shostileattitudetowardlabor and the class strugglewas not
confined solely to criticismof Labor Zionism. He was influencedby
Mussolini's"Carta de Lavoro" in thathe believedthattheclass strugglehad
to be nonexistentfortheZionistmovementto succeedand thattradeunions
should disciplinethe organizationof work.
Like Mussolini, Jabotinskyhad once consideredhimselfa socialist. In
1906 he wrotethatnationalizationof the means of productionwas theonly
solution to the class struggle.27
Althoughit is not clear whenhe gave up his

22. Vladimir Jabotinsky, TheJewishWarFront(London:GeorgeAllen& Unwin

Ltd.,1940).Thiswasalso published in EnglishunderthetitleThe Warand theJew
(New York:The Dial Press,1942).
23. Jabotinsky,JewishWarFront, p. 93.
24. The SovietUnionhas alwayshad a contradictory attitudetowardJews.On
the one hand,Leninsaid thattheJewswerenot a nationbut a religionwhich
constituteda caste.(AbramLeon usedtheterm"people-class" to meanthesame
thing.)Nevertheless,schoolsand courtsweresetup in YiddishaftertheBolshevik
Revolution. In addition,BiroBidzhan,theJewish autonomous regionin EastAsia,
seemedto indicatesomeconcessions towardearlierBundistdemandsforautonomy
and an acknowledgement thattheJewswerea nationalminority. Finally,on the
presentSovietpassport,"Jew"is considered a nationality,
notjust a religion.
25. Pierrevan Passen,Forewordto The Warand theJewbyJabotinsky, p. 14.
26. StephenS. Wise,as quotedin JosephB. Schechtman, Fighterand Prophet:
The Vladimir Jabotinsky Story.TheLast Years(NewYorkand London:Thomas
Yoseloff,1961),p. 269.
27. Laqueur,Historyof Zionism , p. 350.

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Jabotinsky 31 1

socialistideals, thereis no doubt that when the Zionist-Revisionists

were
foundedin 1932,Jabotinskywas firmlyanti-working-class. He challenged
theconceptthatthebourgeoisiewas a class whichhad outliveditsusefulness
and even criticizedthe bourgeoisieforcapitulatingto thatconcept.^8In his
opinion,the Histadrutfosteredclass strugglein Palestine.When Histadrut
memberswent out on strike,the Revisionistswould provide scabs who
would workforless.29Jabotinskybelievedthatthe class strugglewas to be
avoided at all costs since "irreparabledamage could be caused by major
class conflicts."30
He feltthat"theremustbe no strikesbecause strikesare
monkey-wrenches thrown in the machineryreconstructingthe Jewish
state."31Strikesas well as lockoutsclashed "withthe supremeinterestsof
Zionism."32A second labor union had to be establishedsince Jabotinsky
thoughtthat the Histadrutwould become a Jewish-Arabconfederation
whichwould one day renouncethe idea of a JewishState.33
Officially,Revisionismclaimed that "class differencesduringthe con-
structiveperiod were not to be resolvedby struggles,but by adjustment.34
Justas Mussolinibelievedthatno one was outsidetheforcesof production,
Jabotinsky thoughtthatlabor and capitalalike mustmake sacrificesforthe
national cause.35Like Mussolini,Jabotinskybelieved that his movement
transcendedany class differences: "Revisionismstands- and will continue
to do so in the future - above all classes."36

JABOTINSKY AND FASCISM

Mussoliniaccentuatedthemysticalcomponentthroughthemilitarization
of his movement,particularlyrelyingon youth.Like fascism,Revisionism
exhortedthe glories of a "new man." The militarizationof Revisionism,
however,actuallyhad its roots in a JewishRegimentin the BritishArmy
duringWorld War I.

28. Schechtman, Fighterand Prophet , p. 230ff.

29. Lenni Brenner,"Was MenachemBegina Fascist?,"Arab Perspectives 3
(March1982):9.
30. Laqueur,Historyof Zionism , p. 350.
31. Quotedin RobertGessner, "BrownShirtsin Zion: Jabotinsky - theJewish
Hitler,"New Masses, February19, 1935,p. 12.
32. Quotedin Schechtman, Fighterand Prophet , p. 237.
33. ibid p. 240.
34. BasicPrinciples
of Revisionism:Compiled fromtheResolutions oftheFirst,
Second, and ThirdConferences of the Unionof Zionist- Revisionists
(London:
Unionof Zionists- 1929),p. 12.
Revisionists,
35. Gessner,"BrownShirts,"p. 12.
36. Quotedin Doran Rozenblum, "For Outof theFortressShall Go Forththe
Law,"Ha'aretz(Supplement), January 2, 1974,translatedbyIsraelShahakinBegin
and Company:As TheyReallyAre (Jerusalem, 1977),p. 117.

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312 Arab Studies Quarterly

The New JewishMan and the JewishLegion

Jabotinskywrote that "a 'Jew' representsan honorable title,not an

accidentof birth."3!Jewishprideincludedpreparationforself-defense since
no one else would defenda Jew.This view was shared by the left-Zionists,
however, Jabotinsky'sconception served as the ideological basis for a
Jewisharmy.
The Zion Mule Corps in the BritishArmywas the earliest(and only
concrete) manifestationof Jabotinsky'sideal of a Jewish army. It was
formedby the BritishWar Officein August 1917and was a regiment within
the BritishArmy.38Although small in number,it became, accordingto
Colonel John Henry Patterson,"a symbolof a Jewisharmy,and whatis
more: an officialproclamation of belligerencyon behalf of the Jewish
people as such."39It was viewed by the World Zionist Organizationas an
officialproclamationof Jabotinsky'sdifferences withthe Executive.Lenni
Brennerwrites:"Classic Revisionismhas always maintainedthatviolence
was integralto Zionism. . . .When [Jabotinsky]resignedfromthe World
Zionist OrganizationExecutive[in 1923],it was to 'revise'theirpoliciesto
include the demand for a Zionist Legion as part of the Britishgarrison
occupyingPalestine."40
The Legion had consistedof threebattalions,a total of approximately
5,000 men. It was led by threeBritishcolonels. Each battalionconsistedof
about twentylieutenants,who in turncommandedplatoons of fifty to sixty
men.Jabotinskywas one oftheselieutenants.41 Except forone occasion,the
Jewish Legion was never part of the Britisharmy of occupation which
remainedin PalestineaftertheArmistice.JabotinskyarguedthattheLegion
helped to keep peace in Palestine:"As long as [it] was a visibleforce . . .
thereoccurrednot a singleclash. . . .This I considerto have been thechief
purpose of the Jewish Legion in Palestine.42The proof for him that the
Legion could quell violence occurredin 1920: "As soon as [the Legion]
disappeared,therebroke out a seriesof pogroms:Jerusalem,Jaffa,Petach
Tikvah and again Jerusalem."43

37. VladimirJabotinsky, The Storyof theJewishLegion, trans.SamuelKatz

(New York: BernardAckerman, Inc., 1945),pp. 15-16.
38. Jabotinsky, JewishWarFront , pp. 237, 239.
39. Col. JohnHenryPatterson, DSO, Foreword toStoryoftheJewish
Legionby
Jabotinsky, pp. 15-16.
40. Brenner, "Was MenachemBegina Fascist?,"p. 18.
41. Jabotinsky, Storyof theJewishLesion, d. 103.
42. Ibid., p. 147.
43. Ibid., p. 181.

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 Jabotinsky 313

A JewishArmy

Jabotinsky was obsessedwiththeidea of a Jewisharmyfortherestof his

life. He believed "thatwithoutthe re-establishment of the JewishLegion
therecould be no securityforZionistcolonization."4* He would supplythe
men and arms45if the Britishwould allow theirexistence.
WhenJabotinsky testified
to the PalestineRoyal Commissionin 1937,he
asked why the Jews in Palestinewere "forcedto prepare for self-defense
underhand;as thoughcommitting a legal offence."He defendedhis never-
endingdemandfora Jewisharmyby chastizingthe role the Britishplayed
duringthe PalestinianArab general strikeof 1936: "By mobilizingfive
thousandJewishyouthsin the courseof themonthsof April and May you
wouldhave stoppedtheriots. . . . Yet thatmobilizationhas placed us in the
positionas if our Halutzimwerenot pioneersbut cowards."44Needless to
say, the 5,000 Jewishyouthswould have been less than the numberof
Britishstandingtroops in Palestine duringthe 1936-39 revolt.
As timeprogressedand Nazismdevelopedin Europe,Jabotinsky'sidea of
a Jewisharmyextendedbeyondthebordersof Palestine.Shortlybeforehe
died in 1940,he proposed that a Jewisharmy- not a regimentwithinthe
Britisharmy- be established.He realizedthat"at the outseta Jewisharmy
will be fullyJewishonlyas to the rankand file."47Believingthatthe Jews
constituteda nation,he feltthat "theyshould count as one of the Allied
Nations ... in this war."48
A good summaryof Jabotinsky'sobsession with a Jewisharmy was
writtenby Walter Laqueur in A Historyof Zionism:

...Perhaps he saw himself,a JewishGaribaldi,liberating

Palestineat the
head of a Jewisharmy.Butabove all thereweretwobasicconsiderations
whichmadehimso fanatically inhisstruggle
persistent forthelegion.He was
absolutelyconvinced thata Jewisharmy,howeversmall,was a historical
necessity....Jabotinskybecamea greatbelieverin the value of military
training whichhe thought
and discipline, wereof specialimportance fora
peoplewhichforso manycenturies had beenunableto defenditself.49

44. Schechtman, Rebeland Statesman , p. 371.

45. Gessner,"BrownShirts,"p. 13.
46. M. V. Jabotinsky, EvidenceSubmitted to thePalestineRoyalCommission,
Houseof Lords,February 11,1937(London:NewZionistPress,1937),pp. 22,24.
47. Jabotinsky, JewishWarFront , pp. 239,240.
48. Ibid., p. 14.
49. Laqueur,Historyof Zionism , p. 342.

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314 Arab Studies Quarterly

The stresson militarytrainingand disciplinewas the hallmarkof the

Revisionistmovementand caused the accusations that Revisionismwas
JewishFascism.

The Militarizationof the RevisionistMovement

Jabotinsky'slast act was to inspect a Betar parade.50 Betar, the

Revisionistyouth organization,was describedby a numberof criticsas
another "brown shirt"movementof the 1930s.

Jabotinskyconstantlyexplaineditwasjustan accident
thathisyouthworethe
same brownshirtsas the Nazis' SturmAbteilung , but the imageof the
Revisionists
as the JewishNazis persisted.The similarities- chauvinism,
a demagogic
militarism, appealto themiddleclassesand a hatred
ofthelabor
movement - weresimplytoo obviousto be ignored.... It is
and the left
knownthatseveralBetarimdid infactattendFascistPartytraining schools.
Terrorist
attackson Zionistrivalswereroutinein Poland.51

When Robert Gessner, an American Communistjournalist, was in

Poland in the mid-30s,he saw the Betarimin Poland "marchthroughthe
streetsand wear shirtslike theirNordic brothersin Germany.. . .1 had seen
them singing 'Poland for Pilsudski, Germanyfor Hitler, Palestine for
Jews.'"52Althoughthisparticularsloganmayhave been new,themilitariza-
tion of Revisionismwas not. JosephSchechtman,Jabotinsky'sofficialbio-
grapher,reportsthat betweenJuly 1924 and February 1925 everypublic
meetingin Paris addressed by Jabotinsky

was thesceneofwell-planned and disturbance

heckling [byJewishCommu-
nistsand Bundists]....Young supporters
of Jabotinskyorganizeda "self-
defense"composedmainlyoftheStudentCorps,Barissa.. . . Whentheusual
riothad started,
thetroublemakersweresoundlythrashedand kickedrather
roughlydownstairs.53

In Palestine they, along with the "Batallion of the Defenders of the

Language," "repeatedlybroke up meetingsin Yiddish on the groundsthat
speaking a 'Diaspora' language in Palestine was profaningZion."54

50. Patterson,
Forewordto Jabotinsky, Storyof theJewishLesion, p. 9.
51. Brenner,"Was MenachemBegina Fascist?"pp. 21, 53.
52. Gessner,"BrownShirts,"p. 11.
53. Schechtman,Fighterand Prophet, p. 36.
54. Brenner,"Was MenachemBegina Fascist?,"p. 19.

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Jabotinsky 315

Jabotinsky, however,was different fromhis supporters:In manywayshe

was embarrassed by the actions
fascist of the Revisionistmovement.While
the Ultranationalistand racialist elementswere evident in Jabotinsky's
thought,themysticalelement,whichwas so importantfortheconsolidation
of fascismin Italy, was simply not there. This is not to say that the
Revisionistsdid not wantto putJabotinsky in thatposition:They admired
ItalianFascismwhileJabotinskyapologizedforit.55On one ofJabotinsky's
tripsto Palestine,Abba Achimeir,a Revisionistjournalist,"entreatedhim
to act as a Duce ratherthan as a merepartyleader,"56somethingwhich
Jabotinskyrefusedto do.
BesidesRevisionism'sunsuccessfulattemptto build a cultof personality
aroundJabotinsky, thewaythatopponentsweretreatedbytheBetarimalso
caused some consternation to bothJabotinsky and theZionistmovementin
general.Besidesbeatingup JewishCommunistsand Bundistsand breaking
up Zionistmeetingsconductedin Yiddish,the Revisionistsalso murdered
theirJewishopponents:Chaim Arlosoroff, a Labor Zionist and political
secretaryof the JewishAgency,was assassinatedin 1933 afterproposing
some financialdeals withtheNazis duringtheanti-Naziboycott,a boycott
whichthe RevisionistssupportedbuttheLabor Zionistsdid not Abraham
Stavsky, Zvi Rosenblatt, and Abba Achimeir - all Revisionists- were
arrestedfor murder.57

Ties withItalian Fascists before 1938

Althougha numberofmeetingsbetweenleadersoftheJewishcommunity
and European Fascists occurred in the 1930s, the contact between the
Revisionistsand the Italians became in Brenner'swords, an "increasing
involvement" and "confirmed[the Italians'] image of the Zionist formof
fascism."58
The firstRevisionistCongresswas held in Milan in 1932. The slogan at
the Congresswas an "Italian order for the East,"59a slogan which even
Jabotinskywould not dispute. When GessnerinterviewedJabotinskyin
1935he was told: "We wanta JewishEmpire.Justlikethereis theItalian or

55. AlexanderCockburn,"Press Clips: Historyas the Propagandaof the

Victors,"The VillageVoice,October12, 1982,p. 17.
56. Weinstock,Zionism,p. 150.Achimeir, Y. H. Levin,and thepoet Uri Zvi
Greenberg weretheleadersofthePalestinian sectionoftheRevisionist
movement.
Weinstock writesthatthey"glorified theNationalSocialistCreed- exceptforits
anti-Semitic
components, ofcourse - intheirpaperChazitHa'am (People'sFront),
and hailedHitleras Germany's savior."
Zionism
57. Brenner, , pp. 62-63, 128-30.
"Was MenachemBegina Fascist?,"p. 20.
58. Brenner,
59. Weinstock,Zionism , p. 150.

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 316 Arab Studies Quarterly

the French Empires on the Mediterranean,we want a JewishEmpire."60

Revisionism,for Jabotinsky,stood for "the creation of a new Hebrew
civilization,"61one which would encompass all of Palestine, including
Transjordan,expand into Egyptand take overthe Suez Canal, and expand
into Iraq to protectthe highlyvaluable oil line.62
Accordingto Felice,contactsbetweentheRevisionistsand Fascistsbegan
in 1932.63 Any concretesupport that the Fascists had for Zionism was
limitedto the Revisionistwingof themovementwithina year.64 The Italian
of
Ministry Foreign Affairswas sympathetic to Revisionism because it
supported the idea of another Mediterranean State with its own ideology
and stated that Betar was based on Fascist youth organizations;it was
particularlyattractedto theanti-Britishcharacterthe Revisionistsassumed
aftertheirbreak fromthe WZO.65
Jabotinsky'spersonal ties with the Italians began when he wrote to
ProfessorSciaky of the Liceo Galileo in Florencein 1932about foundinga
teaching academy which would provide militarypreparationfor Jewish
youth.The reportwrittenby R. Guarglia forthe Fascist governmentsaid
that Jabotinskyfavored Italy and Fascism because the Revisionistswere
opposed to Labor Zionism in thesame way thatthe Fascistswereopposed
to liberal and socialist democracy.66
In November 1934,Jabotinsky's militaryacademybecame a realitywhen
a Revisionistsectionof the Scuola Marittimawas set up at Civitavecchia.67
The course lasted one year and included maritimesubjects,as well as
physical education, Hebrew, and Palestiniangeography.Felice mentions
thatscholarshipswereavailable; thesourceoffundsforthesescholarshipsis
not mentioned.68
The Revisionist-Fascistrelationshipwas intensifiedin 1935-36. Michael
Ledeen writes:"At one pointin 1935,some thoughtwas actuallygivenat the
[Italian] Foreign Ministryto the plan of makingRevisionisminto a full-
fledgedfascistmovement."69 That was thesame yearthata school ship,Sara

60. Quotedin Gessner,"BrownShirts,"p. 13.

61. Quotedin Doron Rozenblum, "For Out of the Fortress." d. 117.
62. Gessner,"BrownShirts,"p. 13.
63. de Felice,Storiadegliebreiitaliani,p. 168.
64. MichaelA. Ledeen,"The Evolutionof ItalianFascistAntisemitism," Jewish
Social Studies27 (January1975):12.
65. de Felice,Storiadegliebreiitaliani,pp. 169-70.
66. The reportwasdatedNovember 4, 1935.TheentireItaliantextisreprinted
in
ibid.
67. Ibid. See also Brenner,"Was MenachemBegina Fascist?,"p. 20; Brenner,
Zionism , pp. 116-117,119,Ledeen;"TheEvolutionofItalianFascistAntisemitism,"
p. 12; and Cockburn,"PressClips,"p. 16.
68. de Felice,Storiadegliebreiitaliani,p. 171.
69. Ledeen,"The Evolutionof ItalianFascistAntisemitism," p. 12.

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Jabotinsky 317

/,was purchasedby Revisionistsupportersforon-sitetraining.In thefallof

1935theSara wentto Sevilleand Algiers,butthenextyearitstayedinwaters
onlynearItaly.Because of Italy'srapprochement withGermanyin October
the
1936, Sara was "sold," butthe Revisionists stillused theshipforthesame
purposes with a French flag flying.In the fall of 1937 the Sara wentto
Palestine,but on January26, 1938 it ran aground south ofthe mouthofthe
Golo River.This groundingended the most concreteformof cooperation
betweenthe Revisionistsand the Fascists.70
AlthoughMussolini and Jabotinskynever met,the Jewishstudentsat
Civitavecchiawerereviewedby Mussolinihimselfin 1936.71 L'Idea Sionistica
,
themagazineof the Italian Revisionists,describedin the March 1936issue
the ceremoniesinauguratingthe new headquartersin Civitavecchia.The
Betarim'scommandingofficerorderedthetriplechant,"Viva L'Italia, Viva
Il Re, Viva II Duce." The article continues with a descriptionof a
"benedictionwhichRabbi Aldo Lattesinvokedin Italian and in Hebrewfor
God, for the King and for II Duce. . . . "Giovinezza [the Fascist party's
anthem]was sungwithmuchenthusiasmbythe Betarim."72 That same year
an Italian-Jewish Fascist,Corrado Tedeschi,wentto Palestine.Tedeschi,a
writerfor Mussolini's Gerarchia, met IttamarBen Avi, the editor of the
sensationalistdaily,Doar Hayom. Accordingto Meir Michaelis, "Ben-Avi
had agreed to co-operate with the Fascist propaganda machine (on 21
February[1936] a pro-Italianarticlehad appearedin Doar Hayom) Like
the Ministryof Foreign Affairs,Tedeschi "expressedagreement with the
prevailingview that the Revisionists . . . were Italy's best friends in
the
Palestine,given affinity between the Revisionists and Fascist movements
and theircommon aversionto Britain."74
AlthoughGermanyand Italydid not becomealliesuntil1936,Jabotinsky
distanced himselffrom the Italian Fascists after 1935 because of the
anti-Semiticnatureof Nazism.75When Sara I ran agroundtwo
specifically
yearslater,it provideda convenientexcuse forthe Fascists to severformal
ties withthe Revisionists.The Italians had to be discreetin theirrelations
withthe RevisionistsfollowingCivitavecchia,accordingto Felice. By the
timethe trainingended, Italy had adopted explicitlyanti-Semiticpolicies.
The Italians were also quite aware thattheiralliance withthe Revisionists

70. de Felice,Storiadegliebreiitaliani , pp. 172-73.He also reportsthatthe

acquireda largefishingboat in 1936,butdoes not giveus its full
Revisionists
nauticalhistoryas he does withtheSara.
71. Brenner, "Was MenachemBegina Fascist?,"p. 20.
72. "Supplemento al no. 8 di L'Idea Sionistica March1936,p. 2. Quotedin
Brenner,Zionism , p. 119;also citedby Cockburn, "PressClips,"p. 16.
73. Michaelis,Mussoliniand theJews , pp. 86-87.
74. Ibid.,p. 87.
75. Weinstock, Zionism, p. 150.

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318 Arab Studies Quarterly

placed the latteron the same side objectivelyas Hajj Aminal-Husayni,the

Muftiof Jerusalem,vis-à-visthe Axis powers.76Ironically,the Muftiwas
the man whom the Revisionistsconsideredto be their main enemyin
Palestine.

The Racial Element

As long as Italian Fascism did not take on an explicitlyanti-Semitic

stance,Jabotinskyseemed to have no troublekeepingclose ties. Although
anti-Semitismand Revisionismwere "supposedly"in contradictionwith
each other,therewere certainlyracialistelementsin Jabotinsky'spolitical
thought,as well as in the practiceof the Revisionistmovement.
When Jabotinskywas a journalist,the main targetof his crusadeswas
against Jewishassimilation.77When he wroteabout the formationof the
JewishLegion, he admonishedagainstassimilation,withproofof whereit
had led: "That wise old man [Moses] Mendelsshon,too, once thoughtthat
the Jews, by forcingthemselvesinto the life of Germany,would attain
brotherhood.Shall we discuss the consequences?"78In The Jewish War
Front, Jabotinskydiscusses the superiorityof Jewish"blood" to the point
that his passionate plea for saving Jewishlives mentionsnothingabout
othervictimsof the Nazis, such as the Communists,Gypsys,homosexuals,
non-JewishPoles, and Russians.79
Jabotinskyalso made distinctions amongtheJews.Althoughhe professed
a greatadmirationforthe Sephardim80 and acceptedthemin theZion Mule
Corps, he clearlywanteda non-Oriental JewishState in Palestine."We Jews
are Europeans," he wrotein 1925to U.S. Senator O. O. Grusenberg,"and
we are not only pupils, but also co-creatorsof the European culture."81
He
referredto Eleanor Roosevelt as "an honestChristianwoman" fordeclar-
ing,"If a land is to be foundfortheJews,it mustbe a land fitforwhitemen
to live in."82

76. de Felice Storiadegliebreiitaliani

, p. 174.AlthoughtheRevisionistlinkwith
the Italian Fascistswas the longestand the strongest, it was nottheonlyone.
CockburnreportsthattheIrgun"wasbeingtrainedin Polandat Zakopane,bythe
anti-Semitic Polish army,in explosives, underground methods,and so forth.In
returnforthis instruction, Revisionists told theJewsof Poland notto struggle
againsttheanti-Semitic regimebutto packup and leaveforPalestine - a coursethe
overwhelming majorityrejected.("PressClips,"p. 17.)
77. Schechtman, Rebel and Statesman , d. 141.
78. Jabotinsky, Storyof theJewishLegion, p. 150.
79. Jabotinsky, JewishWarFront, passim.
80. Jabotinsky, The Storyof theJewishLegion,passim.
81. Quoted in Schechtman, Fighterand Prophet , p. 324.
82. Jabotinsky, JewishWarFront, pp.156-57.

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Jabotinsky 319

The riseof fascismwas a convenientexcuseforJabotinskyto believethat

the cause of the Jews in Palestinewas morallystrongerthan that of the
Arabs.83When he testifiedto the Palestine Royal Commission in 1937,
Jabotinsky said: "Our demandfora Jewishmajorityis not our maximum-
it is our minimum:it is just an inevitablestage ifonlywe are allowed to go
on salvagingour people."84For Jabotinsky, the Arabs wereinferiorby dint
of theirbeing non-European.85 Like the Labor Zionistswho believedthat
Palestine was a land without a people for a people without a land,
Jabotinsky'sdistinctionsabout Zionist colonization are a reminderof
Mussolini'scolonizationbased on immigration:

Infiltration
. . . hascharacterized ouroverseasmigration (exceptinPalestine)
throughoutthelastfifty years:"immigrants" havenoambitionto createa new
socialorganism. on theotherhand,arepeoplewhomigrate
. . ."Colonizers,"
in groupsto largeempty areasinorderto erecta newbodysocialwhenthere
werenonebefore.. . . Colonization ... is a conception
moreorlessrelated to
the"territorialist" idea of a Jewishstate.86

For Jewishcolonizationof Palestineto succeed,an "ironwall" had to be

constructed, "thatis, onlyimmensely superiorforcecould compel Arabs or
anyone else to accept the occupationof theircountry."87Hence, a Jewish
majority in Palestinewas a minimum demand. He knew thatthecreationof
a Jewishmajoritywould "be achievedagainstthewish"88of the indigenous
Palestinian Arab population. A Jewisharmed force would assure the
establishmentof a Jewishmajority.The 900,000 Arabs would not be
guaranteedequal rights,but "thesame rightsJewsare guaranteedin other
states."*9
AlthoughJabotinsky was againsta binationalArab-JewishState, he was
against any partitionof Palestine since that would mean that the Arab
population would have to be evacuated fromthe area of the prospective
JewishState. He wrote:

83. Laqueur,Historyof Zionism , p. 348.

84. Jabotinsky,EvidenceSubmitted , p. 12.
85. WhenJabotinsky was a BritishcorrespondentduringWorldWarI, hewrote
Turkey and the War(London:T. FisherUnwin,Ltd., 1917).In it,nearlytwenty
yearsbeforehis"iron-wall"
doctrine,hewrote:"Butitseemsthatthemaincauseof
oftheSyriantypeis a questionofrace,ofthepowerful
thesuperiority admixture of
European bloodwhichso manyenergetic andconqueringnationslefton thiscoveted
waste"(p. 222).
86. Jabotinsky,JewishWarFronty pp. 135-36.
87. Cockburn, "PressClips,"p. 17.
88. Schechtman, and Prophet
Fighter , p. 324.
89. Gessner,"BrownShirts,"p. 13,emphasisadded.

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320 Arab Studies Quarterly

fromtheJewishviewpoint [this"evacuation is downright

prattle"] criminal.
. . . Whatan instructive
precedent indeedforJew-baitersall overtheworld.
. . . We are striving
to attaina majority,notto showthe minority to the
door.90

Afterthe majoritywas obtained, the Arabs would have to adapt to the

Jewishpopulation, and then the two groups would work out a modus
vivendi.
As much as Jabotinskyrejected expulsion of the Palestinian Arabs,
however,he did not reject"theirvoluntaryand organizedmigrationto one
of the Arab countries."91In a similarvein,he wroteabout the transferof
Armeniansand Greeks in TurkeyafterWorld War I,92and Schechtman
reportsthat Jabotinskywas impressedby the Hitler-Mussolinipact to
transferGermans in the Italian SouthernTirol back to Germany.93

THE CULT OF LEADERSHIP

Jabotinskyonce wrote that

a leaderis a manwho has beenauthorized to do thethinking

forthewhole
nation,so thatrank and fileno longerneed to think.... If thereis no
superman available,we getholdofan ordinary and thrust
fellow, thattitleon
him.94

He thoughtthatany man could becomea king,but thattheJewsespecially

needed one. In his novel Judge and Fool , which takes place in ancient
Palestine,Jabotinskydiscusses how Samson admiredthe organizationof
the Philistines:

Itistruethathenevergraspedthesystem on whichtheirstatewasconstructed:
theprecise, intricate
well-planned, hierarchy,thedelineation offunctions,
the
strictrulesforeverydepartment - all thesethings
of theadministration were
incomprehensibleto himand seemedto be confused. Buthe saw thatoutof
themarose not confusionbut a greatharmony.95

90. Quotedin Schechtman, Fighterand Prophet , p. 324.

91. Ibid.
92. Jabotinsky,
JewishWarFront, passim.
93. Schechtman,Fighterand Prophet, p. 325.
94. Quoted in Oscar K. Rabinowicz,Vladimir Conceptionof a
Jabotinsky's
Nation(New York:The Beechhurt Press,1946),p. 18.
95. VladimirJabotinsky,Judgeand Fool, trans,fromthe Germanby Cyrus
Brooks(NewYork:HoraceLiveright, 1930),p. 200.Thisnovelhasalso appearedin
EnglishunderthetitlesInvitation
to Delilah and Samsonthe Nazarite.

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 Jabotinsky 321

The obedience of the masses also appealed to him and, despite his
disavowalof manyof Betar'sactions,he was attractedto militarization.
He
continuesin the same passage:

Oneday,[Samson]waspresent at a festival
at thetempleofGaza. Outside
in a squarea multitudeofyoungmenand girlsweregathered forthefestive
dances.... All weredressedalikein whitegarments. ...
A beardlesspriestled thedances.He stoodon thetopmoststepof the
temple, holdingan ivorybatonin hishand.. . . The beardless priestturned
paleandseemedtosubmerge hiseyesinthoseofthedancers, whichwerefixed
responsively on him. . . . Suddenly,witha rapid,almostinconspicuous
movement, thepriestraisedhisbaton,andall thewhitefigures inthesquare
sankdownon theleftkneeandthrew therightarmtowardsheaven - a single
a
movement,single,abrupt, murmurous harmony. . . .
[In] thisgreatspectacleof thousandsobeying a singlewill,[Samson]had
caughta glimpseof thegreatsecretof politically mindedpeople.96

For Jabotinsky'sSamson- and for Jabotinskyhimself - the idea of a

kingwas halfof his philosophy,the otherhalfwas iron. At the end of the
novel, Samson says to his countrymen:

. . . Theymustgetiron.Theymustgiveeverything theyhaveforiron. . . .
Thereis nothing in theworldmoreValuablethaniron.. . . Thesecond... is
this:a king!... A manwillgivethemthesignaland ofa suddenthousands
willliftup theirhands.97

Jabotinskywanteda king forthe Jews:a "unitednation witha central

leadership"98 and "a man who gives the signaland thousandsliftup their
hands."99Iron would defendthemin a hostileworld,and whetheror not
iron existedin Palestine,an "iron wall" could be erected.
It is questionablewhetherJabotinskywantedto be the "man who gives
the signal."As mentionedearlier,he did not like havingthe role of Duce
thrownon himbyBetar.Therewas no doubtthatJabotinsky did exertsome
power over the but
Revisionists, as Schechtman notes, it

96. Ibid., pp. 200-201.Some of thisideologywas also made manifestin the

uniform fortheJewish Legion.Jabotinsky thatitwas"theordinary
reports English
one butwitha colonialmarklikethatoftheBoyScouts;theinsignia, a menorah
withtheHebrewwordkadimah(meaning both'forward'and'eastward')
anda blue-
whitemarkon thecollar"(Storyof theJewishLegion, p. 88.)
97. Judgeand Fool, p. 300.
98. Patterson, Forewordto Jabotinsky,Storyof theJewishLegion, p. 13.
99. Ibid.

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322 Arab Studies Quarterly

was rootedin thedeep,almostpassionateaffection theyhad forhim.He

commanded devotionofa fervor byfewpublicfigures
inspired ofourtime.To
- the
many possibly greatmajority - ofhis adherents, associatesand
disciples,
friendshe was notmerely a thinker, a leaderof,and fighter fortheJewish
people,butprimarilytheirhighly personalemotional possession:a livingpart
of theirown spirituallife . . . each of themhad his own intimateand
romancewiththemanJabotinsky.
captivating ... To everyonehewas"my
Jabotinsky,"belongingfirstand foremost to thatpersonpersonally.100

Such admirationcould be considereda mysticalcultofleadership,butthere

is doubt about Jabotinsky'swillingnessto be placed in that mystical
leadershipposition.

CONCLUSION

Revisionismas a movement,and Jabotinskyas a leader,had clear fascist

elements.However,the fascisttendencieswithinZionism both in ideology
and organizationdid not resultfroman economicor politicalcrisiswithina
Jewish "nation." Although there was an ideological crisis within the
European and PalestinianJewishcommunities,resultinglargelyfromthe
successesand failuresof communism,social democracy,and fascism,there
was no democraticState which needed fascismto save itself.Until 1977
Revisionismwas always in theminorityof theZionistmovement,and even
when its organizationalformcoincidedwithfascismin the 1930s,perhaps
one percentof world Jewrywas attractedto it, given the prevalenceof
Jewish communist and Bundist activity(not to mention the religious
tradition),as well as a generalanti-Zioniststance among mostJewsat the
time.
Jabotinskydifferedfromhis counterpartsin theWZO because he wanted
to develop a new Jewishman throughthe formationof a Jewisharmy.
Furthermore,he was willingto ally with any force who would help in
buildingone. His firstalliance was withthe BritishduringWorldWar I and
ended withthe Armistice;thenwithanti-Communist Ukrainiansduringthe
Russian Civil War; and finallywiththe Italian Fascistsfrom1932to 1937.
The last alliance was basicallytacticalforJabotinsky,but bothtacticaland
ideological formost of the Revisionistmovement,especiallytheBetarim.In
several instances,the ideological affinityfor fascismamong the Betarim
caused Jabotinskymuch embarrassment.
As a Jew,Jabotinskywas firmlyanti-assimilationist; once he saw Hitler's
capabilities, he was interestedonly in saving Jewish lives. He wanted

100. Schechtman,
Fighterand Prophet
, p. 178.

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Jabotinsky 323

Palestineto be a European-Jewish State, but saw the hypocrisyof openly

expellingtheArabs,especiallyin lightofwhatwas happeningto theJewsin
Europe. Instead,he advocated buildingan "ironwall," whichwould mean
that the Arabs would have to accept the occupation of Palestine by
outsiders.
Despitethemilitarization of Revisionism,Jabotinsky's own racialismand
anti-working-class bias, and a close relationship with the Italian Fascists,
the mysticalelementof social demagoguerywas missingfromJabotinsky.
Jabotinsky wantedan openlyproclaimedJewishState,ratherthanjust a
homelandas outlinedbytheBalfourDeclaration.His breakwiththeBritish
and his alliance with the Italians must be seen in this context.
Many elementsof the Revisionistprogramwereimplementedby Mapai
once it gained state power in 1948. Both the Revisionistsand the Labor
Zionistssay thatthe Jewsneeded Palestineas a safe havenfromthe Nazis,
forgetting that had the Germans not been defeatedat Al Alamein and
Stalingradtherewould have been nothingto preventthemfrommarching
intoPalestineand murdering everyJewlivingthere.The "ironwall" has also
been a Labor Zionist policy since 1948. WhetherJabotinskywould have
consideredDeir Yassin to be partof his"ironwall" policyor an action to be
disavowedis hardto say. Whatwe do knowis thatMenachemBeginand the
Irgun, who considered themselves to be the practical realization of
Jabotinsky'sthought,carried out the massacre.
Jabotinsky was againstanypartitionof Palestinebecause he believeditall
belongedto the Jewsand would resultin expulsionof the Arabs. He was
not,however,againstpopulationtransfer.When Palestinewas partitioned
in 1948manyof the Arabs fledor wereexpelled,and manyJewsfromthe
Middle East and North Africa emigratedto Israel. Again, we can ask if
Jabotinskywould have consideredthis to be a populationtransfer,as the
prevailingLabor Zionist line held that it was.
The Likud Coalition which(at the timeof writing)holds power in Israel
has plans fora greaterIsrael,perhapsnotunlikeJabotinsky's conceptionof
a Jewishorderforthe East. Yet it was Mapai whichseized the West Bank
and theGaza Stripin 1967,a factthatZionistcriticsof Revisionismseemto
forget.WhereJabotinsky wantedall of Palestine,includingtheeasternpart,
the Revisionistsin power today seem bent on creating "iron walls"
everywhere, for no matterhow far theyexpand- whetherto Sidon or
-
Jericho therewill always be Palestinianson theirborders.
Finally,Revisionismhas been revised,firstby themoreexplicitlyfascist
tendenciesof the Betarim in the 1930s, then by the adoption of some
Revisionistpolicies by Mapai after 1948, and presentlyby the Likud
Coalition.Likud'sgoal no longerseemsto be dominationof thePalestinian
Arab population,particularlythose livingin the occupied West Bank and
Gaza. Rather, the combination of state-subsidizedsettlementsin the

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324 Arab Studies Quarterly

occupied territoriesand Israel'swaterpoliciesin the West Bank,along with

"fringe"group terroristactivity(particularlythatof TNT - TerrorAgainst
Terror- and Meier Kahane's Kach Movement)in the West Bank and the
cityof Jerusalem,points towardexpulsion ratherthan accommodation,a
tacticwhichJabotinskyhimselfclearlyrejected.Perhapsthe greatestirony
of all is that Revisionism'sgreatestsupportersnow in Israel are the Jews
fromIslamic countries.Constitutingsixtypercentof the population,they
have done exactly what Jabotinskyand Revisionismdid not want to see
happen in Palestine: they have begun to create an Oriental-Jewish State.

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