Eliyahu Bet Zuri
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Eliyahu Bet-Zuri ( he, אליהו בית צורי 10 February 1922 – 22 March 1945) was a member of Lehi, who was executed in Egypt for his part in the assassination of
Lord Moyne Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, DSO & Bar, PC (29 March 1880 – 6 November 1944), was an Anglo-Irish politician and businessman. He served as the British minister of state in the Middle East until November 1944, when he was assass ...
, the British Minister Resident in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
.


Biography

Bet-Zuri was born in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
to Esther and Moshe Bet-Zuri. He was from a Mizrahi-Jewish family that had lived in Palestine for many generations. He had five siblings. His father was the Postmaster of
Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...
, a predominantly Jewish city with a significant Arab population, and was fluent in Arabic besides Hebrew. As a child, he served as a runner for a
Haganah Haganah ( he, הַהֲגָנָה, lit. ''The Defence'') was the main Zionist paramilitary organization of the Jewish population ("Yishuv") in Mandatory Palestine between 1920 and its disestablishment in 1948, when it became the core of the ...
detachment, carrying ammunition, messages, and rations between Haganah posts. Through his friend
Uzzi Ornan Uzzi Ornan ( he, עוזי אורנן; ISO 259-3: ˁuzzi ˀornan; 7 June 1923 – 3 November 2022) was an Israeli linguist and social activist. Ornan was a member of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, professor of natural languages computing a ...
, Bet-Zuri knew Uzzi's brother, the poet
Yonatan Ratosh Yonatan Ratosh () was the literary pseudonym of Uriel Shelach ( he, אוריאל שלח) (November 18, 1908 – March 25, 1981), an Israeli poet and journalist who founded the Canaanite movement. Biography Uriel Heilperin (later Shelach) was ...
, and was influenced by his opinions. Bet Zuri attended the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
. He also joined the
Irgun Irgun • Etzel , image = Irgun.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = Irgun emblem. The map shows both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan, which the Irgun claimed in its entirety for a future Jewish state. The acronym "Etzel" i ...
, but later left that movement to join the Lehi. In 1944, Bet Zuri suggested assassinating British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
and other highly placed British political personalities, according to secret files not publicly released by
MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...
until April 2011. Bet-Zuri pressed his commanders to be sent on a planned mission to assassinate Lord Moyne in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. Although he lacked operational experience, it was judged that his dedication and determination would compensate for it. He was sent to Cairo along with
Eliyahu Hakim Eliyahu Hakim ( he, אליהו חכים; January 2, 1925 – March 22, 1945) was a Lehi member, known for taking part in the 1944 assassination of Lord Moyne, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East. Biography Born in Beirut, Man ...
to carry out the assassination. On 6 November 1944, Bet Zuri and Hakim carried out their plan. While Hakim fatally shot Moyne, Bet-Zuri shot and killed his army driver, Lance Corporal A.T. Fuller. They were caught trying to escape on bicycles and put on trial before a military court. At the trial, Bet-Zuri gave a decidedly
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
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."
"Millions sank in the sea of blood and tears, but the British skipper did not lift them to the ship. And if a few of the survivors held on to the bow of the ship, he, the British skipper, pushed them back into the sea. And we in our homeland had no choice but to surrender or fight. We decided to fight.
He and Hakim were both sentenced to death. They were hanged in Cairo on 22 March 1945, singing
Hatikvah Hatikvah ( he, הַתִּקְוָה, haTīqvā, ; ) is the national anthem of the State of Israel. Part of 19th-century Jewish poetry, the theme of the Romantic composition reflects the 2,000-year-old desire of the Jewish people to return t ...
, the song which would become the Israeli anthem, from the gallows. Twenty-seven years later,
Yitzhak Shamir Yitzhak Shamir ( he, יצחק שמיר, ; born Yitzhak Yezernitsky; October 22, 1915 – June 30, 2012) was an Israeli politician and the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms, 1983–1984 and 1986–1992. Before the establishment ...
, who had as their Lehi commander despatched them on their mission, lobbied
Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...
's Labour Government to obtain their bodies as part of an exchange of prisoners between Egypt and Israel after the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
. On 25 June 1975, Egypt duly gave their remains to
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
in exchange for 20-25 Arab prisoners of war held in Israel.Edgar O'Ballance, ''Language of violence: the blood politics of terrorism,'' Presidio Press, 1979 p.22Criminologica Foundation
''Abstracts on criminology and penology,''
Kluwer B. V., 1977, Vol,17, p.407.
They were interred on
Mount Herzl Mount Herzl ( he, הַר הֶרְצְל ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside ...
with full military honours. The Ministry of Education supplied all Israeli schools with brochures explaining their acts and motives.


See also

*
Eliyahu Hakim Eliyahu Hakim ( he, אליהו חכים; January 2, 1925 – March 22, 1945) was a Lehi member, known for taking part in the 1944 assassination of Lord Moyne, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East. Biography Born in Beirut, Man ...
*
Olei Hagardom Olei Hagardom ( he, עולי הגרדום, lit. "those who ascended to the gallows") refers to members of the two Jewish Revisionist pre-state underground organisations Irgun and Lehi, who were tried in British Mandate courts and sentenced to ...


References


External links


Malkah Ben Tov, "From Accused to Accusers: The Trial of Eliyahu Hakim and Eliyahu Bet-Zuri" on the Lehi website (Hebrew)
* ttp://www.etzel.org.il/english/people/betzuri.htm Eliyahu Bet-Zuri biography on the Etzel website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bet-Zuri, Eliyahu 1922 births 1945 deaths 1945 murders in Egypt People from Tel Aviv Irgun members Jewish Egyptian history Sephardi Jews in Mandatory Palestine Lehi (militant group) Mizrahi Jews Olei Hagardom Canaanites (movement) People executed for murder People executed by Egypt by hanging Burials at Mount Herzl 20th-century executions by Egypt Executed assassins