The Fighters' List (, ''Reshimat HaLohmim'') was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

History

The Fighters' List grew out of Lehi, a militant Revisionist paramilitary organisation that operated in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

during the Mandate era, and in Israel until shortly after independence. Lehi was a controversial group, described by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, the majority of the ''

Yishuv The Yishuv (), HaYishuv Ha'ivri (), or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el () was the community of Jews residing in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 2 ...

'', and the UN as a terrorist organisation. It had been involved in a series of notorious actions, including the assassination of

Lord Moyne Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, DSO & Bar, TD, PC (29 March 1880 – 6 November 1944), was a British Conservative politician, soldier and businessman. He served as the British minister of state in the Middle East until November 19 ...

and the

Deir Yassin massacre The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when Zionist paramilitaries attacked the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, then part of Mandatory Palestine, killing at least 107 Palestinian Arab villagers, including women and childr ...

. The group was disbanded and integrated into the IDF in May 1948. However, they continued to act in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

until being forcefully broken up after the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte, a UN mediator, on 17 September 1948. After the final dissolution of Lehi, left-wing former members founded the Fighters' List to represent their cause in the 1949 elections. The list was headed by Natan Yellin-Mor, the former leader of Lehi, who at the time was in jail serving an eight-year sentence for leadership of Lehi, which had been outlawed and declared a terrorist organization. The party's election platform demanded the continuation of the war against Transjordan and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

to establish Jewish sovereignty on both sides of the Jordan River. The party won only 5,363 votes (1.22% of the total) and one seat in the first Knesset, and Yellin-Mor was released from prison as part of a general amnesty to take up his seat. During the period of Yellin-Mor's term in the Knesset, the Fighters' List suffered severe internal divisions. Yellin-Mor pressed strongly for a pro-Soviet orientation and called for the establishment of a socialist regime and classless society. The vehement opposition of the former Lehi leader Yisrael Eldad, who accused Yellin-Mor of betraying the memory of Lehi's founder Yair Stern, led to his expulsion from the party. Only the Fighters' List supported

Herut Herut () was the major conservative nationalist political party in Israel from 1948 until its formal merger into Likud in 1988. It was an adherent of Revisionist Zionism. Some of their policies were compared to those of the Nazi party. Early y ...

's motion of no confidence concerning the armistice agreements, and it was soundly defeated. The party did not compete in the 1951 elections.

References

External links

Fighters List
Knesset website
Reshimat HaLochamim (The Fighters' List)
National Library of Israel {{Authority control Defunct political parties in Israel Zionist political parties in Israel Lehi (militant group) Fascism in Israel