Havlagah (Hebrew: הַהַבְלָגָה,) was the strategic policy of the Yishuv during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. It called for Zionist militants to abstain from engaging in acts of retaliatory violence against Palestinian Arabs in the face of Arab attacks against Zionist Jews, and instead encouraged the Jewish community to respond to the attacks through non-violent means, such as by fortifying their settlements. The policy was supported by the Yishuv's political leadership and many left-wing Zionists. It was adopted by Haganah, the main Zionist paramilitary in Mandate Palestine, as an official operational strategy. On the other hand, Irgun, Lehi, and other like-minded Zionist paramilitaries rejected the policy and engaged in indiscriminate violence against the Arab community.
The Havlagah policy was seen by many Jews, including the Zionist leadership, as a source of pride; it was a framework by which they morally differentiated themselves from their Arab rivals.
The Jewish National Council posted an announcement in support of the policy:
Berl Katznelson, a leader of Mapai, stated that the Havlagah policy is a form of self-defense meaning "righteousness of weapon" and not hurting innocent life:
David Ben-Gurion, who later became the first Israeli prime minister, supported the Havlagah policy for more practical reasons. He noted that the restraint would bring about a good relationship with Britain and a generally positive sentiment to the Zionist ideology in the world, thereby helping the Jewish effort:
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, the erstwhile Palestinian Chief Rabbi, also supported the policy:
Irgun, reacting to the Arab attacks with more violence and rejecting the general consensus of the Yishuv, referred to themselves as the "Havlagah breakers". Their vision was attacking offensively for guaranteed self-defense, and Irgun militants consequently engaged in indiscriminatory acts of violence that included targeting Arab civilians in response to Arab attacks on Jewish civilians.
Ze'ev Jabotinsky, leader of the Revisionist movement said:
See also: List of Irgun attacks during the 1930s. David Raziel, commander of Irgun, said that violent reaction will bring an end to the Arab terrorism, because the hostile Arabs "understand power only":
Part of a proclamation 5 months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War:
"End the passive self-defense! We shall go to the killers' nests and eliminate them! We do not have a quarrel with the Arab people. We seek peace with the near-by nations. But we will cut off the hands of murderers with no mercy. And the murderers are not only inflamed Arab rioters, they are also – or mostly – the emissaries of Nazi sympathizers in Britain."
Ariel Sharon, shortly after his election as Israeli Prime Minister in the 2001 elections, expressed an unexpected response to the Palestinian terrorism, declaring that "Restraint is Power". In the first two weeks of Sharon's leadership, 20 Israeli civilians were killed by terrorist attacks and Sharon suffered serious criticism from fellow Likud members, such as Benjamin Netanyahu.[1] In this period the terrorist attacks against Israel (such as the Dolphinarium massacre) escalated. In Sharon's February 2002 national speech he said:
Shortly after March 2002, when 130 Israeli civilians were killed by terrorist attacks, Israel commenced Operation Defensive Shield.