The Etzion Bloc Settlements and the Yishuv’s Institutions in the War of Independence

Authors

Keywords:

Etzion Bloc, War of Independence, Etzion Bloc communities, Yishuv leadership

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship of the Yishuv’s institutions to the Etzion Bloc communities during the War of Independence. The aim of the study is to understand the relationship of the institutions to these communities which were located in the Hebron Mountains, in an area designated by the United Nations to be part of the future Arab state.

The author reviews the strategy and tactics of the Jewish leadership, the declarations and protocol of their institutions, the allocation of civil and military resources, and the response to of the communities to these plans.

The main conclusion is that the Yishuv’s civil and military institutions did not consider the communities in the Etzion Bloc to be part of the future State of Israel. The fact that the Etzion Bloc communities were established only in 1943, after years in which the Zionist organizations refrained from land acquisition in this area, and were thus not included in the foundational ethos of the Yishuv, may have been the reason for the low priority given to these communities.

Published

2019-07-01

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

The Etzion Bloc Settlements and the Yishuv’s Institutions in the War of Independence. (2019). IYUNIM: Multidisciplinary Studies in Israeli and Modern Jewish Society, 31, 182-214. https://iyunim.bgu.ac.il/index.php/iyunim/article/view/198