Operation Agatha
The Operation Agatha , even Black Sabbath called, was a large-scale police and military action by the British Mandate government against the Jewish organizations Jewish Agency , Haganah , Palmach , Lehi and Irgun on Saturday, June 29, 1946. She was a response to the " night of the bridges ” and the kidnapping of six British officers by the Lechi. There were several British actions in the run-up to Operation Agatha, but these were only limited to individual regions. The nationwide operation took the completely unprepared Zionist leadership by surprise.
execution
With a contingent of 10,000, 17,000 or 25,000 British police officers and soldiers (depending on the source), Jewish institutions and kibbutzim were searched for weapons and wanted persons throughout the mandate area . Numerous documents were confiscated and transported to the military administration in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem . In the kibbutz Jagur several hundred mortars caliber 2 inches, 78 revolvers, over 400,000 rounds of ammunition and 5,000 grenades were discovered after several days of search over 300 guns. Around 2,700 people, including all residents of Jagur, were arrested as part of the operation and interned in camps, including Atlit , Latrun and Rafah .
consequences
One of the consequences of Operation Agatha was the overcrowding of the British camps in Palestine, which also housed numerous illegal immigrants . The Mandate Government countered this problem with the government declaration and the establishment of further camps in Cyprus . The Irgun's military response was the bombing of the King David Hotel on July 22, 1946.
Web links
- Black Sabbath at Etzel.org.il
- The Role of Jewish Defense Organizations in Palestine (1903–1948) at the Jewish Virtual Library