| THE LIE Israel was founded by three Jewish “terrorist groups”—the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi—that massacred British and Arab civilians. |
| THE TRUTH ➜ Plan Dalet (March 1948) was a defensive military plan to secure strategic positions and protect Jewish communities ahead of the imminent invasion by five Arab armies. ➜ The Palestinian exodus resulted from the wider Arab-Israeli war launched by Arab armies—not from a pre-planned program of ethnic cleansing. (Jewish Virtual Library) |
| BACKGROUND ➜ On September 1, 2025 influencer Jacob Forrest claimed in a viral video that Israel was founded by “Jewish terror groups,” citing several of their attacks. ➜ Terrorism involves using violence for political aims, whereas Article 51 of the UN Charter recognizes a state’s inherent right to self-defense in response to an “armed attack.” |
| TRUTH EXPLAINED Claim 1: “Israel was founded by terrorists.” |
| QUOTES “We don’t take orders from the Jews.” — British official after being told to evacuate the King David Hotel (1946)“Arabs! Rise as one and fight for your sacred rights. Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history, and religion. This saves your honor. God is with you. — Haj Amin al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (1944)“This will be a war of extermination and momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Tartar massacre or the Crusader wars.” — Azzam Pasha, secretary-general of the Arab League (1947) |
| TAKEAWAY Israel’s pre-state militias were defensive groups operating in a violent, chaotic war, not terrorist organizations. Claims that they were “terrorists” collapse when placed in their proper historical context: a multi-decade campaign of Arab violence, British political suppression, and the Jewish struggle for survival and national self-determination. |
