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The New York Times was a lot less shy about referring to the Irgun as a terrorist organization back in 1947: A bomb thrown by the Jewish terrorist organization Irgun Zvai Leumi from a speeding taxi today killed eleven Arabs and two British policemen and wounded at least thirty-two Arabs by the Jerusalem Damascus Gate, […]

Posted inArticle The Irgun Were Terrorists, Ctd. by Adam Serwer March 9, 2011 Share: Share on Make us preferred on Google (Opens in new window) Make us preferred on Google Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Share on X (Opens in new window) X More Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Print (Opens in new window) Print The New York Times was a lot less shy about referring to the Irgun as a terrorist organization back in 1947: A bomb thrown by the Jewish terrorist organization Irgun Zvai Leumi from a speeding taxi today killed eleven Arabs and two British policemen and wounded at least thirty-two Arabs by the Jerusalem Damascus Gate, the same place where a similar bombing took place sixteen days ago. Just so we’re clear: Irgun in 1947 = terrorists. Irgun in 2010 = paramilitaries. The Prospect in your inbox Subscribe for analysis that goes beyond the noise. The Daily Prospect A daily dose of the ideas, politics and power that shape our world, in your inbox weekday mornings. Today On TAP Weekday newsletter features commentary from Robert Kuttner, Harold Meyerson and more, plus links to what's trending at Prospect.org. Weekend Reads The best of the week, curated by the editors of The American Prospect, delivered Saturday mornings. Pop-up newsletters Limited series newsletters on timely topics, such as the debt limit challenge, budget negotiations and more. Sign up This may seem like not a big deal, but the reason it bothers me is that there’s been a really narrow conflation of “terrorism” and “Islam” in American culture, to the point where I think some media organizations actually feel like it’s necessary to use euphemisms to refer to groups that employ violence as a political tool against civilians because the use of the word “terrorism” is reserved for when Muslims kill people. One final point — Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was a leader of the Irgun, and he’s far from the only member of the Israeli political establishment to have ties to the group. Yet he went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize along with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat after their 1979 peace agreement. So when Rep. Peter King said that “you couldn’t have peace” between Ireland and Britain without talking to the IRA, he actually does have a point about the practical limits of trying to purge people with ties to extremists entirely from peace negotiations and political processes. Before you go. I hope that you found this article interesting and thought-provoking. The reason we’re able to publish stories like this — free of programmatic ads and never behind a paywall — is because readers like you step up to support our work. The Prospect doesn't answer to advertisers or billionaire owners. We answer to you and to our commitment to pursuing the truth, wherever that leads us. Independent, reader-supported journalism is critical at a time when the free press is under assault. If you believe this kind of reporting should exist and remain free to read, we hope you'll consider chipping in. Every contribution, however modest, makes a real difference. Donate Now David DayenExecutive Editor Tagged: Adam Serwer, Article Adam Serwer Adam Serwer is a writing fellow at The American Prospect and a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He also blogs at Jack and Jill Politics and has written for The Village Voice, The Washington Post, The Root, and the Daily News. Follow @adamserwer More by Adam Serwer Trending Now

The Irgun Were Terrorists, Ctd. - The American Prospect