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Abstract
On 6 November 1944, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East in Cairo, Lord Moyne, was assassinated by two members of a Jewish group called Lehi. The assassins confessed, citing Lord Moyne's anti-Semitism and his policy towards the Zionists as their motives. However, Lord Moyne was not anti-Semitic, and he did not support Zionism. While he supported the 1939 White Paper that limited Jewish immigration to Palestine, he changed his position in 1944 to support the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. The British were heavily involved in the assassination investigation and trial. They assisted the Egyptian police investigation, lobbied for a trial in a military court, and promoted death sentences for both defendants. They also tried to prevent the accused from speaking in the court, fearing the effect that would have on Egyptian and international public opinion. Many Egyptians viewed the assassins as heroes who fought against British imperialism. They wanted the assassins to be released from the central prison in Cairo. During the Second World War, Churchill's involvement in Palestine diminished. Ultimately, the assassination had little effect on British policy in the Middle East.
Notes
1. The most popular researches are: Frank (Citation1963), Bell (Citation1972), Cohen (Citation1979), and Wasserstein (Citation1978–Citation1980).
2. For more details on Lord Moyne, see Clerk (Citation1944, 214–215) and Churchill (Citation1954, 88).
3. They were Mr. Wilkin at Jerusalem on 26 September 1944; Inspector Green and Constable Ewe at Haifa on 14 February 1944; Constable Coley at Tel Aviv on 23 March 1943; a non-British Constable at Tel Aviv on 10 May 1944; an Arab in Jerusalem on 14 November 1937, and another murder of unknown date. Palestine to Foreign Office, 6 November 1944. NA, FO 371/41514; Cairo to Foreign Office, 16 November 1944. NA, FO 371/41515.
4. Biography details see: 11-16-1/2, 11-16-2/2. Etzel Archives; Frank (Citation1963, 69–82).
5. More details on the assassination of Lee Stack, see Vatikiotis (Citation1980, 208–281).
6. In a public statement, Chief Rabbi of Egypt said, ‘I express our feelings of horror as Egyptians and as Jews … always we condemn all criminal acts” (Al HaMishmar, November 12, 1944).