British High Commissioner Fiercely Opposes Efforts of Some British officials, Particularly Those of Orde Wingate to Establish Jewish Armed Units in Palestine

Orde Wingate, a Christian, career British officer (1903-1944), is known for his support of the national aims of Zionism. He is fiercely anti-Arab and anti-Islamic in outlook. While stationed in Palestine during the British Mandate, he takes it upon himself to organize Jewish forces that concentrate on counter-terrorism tactics. He seeks to destroy Arab terrorist gangs as they attacked Jewish and British installations during the 1937-1939 period. His philosophy that “a good offense is the best defense” has a positive impact upon the developing ethos of the Zionist self-defense forces, or the Haganah. Later in Burma and elsewhere he organizes local groups to fight terrorist insurgencies.