Quote Originally Posted by Dayuhan View Post
I wonder whether Mr Netanyahu would have considered the Irgun or the Stern Gang to be "freedom fighters" or "terrorists"... I seem to recall them blowing up non-combatants on a number of occasions.
Yeah...the Independence narrative gets sketchy at times, but Jews did target a multi-use facility (King David Hotel) that contained a variety of civilians as well as military HQs. That the Irgun gave a warning of the pending bomb is immaterial.

Jewish political leadership at that time did step back--publicly--from the attack, but the record is full of gray areas. The wiki entry on the bombing I've read before is interesting as it notes that at the 60th anniversary, a commemorative plaque of sorts was put up (with Netanyahu in attendance) that continued to try to put the blame on casualties with the British.

The various "paramilitary" groups continued to use the full range of terrorist TTPs (bombing, arson, assassination) to advance their agenda, and they meet the definition for sure. I suppose Netanyahu would cede the notion that yes, they were terrorists, but he would muddy the definition by harping on the justification...attempting to blur the line in the process. In fact, I can recall him quoted as such before.