Glossary
343Bath Levayah The Mossad’s Hebrew term for “female assistant agent.”
Beit Mivtahim Hebrew term used by the Israeli intelligence commu-
nity for “safe house.”
Bilu An acronym based on a verse from Isaiah (2:5), “Bet Ya’akov
L’chu V’Nelcha” (“O House of Jacob, come ye and let us go”). Bilu’s
founders in 1882 in Russia believed that the time had come for Jews
not only to live in Eretz Yisrael but to make their living there as well.
The members of the group were called bilu’im. Their aim was the po-
litical-economic, as well as spiritual-national, revival of the Jewish
people through settlement in the ancient land.
Eretz Yisrael Hebrew for the “Land of Israel.”
Fedayeen (pl.) Arabic for “those who are ready to sacrifice their lives
for the cause.” The term is used for several distinct, primarily Arab,
groups at different times in history. In modern times, in the context
of the Arab-Israel conflict, the fedayeen were Palestinian terrorists
trained and equipped by Egyptian intelligence in the 1950s prior to
the Sinai Campaign to engage in hostile action on the Israeli border
and infiltrate Israel to commit acts of sabotage and murder. Although
supported by Egypt, the fedayeen operated mainly from bases in Jor-
dan, so that that country would bear the brunt of Israel’s retaliation,
which inevitably followed. The terrorist attacks violated the armistice
agreement provision that prohibited the initiation of hostilities by
paramilitary forces; nevertheless, it was Israel that was condemned
by the United Nations Security Council for its counterattacks.
Ha’apala The illegal Jewish immigration to Eretz Yisrael during the
British Mandate. The organized Ha’apala began in 1934 and contin-
ued until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
Haganah “Defense” in Hebrew. This was the Jewish paramilitary un-
derground militia in Palestine during the British Mandate of Palestine06-102 (10) Gloss.qxd 3/24/06 7:35 AM Page 343