from 1920 to 1948. The Haganah was the foundation of the modern
Israel Defense Forces.
Ha’Shomer “Watchman” in Hebrew. This organization was estab-
lished in Palestine in 1909 for self-defense purposes by Jewish im-
migrant settlers in the country. The founders of the Shomer had ex-
perienced pogroms in Russia and were determined that in Palestine,
or Eretz Yisrael in its ancient Hebrew name, Jews would be more ef-
fective in defending themselves. The group was organized in the set-
tlement of Sejera in Lower Galilee and offered its services to other
Jewish villages in return for an annual fee. The organization was for-
mally disbanded after the establishment of the Haganah in 1920.
Intifada Arabic for “shaking off,” but generally taken to mean “up-
rising.” It came into common usage as the popular name for two re-
cent Palestinian campaigns directed at ending the Israeli military oc-
cupation. The First Intifada began in 1987, and the violence began to
die down in 1991; it came to a more complete end with the signing
of the Oslo accords in 1993 and the creation of the Palestinian Au-
thority. The Al-Aqsa Intifada (also known as the Second Intifada)
was the violence launched by the Palestinians beginning in Septem-
ber 2000.
Irgun Abbreviated form of Irgun Tsvai Leumi, Hebrew for “National
Military Organization”; another name was Etzel, the acronym of this
full title. The Irgun was a militant Zionist group that operated at the
time of the British Mandate in Palestine, from 1931 to 1948. It was
classified by British authorities as a terrorist organization. Its politi-
cal association with Revisionist Zionism rendered it a predecessor
movement to modern Israel’s right-wing Likud party.
Ma’apilim Hebrew for “The ones who go up.” The Ma’apilim were
the illegal immigrants to Palestine during the British Mandate.
Mista’aravim(pl.) Hebrew term for members of Israel Defense Force
units who operate disguised as Arabs. They dress in traditional Arab
clothing and are trained to act and think like Arabs. Their aim is to
accomplish covert actions, including arresting Palestinians wanted by
Israel for terrorism. During the years of the Intifada, the Mista’ar-
avim units were active especially in the West Bank.
Nativ “Path” in Hebrew. This was the name of an intelligence organ-
ization focusing on the Communist bloc countries with the aim of
providing clandestine help to the Jews of those countries.344• GLOSSARY06-102 (10) Gloss.qxd 3/24/06 7:35 AM Page 344