Three Jewish underground organizations fought British rule in its final years: the Haganah, the Irgun (Etzel), and Lehi. The Haganah was the largest and generally operated under the Jewish Agency’s political leadership; Irgun and Lehi pursued separate armed campaigns. Their cooperation was real but temporary, and their methods differed.
Three organizations, different methods
The Haganah built a broad defense force and coordinated illegal immigration. Irgun attacked British installations and infrastructure; Lehi, the smallest group, conducted its own anti-British operations. In October 1945, the groups formed a Jewish Resistance Movement under Haganah leadership. It coordinated attacks on railways and coastal patrol craft, but the alliance broke down after the King David Hotel bombing. The history of the resistance movement describes this cooperation, while the Haganah history records its relationship with Irgun and Lehi.
The King David Hotel bombing
On July 22, 1946, Irgun bombed the south wing of Jerusalem’s King David Hotel, where British government offices and military headquarters were located. Ninety-one people were killed, including Arabs, Britons and Jews. Irgun said it had issued warnings; the British and others disputed the adequacy and receipt of warnings. The Haganah condemned the bombing and ended its cooperation with Irgun. The event account gives the date and death toll. The bombing was one episode in a wider struggle; Britain’s decision to end its rule also reflected political and financial pressures and the failure to secure an agreed political arrangement.
The broader 1947–48 transition, including the UN vote and state declaration, is covered in the page on UNSCOP and partition.