Early photograph of Ze’ev Jabotinsky – head of Betar, commander of the Irgun, and president of the Revisionist Zionist Organization.
Photographed by the British photo agency Wide World Photo in 1937 – stamped on the reverse with the agency’s official ink stamp and dated. Published following Jabotinsky’s arrest in Tel Aviv during a demonstration.
On the attached paper slip from the photo agency, the report reads:
Zionist movement members arrested in Tel Aviv.
Approximately 40 Zionists were arrested yesterday in Tel Aviv following mass attacks against Jews. Among them was the leader of the Betar movement, Jabotinsky, who was arrested in Tel Aviv. The New York Times photograph shows Jabotinsky, president of the Zionist Betar organization, under arrest in Tel Aviv.
The year 1937 marked a peak in violent clashes, particularly following the publication of the Peel Commission Report (July 1937), which for the first time recommended the partition of the land into two states, Jewish and Arab. The proposal triggered fierce opposition from the Arab population and led to a renewed wave of terrorist attacks, especially targeting Jewish transportation and isolated settlements. That year saw deadly assaults by Arabs on Jewish travelers, particularly in the areas of Lod, Nablus, and the Galilee. Following the murder of Jews in the Galilee, a demonstration was held in Tel Aviv by the Revisionist Zionist Organization (HaTzohar), calling for an end to the policy of restraint (havlagah). By the end of 1937, groups such as HaTzohar (the Revisionist movement) began openly protesting the restraint policy advocated by the Yishuv leadership.
Size: 19×15 cm. Good condition.
