Talk:Eliyahu Bet-Zuri

Questions
Can somebody produce some authority for 2 questionable statements in this article:-

Who was the "Canaanite Movement", an org. I have not heard of before, and not a very likely name for a Zionist org. (although I could be wrong)?

Did his speech really win him widespread support in Egypt? PatGallacher 00:13, 5 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Hi, the Canaanite movement was a breakoff of the Zionist movement. See, for instance this article. I will attempt to find a source for the support in Egypt statement. Danny 11:32, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

As for the second question, this is discussed at length in the Daat citation I gave, which is, unfortuntaely, only in Hebrew. It is follows an explanation of the Canaanite line of defense. The following excerpt from that article, with my translation below, may provide some information:

בלית ברירה השליכו הצעירים את יהבם על דעת-הקהל המצרית, ואמנם גבורתם הנפשית עוררה התפעלות-אמת בקרב כמה מן החוגים המשכילים ואנשי-השלטון המצריים, וגלי- האהדה מבחוץ חדרו מבלי-משים אל תוך אולם בית-הדין. פה ושם החלו הבריות מתלחשות, כי תיקי המשפט מועברים לראש-הממשלה המצרי. וגם למלך, וכי יש הלוחצים למתן חנינה למתנקשים. העיתונות המצרית הקדישה טורים רבים. למהלך המשפט ולתגובות הקהל. בייחוד נתגלתה אהדה לצעירים בקרב הסטודנטים המצרים, שקראו לחבריהם ללמוד פרקי הוד מן המחתרת העברית ולסגל לעצמם את תכונת ההקרבה העצמית האופיינית ללוחמיה.


 * With no other choice, the young men pinned their hopes on Egyptian public opinion, and their courage did, indeed, evoke genuine awe among some intelletuals and political leaders, and the waves of support from outside did penetrate unnoticed into the courtroom. Here and there, people began whispering that the case is being handed over to the prime minister, and even to the king, and that some people were pressuring that clemency be granted to the assassins. The Egyptian press devoted many columns to the trial and to popular responses to it. Support for the young men was especially high among Egyptian students, who called on their peers to learn chapters in valor [sic] from the Hebrew underground and to adopt the virtue of self-sacrifice characteristic of its fighters.

Any flaws in this quick translation are my own. I believe that there is more information in English in the book The Deed, which I also cited, but I do not have access to it right now. Hope this helps. Danny 11:55, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Disagree
I disagree that he was a criminal, that's POV. According to policy here, he was either a rebel or a militant. Amoruso 02:50, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Legal proceedings
"He condemned his judges, not as a Zionist, but as a member of an oppressed people fighting against colonial occupation."

In what way is Zionism not synonymous with "an oppressed people fighting against colonial occupation"?

In any case, there is evidence that he did condemn his judges as a Zionist:

"When the testimony was completed, Beit-Zuri rose to his feet and made a political statement. He said:

Millions sank in the sea of blood and tears, but the British skipper did not lift them to the ship. And if a few of the survivors held on to the bow of the ship, he, the British skipper, pushed them back into the sea. And we in our home-land had no choice but to surrender or fight. We decided to fight. " http://www.etzel.org.il/english/people/betzuri.htm

To me, this sounds like a Zionist statement.Whyzeee 01:14, 5 November 2007 (UTC)