QOTD: Orde Wingate

Orde Wingate on the failure of Jewish pre-emptive action in the yishuv:

[Orde Wingate said,] 'Somewhere in those hills are men who will one day come down and wipe you out.'

[Jewish settler Zvi] Brenna replied: 'They will not overrun us so easily. We will be waiting for them when they come.'

Wingate turned angrily upon him. `That is the trouble with the Jews. Always so calm and patient. Always waiting for disaster to come. You are a race of masochists crying: `Hurt me, hurt me! I cannot raise my hand against you until you have killed my brother and raped my sister and thrown my father and mother into the ditch.' The Jews of Palestine are in bad condition. So long as you all sit in your settlements and wait to fight and die, you will die before you have a chance to fight.'

'What else can we do?' asked Brenna.

'Why doesn't Hagana go out and fight?'

'I don't know,' replied Brenna.'