The Dispute in Mapai over "Self-Restraint" and "Purity of Arms" During the Arab Revolt.

Two of the basic terms used in defining the principles, thought, and action of the Jewish side in the Jewish-Arab conflict are havlagah (self-restraint) and tohar haneshek (purity of arms). They became catchwords replete with ideological and political meaning in the Zionist movement in general and especially in the Labor movement during the 1936-39 Arab revolt in Palestine. This article intends to locate the precise historical context within which these terms emerged and to outline the political and ideological dispute associated with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]