‘Who kills shall be killed’: another perspective on the assassination of Lord Moyne in Cairo

Abstract

On 6 November 1944, the British Minister Resident in the Middle East in Cairo, Lord Moyne, was assassinated by two members of a Jewish group called Lehi. The assassins confessed, citing Lord Moyne's anti-Semitism and his policy towards the Zionists as their motives. However, Lord Moyne was not anti-Semitic, and he did not support Zionism. While he supported the 1939 White Paper that limited Jewish immigration to Palestine, he changed his position in 1944 to support the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. The British were heavily involved in the assassination investigation and trial. They assisted the Egyptian police investigation, lobbied for a trial in a military court, and promoted death sentences for both defendants. They also tried to prevent the accused from speaking in the court, fearing the effect that would have on Egyptian and international public opinion. Many Egyptians viewed the assassins as heroes who fought against British imperialism. They wanted the assassins to be released from the central prison in Cairo. During the Second World War, Churchill's involvement in Palestine diminished. Ultimately, the assassination had little effect on British policy in the Middle East.