If what we learn today is true, than what is the difference between the behaviour of Kollek and collaborators in european countries occupied by the Germans during WWII? No difference! Britain by imposing the last White Paper in 1939 limiting Jewish immigration to a final amount of 10.000, was in total breach with the decisions of the League of Nations voted in 1922, and thus acted in collusion with Nazi Germany in the extermination of European Jewry. The struggle of Irgun en Lehi had as goal to save as much as possible Jews from death, to drive Britain out of Palestine and create the Jewish State in the vision of Herzl and Jabotinsky. Was there something wrong with that? For people like Kollek and the Jewish Agency, as we learn today, this was wrong. For them a Jewish State was a fascist concept and the salvation of the Jewish People as a whole, as dreamed by Herzl, was not their cup of tea. Bring in the good and leave the rabble, stated Moshe Sharett (quoted by Tom Segev in his book "The seventh Million). So a Kollek and his alikes had no problem to denounce members of Irgun and Lehi to the English knowing very well that this could mean their death sentence. For them this was the rabble,and they were the good ones, truckling after the red flag.

In my recent doctoral thesis , which dealt with the French connection to illegal Immigration to Palestine, I digressed a little to expose Teddy Kollek's attempts to forge links with MI5 during his stay in London in 1946/47. My major source was File KV4/216 at the National Archives at Kew, first made available in 2003. Although the name of Kollek was blanked out on all documents, MI5 inadvertently left a manuscript annotation on two dovcuments which read "P.F. 66968 Kollek". I assume that this is the file, that according to your article, has now been made available. However, in my view, you are totally incorrect in stating that Kollek was "Scorpion". In fact this was the code name of the MI5 liaison officer assigned to Kollek. Possibly it was C.A.G. Simkins who was this contact. Theoretically Kollek was unaware that all his conversations with this officer were reported back to MI5. In fact MI5 did their utmost to conceal from Kollek that Simkins was their man. They did not want to give the Jewish Agency the possibility of "making future capital out of what they might describe as cooperation with MI5 against the terrorists". It seems clear that Kollek wanted to establish with MI5 the sort of relationship he had had with the British S.I.M.E in Palestine in 1944/45, when he used to inform them of Irgun and Stern activities. Above all Kollek wanted to establish with the British an understanding on illegal immigration and methods to eradicate Jewish terrorist activity in Palestine.When Kollek finally left London he expressed the feeling to Simkins that he had failed in his mission. P.s. If you would like me to provide you with an extract from my thesis which provides more details of this subject please let me have an e-mail address. Yours, Dr.Alan Swarc

supporting any Jewish action regardless of what it is undermines the moral standard of the supporter. Good for Kollek for doing what is right, terrorism is terrorism.

Despite whatever Kollek contributed to Israel this new information stains him for eternity. While the entire freakin world was against the Jews, one of the founders ! of Israel was spying on his own. It is utter rubbish that he was motivated by concern of Jews in Europe. More likely he was motivated by the same thing that animates today's leftists - the supreme belief that the ONLY power in Israel should be held by secular leftists. He will be spinning in his grave for eternity because his conscience realizes that many Jews were killed because of him. Under the guise of saving Jews he spies ! on other Jews. In addition, obviously the reprogamming of Sephardic Jews during the founding of the State was not considered 'anarchy'.

1940's Palestine was a very different place than it is today. If Lehi and Irgun were left in control, there most likely would not have been a State of Israel at all! Not very well known, but documented though, that the Stern Gang made contacts with Nazi Germany to join efforts against their common British enemy! Is that treasonous or just ignored today? Do any of you on this talkback know the real history of the creation of the State of Israel, or just the revisionist version that has been sold to you? How about you study up on the Altalena in June 1948, talk about treason of the right wing! Teddy Kollek brought international respect to the State of Israel and had a vision for Jerusalem to be the vibrant city it is today.

With history repeating itself the left unabashedly sides with the enemy. Just like Kollek and his gang sided with the British oppressors, so too does the Olmert gang side with the post zionists. We shall see who prevails this time.

When Peres finally dies don't be surprised if such an announcement comes out about his activities. So too we might also find out about 'collaboration' by Olmert, Beilin & the denizens of the far left.

I'm suprised at how people are shocked. This is old news for many years.

Why should this be a surprise? Based on his anti-Jewish actions toward charadim, it was obvious that he looked for methods of doing in those people he felt were 'bad'. He was a true louse in the best sense of the word.

Too bad you have chosen to refer to Lehi as The Stern Gang, the name coined by their British nemesis. Yair Stern and his fellow fighters deserve nothing but an utmost respect, which you, Mr Bergman reserve for the "legendary" mayor of Jerusalem, who was a self promoting, ego-maniac and a traitor to boot.

While some of the exact details are new, this information that Kollek was the liason between the Jewish Agency and the British CID was first published by David Niv in his history of the Irgun in 1978. The UK New Statesman some decades ago related that Kollek had revealed the location of Irgun mortars trained on the King David in June 1945.

Shimon Peres is a traitor!

We should change the name of "teddy stadium" immediately. His name should be removed from any street or building. No wonder goyim hate us.We have slime like kollek that are willing to sell out their people to the enemy. If we had any self respect we would remove his carcass from our land and rebury it in england in a non-Jewish cemetery.

if Kollek was british agent in 40th then he was SPY for the rest of his life! Any intelligence, specialy Brithish would NEVER let go such asset. So British had him on hook in last 60 years. It means British had huge influense on our History...

He should have been ashame of beiing in the same country with Menahem Begin.. I am very happy that The Menahem Begin Institute is one of the best testimonials to those hard days. And that It's location is in Jerusalem.

this could be disinformation or just a tactical ploy for the partition of palestine into an arab part a jewish part and an international part with unlimited right of return for jews as should have been proclaimed in 1937.

Yes he is a traitor, but i can't work out who is a bigger traitor - him or Olmert?

I assume his family is still receiving money from abroad for the many Jews they delivered to the enemies. We MUST know all the details. His family must be jailed if they receive money.

There was a mandate from the league of nations.It was land for a Jewish homeland. The brits gave about 75% to king abdullah's great grandfather. The brits would not let Jews in to find refuge from the nazis! The Lehi and Irgun should have carried the war to britain. The Yeshuv was run by Jews with a ghetto mentality. Kolleck was the lowest of the low,an informer. Even saint yitzhak killed Jews.

Even though he has realized nice projects in Jerusalem , his name is synonymous to trahison to his people , to the entire nation. May his name be banned from any street , stadium , museum , library.... and let him rot in hell with his british agents.

But it wasn't him alone -- he was probably just a conduit providing all that info to the Brits on Ben Gurion's direct orders. That kind of behavior cannot be rationalized or explained away. The Left has a lot to answer for. Face it. I did.

Rather than taking off his name just change the reference to "HaMosar" . That is the way he should be remembered. As someone who turned over Jews to be killed by the authorities.

I have never been a fan of Teddy Kollek. i thought he was a snob of the first order. However, I am quite appalled by the mud slinging that this information has elicited. People forget it was a Jewish Agency policy, determined by leaders of the Yishuv. Here's something from Wikipaedia: "The extremist Lehi group assassinated Lord Moyne in Cairo 1944. The two assassins, Eliyahu Hakim and Eliyahu Beit-Zouri were captured and executed. Though the Irgun joined the Jewish community of Palestine in condemning the murder, the Zionist leadership demanded that both separatist underground movements immediately disband. The Irgun refused. The Haganah initiated what is known as the Saison "The Hunting Season", in which it attempted to paralyze Irgun activity by arresting its members and turning them over to the British. Though many captured Irgun members were tortured, and some deported and even executed, Menachem Begin forbid them to fight the Haganah forces. The Irgun's costly determination to place the concern for national unity over the concern for its fighting ability or even the safety of its members gradually raised sympathies for the marginalized group, and serious disputes within the Haganah command. All in all, over 1000 members of the Irgun and Lechi were arrested and interred in British camps during the Saison. Several hundred were deported to camps in Kenya and Eritrea. " There were very weighty reasons for the decision by Jewish leadership to cooperate with the British and actively prevent acts of terrorism against them. All this new information does is match a well-known name, an Israeli Icon, with that policy. The leaders were already behaving in the responsible way you expect from leadership, looking ahead to the time when Israel would become a state and in need of allies. If only the Palestinian leadership could demonstrate even a fraction of that kind of painful but morally unambiguous courage. I am not belittling the pain of those who feel betrayed but Israelis must be pragmatic and sober about these things. It's what Dennis Ross commends Israel for, when he says that Israelis have faced up to their myths.

Before slinging mud and other foul language from your keyboards onto the web, learn first the facts, the history and the issues that were at hand during the period in question (1940-1945). The Yishuv decided to cooperate with the British in order to help them fight Nazi Germany. Therefore it was necessary to have those Jews (LEHI etc. ) apprehended who continued their armed guerilla against the British. That was Kollek's task when he contacted MI5 or other British intelligence. Moreover, I am also convinced Kollek was not the only one...... I am 100% sure that the Yishuv thougt they could get "a tit for a tat" when they needed the British support for their struggle against the arabs (after Germany was defeated)...

Ve metumtam nishar metumtam...

The Stern Gang and Irgun were not"freedom fighters".They were terrorists of the most vile kind. They kidnapped and murdered British soldiers(are those holding Gil Shalit "freedom fighters"?)They blew up hotels.They massacred countless innocent men,women and children,In 1948 they tried to precipitate a Jewish civil war,Mr Kollek opposed and thwarted TERRORISTS.He deservest he highest praise,

I heard Dr. Palev a few days ago on the radio trying to make his interviewer (Ilana Dayan, no less) understand what, from an historian point of view, really was the situation. It seems that even in hindsight people do see only the side that is most appropriate to them..... I still believe, together with above mentioned, that Teddy Kollek memory is and should remain, blessed!!!!!