Editing David Ben-Gurion (section)

== Zionist leadership between 1919 and 1948 ==
After the death of theorist [[Ber Borochov]], the left-wing and centrist factions of Poalei Zion split in February 1919, with Ben-Gurion and his friend [[Berl Katznelson]] leading the centrist faction of the [[Labor Zionism|Labor Zionist]] movement. The moderate Poalei Zion formed [[Ahdut HaAvoda]] with Ben-Gurion as leader in March 1919.

[[File:הועדה השניה של ההסתדרות-JNF017606.jpeg|thumb|The Histadrut committee in 1920. Ben Gurion is in the 2nd row, 4th from the right.]]

In 1920 he assisted in the formation of the [[Histadrut]], the Zionist Labor Federation in Palestine, and served as its general secretary from 1921 until 1935. At Ahdut HaAvoda's 3rd Congress, held in 1924 at [[Ein Harod]], [[Shlomo Kaplansky]], a veteran leader from [[Poalei Zion]], proposed that the party should support the British Mandatory authorities' plans for setting up an elected legislative council in Palestine. He argued that a Parliament, even with an Arab majority, was the way forward. Ben-Gurion, already emerging as the leader of the [[Yishuv]], succeeded in getting Kaplansky's ideas rejected.<ref>Teveth, Shabtai (1985) ''Ben-Gurion and the Palestinian Arabs. From Peace to War.'' Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-503562-9}}. pp. 66–70</ref>

[[File:Ben Gurion Family 1929.jpg|thumb|From left: David Ben-Gurion and Paula with youngest daughter Renana on BG's lap, daughter Geula, father Avigdor Grün and son Amos, 1929]]

In 1930, [[Hapoel Hatzair]] (founded by [[A. D. Gordon]] in 1905) and [[Ahdut HaAvoda]] joined forces to create [[Mapai]], the more moderate Zionist labour party (it was still a left-wing organisation, but not as far-left as other factions) under Ben-Gurion's leadership. In the 1940s the left-wing of Mapai broke away to form [[Mapam]]. Labor Zionism became the dominant tendency in the [[World Zionist Organization]] and in 1935 Ben-Gurion became chairman of the executive committee of the [[Jewish Agency]], a role he kept until the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

During the [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine]], Ben-Gurion instigated a policy of restraint ("[[Havlagah]]") in which the [[Haganah]] and other Jewish groups did not retaliate for Arab attacks against Jewish civilians, concentrating only on self-defense.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kessler |first=Oren |title=Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict |date=2023 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-4880-8 |location=Lanham, Maryland |pages=61, 161}}</ref> In 1937, the [[Peel Commission]] recommended partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab areas and Ben-Gurion supported this policy.<ref>{{cite news|last=Morris|first=Benny|title=Two years of the intifada – A new exodus for the Middle East?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/oct/03/israel1|access-date=30 August 2010|newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 October 2002}}</ref> This led to conflict with [[Ze'ev Jabotinsky]] who opposed partition and as a result Jabotinsky's supporters split with the Haganah and abandoned Havlagah.

The house where he lived from 1931 on, and for part of each year after 1953, is now a [[historic house museum]] in Tel Aviv, the "[[Ben-Gurion House]]". He also lived in London for some months in 1941.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shindler |first1=Colin |title=How David Ben-Gurion stood with Britain in its darkest hour |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/features/how-david-ben-gurion-stood-with-britain-in-its-darkest-hour-1.489665 |access-date=11 August 2022 |work=The Jewish Chronicle |date=3 October 2019}}</ref>

In 1946, Ben-Gurion and North Vietnam's Politburo chairman [[Ho Chi Minh]] became very friendly when they stayed at the same hotel in Paris. Ho Chi Minh offered Ben-Gurion a Jewish home-in-exile in Vietnam. Ben-Gurion declined, telling Ho Chi Minh: "I am certain we shall be able to establish a Jewish Government in Palestine."<ref name="autogenerated1966">{{cite web |url=http://www.jta.org/1966/11/08/archive/ben-gurion-reveals-suggestion-of-north-vietnams-communist-leader |title=Ben-gurion Reveals Suggestion of North Vietnam's Communist Leader |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=8 November 1966 |access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="nytimes1987">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/21/books/israel-was-everthing.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |title=Israel Was Everything |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=21 June 1987 |access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref>