A vocal and committed Zionist, Rutenberg also participated in establishing the Haganah, the main Jewish militia to defend Jews from Arab attacks, and founded Palestine Airways.

Pinhas Rutenberg was born in the town of Romny, north of Poltava, Russian Empire, now in Ukraine (also the hometown of Haim Arlosoroff and three of the founders of the first kibbutz, Degania).

After graduating from a practical high school, he enrolled to the Technology Institute in Saint Petersburg and joined the Socialist-Revolutionary Party (also known as the S.R.

9 January] 1905, Gapon organised a "peaceful workers' procession" to the Winter Palace in order to present a petition to the Emperor.

Gapon and Rutenberg fled abroad, being welcomed in Europe both by prominent Russian emigrants (such as Georgy Plekhanov and Vladimir Lenin), and by French socialist leaders (such as Jean Jaurès and Georges Clemenceau).

Gapon soon revealed to Rutenberg his contacts with the police and tried to recruit him, too, reasoning that double loyalty was helpful to the workers' cause.

However, Rutenberg betrayed his trust and reported this provocation to his party leaders, Yevno Azef and Boris Savinkov.

party leadership refused to assume responsibility, announcing that the execution was undertaken by Rutenberg individually and that the cause was a personal one, denying ever having sent their comrades to the meeting on 26 March.

He visited European capitals, met prominent politicians and Zionist leaders, and finally joined the efforts of Zeev Jabotinsky and Joseph Trumpeldor to set up the Jewish Legion.

Rutenberg endorsed the labour party (Poalei Zion) and cooperated with David Ben-Gurion, Itzhak Ben-Zvi, and Ber Borochov.

While in the US, Rutenberg managed to complete a detailed design for utilizing the Land of Israel's hydraulic resources for irrigation and electrical power production, which was his long-time dream.

In a couple of months, Petrograd Soviet, headed by Leon Trotsky, became an alternative power in the capital, hostile towards the Duma.

On 3 November Rutenberg became a member of the emergency Supreme Council, created by Kerensky to preserve order and justice.

During an assault on the Winter Palace on 7 November, the night of the October Revolution, Rutenberg defended the government residence after Kerensky had escaped.

However, after the unsuccessful attempt upon Lenin's life by Fanny Kaplan in August 1918, the "Red Terror" campaign against "Esers" was launched.

On 17 March 1919 he managed to obtain a Russian passport and with an exit visa boarded an American vessel that took him to the Allied-controlled city of Constantinople.

In 1921 – over fierce Arab-Palestinian protests against giving the Yishuv an economic stranglehold of the country – the British granted Rutenberg the Jaffa and (later) the Jordan River electricity concessions.