Shai (Haganah unit)

Shai (Hebrew: ש"י, an acronym for Sherut Yediot (שירות ידיעות‎), lit.

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, "... until 1948 the SHAI's primary objectives included the promoting of an independent Israeli state; infiltrating British mandate offices in order to inform the Jewish and Zionist leadership of British attitudes and proposed actions; collecting political information that could be used as propaganda; penetrating Arab and anti-Zionist factions in Palestine and abroad; and providing security for the arms-smuggling and illegal immigration programmes of the Haganah.

"[3] David Shaltiel was appointed head of Shai in April 1946; he was succeeded by Isser Be'eri in February 1948.

[5] It was responsible for protecting Ta'as, the clandestine munitions industry and Rekhesh, the arms procurement organisation.

Shai was one of five intelligence agencies set up by David Ben-Gurion, the others being the internal security agency Shin Bet, the Aliyah Bet, responsible for smuggling immigrants, and the police intelligence forces.