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Hashomer (Hebrew: השומר) ("The Watchman") was a Jewish defense organization in Palestine founded in April 1909. It ceased to operate after the founding of the Haganah in 1920. The purpose of the Hashomer was to provide guard services for Jewish settlements in the Yishuv and particularly kibbutzim, freeing Jewish communities from dependence upon foreign consulates and Arab watchmen for their security. It was headed by a committee of three - Yisrael Shochat, Yisrael Giladi, and Mendel Portugali.

Hashomer was originated by Socialist Zionists, mostly members of Poalei Tziyon, including Manya Shochat, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and Ben-Zvi's wife Rachel Yanaait, who had earlier formed a small secret guard society called Bar Giora, which guarded only the Sejera commune (now Illania) and Mes'ha (now Kfar Tavor). Bar Giora had been founded by Alexander Zeid and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi among others. Other significant founders were Alexander Zaid and Yisrael Galili.

Hashomer was successful in providing defense for settlements throughout the country; it aroused the ire of Arab watchmen who lost their jobs and of pilferers, and antagonized the Arab population by retaliatory raids. During World War I many of its members were exiled to Anatolia by the Ottoman government because they were enemy (Russian) nationals. When the Turks caught Yosef Lishanski of the Nili group he told all he knew, implicating twelve members of Hashomer. The group nonetheless survived.

In 1920 it was decided to organize the Haganah, a much broader-based group, to cope with new defense challenges and needs of the growing community in the new British Mandate of Palestine that had been established after the war. Many members of Hashomer joined the Jewish Legion, while others joined the mounted police, and played a prominent part in the defense of Tel Hai and Jerusalem during the Arab riots in 1920 and 1921. In June 1920 Ha-Shomer ceased to exist as a separate body. Its members, however, maintained contact and made an important contribution to the yishuv's defense.

In addition to their role as watchmen of the Jewish settlements in the country, members of HaShomer established a number of settlements of their own, including Tel Adashim, Tel Hai, and Kfar Giladi.

The motto of Hashomer was "In blood and fire, Judea fell; in blood and fire will Judea rise."

• Zionism and Israel Information Center by permission.
• The Jewish Agency for Israel

• "Hashomer" article in Encyclopedic Dictionary of Zionism and Israel