Photos of Hashomer, Jews defending their settlements - in 1909

Very interesting:

Members of Hashomer, a Jewish security organization dedicated to protecting pioneering Zionist settlements, pose with their rifles October 1, 1900 in the community of Rehovot during the Ottoman rule of Palestine in what would later become the State of Israel. (Photo by GPO via Getty Images)

Members of Hashomer, a Jewish security organization dedicated to protecting pioneering Zionist settlements, pose with their rifles October 1, 1907 in the Upper Galilee during the Ottoman rule of Palestine in what would later become the State of Israel. (Photo by GPO via Getty Images)

I found two more photos of Hashomer from Wikipedia, which says the group was founded in 1909 so the caption in the first photo may be wrong:
:

(h/t Yerushalimey)