120-639: Operation Dani , also spelled Danny , was an Israeli military offensive launched on July 9–19, 1948 at the end of the first truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War . The objectives were to capture territory east of Tel Aviv and then to push inland and relieve the Jewish population and forces in Jerusalem . The main forces fighting against the IDF were the Arab Legion and Palestinian irregulars On 10 July, Glubb Pasha ordered
240-764: A close security relationship with the United States , including in research and development cooperation, with joint efforts on the F-15I and the Arrow defence system, among others. The IDF is believed to have maintained an operational nuclear weapons capability since 1967 , possibly possessing between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads . The IDF’s actions and policies in the Palestinian territories have faced widespread criticism, with accusations of repression , discrimination, and abuses of Palestinian rights . The Israeli cabinet ratified
360-702: A stillbirth in 1897. It was her eleventh pregnancy. Two years later his father remarried. Ben-Gurion's birth certificate, found in Poland in 2003, indicated that he had a twin brother who died shortly after birth. Between the ages of five and 13 Ben-Gurion attended five different heders as well as compulsory Russian classes. Two of the heders were 'modern' and taught in Hebrew rather than Yiddish . His father could not afford to enroll Ben-Gurion in Płońsk's beth midrash so Ben-Gurion's formal education ended after his bar mitzvah . At
480-685: A British decision to establish a Jewish state. However, it became clear that the British had no intention of immediately establishing a Jewish state and that limits on Jewish immigration would remain for the time being. As a result, with Ben-Gurion's approval the Haganah entered into a secret alliance with the Irgun and Lehi called the Jewish Resistance Movement in October 1945 and participated in attacks against
600-519: 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." According to his biographer Tom Segev , Ben-Gurion deeply admired Lenin and intended to be a 'Zionist Lenin'. In Ben-Gurion: A Political Life by Shimon Peres and David Landau , Peres recalls his first meeting with Ben-Gurion as a young activist in
720-428: A base. He also organised a strike over working conditions amongst garment workers. He was known to use intimidatory tactics, such as extorting money from wealthy Jews at gunpoint to raise funds for Jewish workers. Ben-Gurion discussed his hometown in his memoirs, saying: For many of us, anti-Semitic feeling had little to do with our dedication [to Zionism]. I personally never suffered anti-Semitic persecution. Płońsk
840-434: A community of around 200 Jews. It was one of the most remote colonies in the foothills of north-eastern Galilee . It took the two young men three days to walk there. Coincidentally at the same time Bar Giora, now with about 20 members and calling themselves 'the collective' but still led by Shochat, took on the operating of the training farm. Ben-Gurion found work in the farm but, excluded from 'the collective', he later became
960-423: A day-labourer at Kfar Saba , moved to Rishon Lezion where he remained for two months. He made detailed plans with which he tried to entice his father to come and be a farmer. In October 1907, on Shlomo Zemach 's suggestion, Ben-Gurion moved to Sejera . An agricultural training farm had been established at Sejera in the 1880s and since then a number of family-owned farms, moshavah , had been established forming
1080-541: A five-year program envisioned by Rabbi Yehuda Amital which combines Torah learning and military service . Some distinguished recruits are selected to be trained to eventually become members of special forces units . Every brigade in the IDF has its special force branch. Career soldiers are paid on average NIS 23,000 a month, fifty times the NIS 460 paid to conscripts. In 1998–2000, only about 9% of those who refused to serve in
1200-504: A four pocket tunic (yarkit/yerkit) worn untucked with a pistol belt cinched tight around the waist over the shirt. The IDF Air Corps has a dress uniform consisting of a pale blue shirt with dark blue trousers. Most IDF soldiers are issued black leather combat boots , certain units issue reddish-brown leather boots for historical reasons — the paratroopers, combat medics, Nahal and Kfir Brigades, as well as some Special Forces units ( Sayeret Matkal , Oketz , Duvdevan , Maglan , and
1320-836: A full-scale defence force after the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine with an organized structure, consisting of three main units—the Field Corps , Guard Corps , and the Palmach . During World War II, the Yishuv participated in the British war effort, culminating in the formation of the Jewish Brigade . These would eventually form the backbone of the Israel Defense Forces, and provide it with its initial manpower and doctrine. Following Israel's Declaration of Independence , Prime Minister and Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion issued an order for
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#17328551873481440-583: A group of around 25 Poale Zion followers. Shochat made a point of inspecting new arrivals looking for recruits. A month after his arrival at Petah Tikva, Shochat invited Ben-Gurion to attend the founding conference of the Jewish Social Democratic Workers' Party in the Land of Israel in Jaffa. The conference, 4–6 October 1906, was attended by 60 or so people. Shochat engineered the elections so that Ben-Gurion
1560-422: A heavy fine. He immediately deserted and returned to Sejera, travelling, via Germany, with forged papers. On 12 April 1909 two Jews from Sejera were killed in clashes with local Arabs following the death of a villager from Kfar Kanna , shot in an attempted robbery. There is little conformation of Ben-Gurion's accounts of his part in this event. Later that summer, Ben-Gurion moved to Zichron Yaakov . From where
1680-436: A labourer for one of the moshav families. One of the first acts of 'the collective' was organising sacking of the farm's Circassian nightwatchman. As a result, shots were fired at the farms every night for several months. Guns were brought and the workforce armed. Ben-Gurion took turns patrolling the farm at night. In the autumn of 1908 Ben-Gurion returned to Plonsk to be conscripted into the army and avoid his father facing
1800-601: A letter to Yiddish Kemfer (" The Jewish Fighter " ), a Yiddish newspaper in New York City. It was an appeal for funds and was the first time something written by Ben-Gurion was published. The arrival of Yitzhak Ben-Zvi in April 1907 revitalised the local Poale Zion. Eighty followers attended a conference in May at which Ben-Zvi was elected onto a two-man Central Committee and all Ben-Gurion's policies were reversed: Yiddish, not Hebrew,
1920-511: A limited action aimed at the conquest of Latrun, and not for an all-out offensive. According to David Tal, in the cabinet meeting, Ben-Gurion reacted to what he had been just told by a delegation from Jerusalem. He points out that this view that Ben-Gurion had planned to conquer the West Bank is unsubstantiated in both Ben-Gurion's diary and in the Cabinet protocol. The topic came back at the end of
2040-516: A local conference. While in Warsaw the Russian Revolution of 1905 broke out and he was in the city during the clamp down that followed; he was arrested twice, the second time he was held for two weeks and only released with the help of his father. In December 1905 he returned to Płońsk as a full-time Poalei Zion operative. There he worked to oppose the anti-Zionist Bund who were trying to establish
2160-488: A pincer movement and with only a token Arab Legion presence the two towns were captured the following day. This put Lydda airport and the strategic railway station at Ramle in Israeli hands. As part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsions , Israeli forces violently expelled 50,000-70,000 people from Lydda and Ramle , killing hundreds. The second phase of the operation failed after several costly attacks on Arab Legion positions in
2280-517: A position in the reserve forces. No distinction is made between the assignment of men and women to reserve service. David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( / b ɛ n ˈ ɡ ʊər i ə n / ben GOOR -ee-ən ; Hebrew : דָּוִד בֶּן־גּוּרִיּוֹן [daˈvid ben ɡuʁˈjon] ; born David Grün ; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel as well as its first prime minister . As head of
2400-543: A real Jew until she underwent an Orthodox conversion many years later. Amos became Deputy Inspector-General of the Israel Police , and also the director-general of a textile factory. He and Mary had six granddaughters from their two daughters and a son, Alon, who married a Greek gentile. Geula had two sons and a daughter, and Renana, who worked as a microbiologist at the Israel Institute for Biological Research , had
2520-600: 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. 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
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#17328551873482640-890: A son. 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 Zionist movement. The moderate Poalei Zion formed Ahdut HaAvoda with Ben-Gurion as leader in March 1919. 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 ,
2760-589: 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. In 1930, Hapoel Hatzair (founded by A. D. Gordon in 1905) and Ahdut HaAvoda joined forces to create Mapai ,
2880-533: Is Herzi Halevi . The IDF includes the following bodies. Those whose respective heads are members of the General Staff are in bold: Ground Arm Air and Space Arm Sea Arm General Staff The IDF operates, as of 2024, a Multi-Domain Joint Operations Array, dealing with multi-domain operations , a joint warfare branch. Military: Civilian: Unlike most militaries,
3000-619: Is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it's true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that? In 1909, Ben-Gurion attempted to learn Arabic but gave up. He later became fluent in Turkish . The only other languages he
3120-468: Is projecting a message of transfer. There is no explicit order of his in writing, there is no orderly comprehensive policy, but there is an atmosphere of [population] transfer. The transfer idea is in the air. The entire leadership understands that this is the idea. The officer corps understands what is required of them. Under Ben-Gurion, a consensus of transfer is created. Ben-Gurion published two volumes setting out his views on relations between Zionists and
3240-632: Is subordinate to the Israeli Defense Minister . On the orders of first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion , the IDF was formed on 26 May 1948 and began to operate as a conscript military , drawing its initial recruits from the already-existing paramilitaries of the Yishuv —namely Haganah , the Irgun , and Lehi . It was formed shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence and has participated in every armed conflict involving Israel . In
3360-537: The 7th , and 8th armoured brigades, Oded , Harel , Yiftach , and the Negev . After the war, some of the brigades were converted to reserve units, and others were disbanded. Directorates and corps were created from corps and services in the Haganah, and this basic structure in the IDF still exists today . Immediately after the 1948 war, the Israel-Palestinian conflict shifted to a low-intensity conflict between
3480-485: The Battle of Latrun and the threat of a UN -imposed cease-fire. The Palmach record the names of ninety-one of its members killed during this Operation. Forty-four were killed at Khirbet Kurikur on 18 July 1948. Seven were killed in the capture of Lydda. Israeli military The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ; Hebrew : צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל Tsva ha-Hagana le-Yisra'el , lit. ' Army for
3600-753: The British Army and trained at Fort Edward in Windsor, Nova Scotia . He volunteered for the 38th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers , one of the four which constituted the Jewish Legion. His unit fought against the Ottomans as part of Chaytor's Force during the Palestine Campaign , though he remained in a Cairo hospital with dysentery. In 1918, after a period of guarding prisoners of war in the Egyptian desert, his battalion
3720-573: The Gaza War (2008–2009) , the 2012 Gaza War , the 2014 Gaza War , and the 2021 Israel-Palestine crisis , causing the IDF to change many of its values and publish the IDF Code of Ethics . The Lebanese Shia organization Hezbollah has also been a growing threat, against which the IDF fought an asymmetric conflict between 1982 and 2000, as well as a full-scale war in 2006. The Israel Defense Forces have been accused of committing various war crimes since
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3840-475: The HSAT Mk II/Mk III paratrooper helmets ), US M1 helmet , and French Modèle 1951 helmet – previously worn by Israeli infantry and airborne troops from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Some corps or units have small variations in their uniforms – for instance, military police wear a white belt and police hat , Naval personnel have dress whites for parades, paratroopers are issued
3960-603: The Jaffa Professional Trade Union Alliance with 75 members. He and Shochat also brokered a settlement to a strike at the Rishon Le Zion winery where six workers had been sacked. After three months the two-man Central Committee was dissolved, partly because, at that time, Ben-Gurion was less militant than Shochat and the Rostovians. Ben-Gurion returned to Petah Tikva. During this time Ben-Gurion sent
4080-739: The Jewish Agency from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency Executive, he was the de facto leader of the Jewish community in Palestine , and largely led the movement for an independent Jewish state in Mandatory Palestine . Born in Płońsk , then part of Congress Poland , to Polish Jewish parents, he immigrated to the Palestine region of the Ottoman Empire in 1906. Adopting
4200-557: The Jewish Legion , both part of the British Army of World War I , further bolstered the Yishuv with military experience and manpower, forming the basis for later paramilitary forces. After the 1920 Palestine riots against Jews in April 1920, the Yishuv leadership realized the need for a nationwide underground defence organization, and the Haganah was founded in June 1920. The Haganah became
4320-533: The No'ar Ha'Oved youth movement . Ben-Gurion gave him a lift, and out of the blue told him why he preferred Lenin to Trotsky : "Lenin was Trotsky's inferior in terms of intellect", but Lenin, unlike Trotsky, "was decisive". When confronted with a dilemma, Trotsky would do what Ben-Gurion despised about the old-style diaspora Jews: he manoeuvred; as opposed to Lenin, who would cut the Gordian knot , accepting losses while focusing on
4440-565: The Russian Empire , to Polish Jewish parents. His father, Avigdor Grün, was a pokątny doradca (secret adviser), navigating his clients through the often corrupt Imperial legal system. Following the publication of Theodore Herzl 's Der Judenstaat in 1896 Avigdor co-founded a Zionist group called Beni Zion —Children of Zion. In 1900 it had a membership of 200. David was the youngest of three boys with an older and younger sister. His mother, Scheindel (Broitman), died of sepsis following
4560-614: The Suez Crisis in 1956. He stepped down from office in 1963, and retired from political life in 1970. He then moved to his modest "hut" in Sde Boker , a kibbutz in the Negev desert, where he lived until his death. Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th century . David Ben-Gurion was born in Płońsk in Congress Poland —then part of
4680-685: The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine . While the Jewish Agency under Ben-Gurion accepted, the Arabs rejected the plan and the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine broke out. Ben-Gurion's strategy was for the Haganah to hold on to every position with no retreat or surrender and then launch an offensive when British forces had evacuated to such an extent that there would be no more danger of British intervention. This strategy
4800-554: The West Bank , including East Jerusalem ). In 2000, the IDF withdrew from Southern Lebanon and in 2005 from Gaza . Conflict between Israel and Islamist groups based in Gaza, notably Hamas , has continued since then. Moreover, notable Israeli–Syrian border incidents have occurred frequently since 2011, due to regional instability caused by the Syrian civil war . Since 1967, the IDF has maintained
4920-811: The founding of Israel in 1948. Israel ratified the Geneva Conventions on July 6, 1951, and on January 2, 2015, the State of Palestine acceded to the Rome Statute , granting the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). A 2017 report by Human Rights Watch accused the IDF of unlawful killings , using excessive force in policing situations , forced displacement , excessive use of detention and excessive restrictions on movement , as well as criticized
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5040-488: The 1948 war, when General Yigal Allon also proposed the conquest of the West Bank up to the Jordan River as the natural, defensible border of the state. This time, Ben-Gurion refused although he was aware that the IDF was militarily strong enough to carry out the conquest. He feared the reaction of Western powers and wanted to maintain good relations with the United States and not to provoke the British. Moreover, in his opinion
5160-475: The Arab economies; and a Jewish trade union was to be established. Three members of the Central Committee resigned and Ben-Gurion and Shochat continued meeting weekly in Jaffa or Ben Shemen where Shochat was working. Ben-Gurion walked to the meetings from Petah Tikva until he moved to Jaffa where he gave occasional Hebrew lessons. His political activity resulted in the establishment of three small trade unions amongst some tailors, carpenters and shoemakers. He set up
5280-428: The Arab world: We and Our Neighbors , published in 1931, and My Talks with Arab Leaders published in 1967. Ben-Gurion believed in the equal rights of Arabs who remained in and would become citizens of Israel. He was quoted as saying, "We must start working in Jaffa. Jaffa must employ Arab workers. And there is a question of their wages. I believe that they should receive the same wage as a Jewish worker. An Arab has also
5400-457: The Arabs" or "not expel the Arabs" depending on one's interpretation of whether such deletion was intended by Ben-Gurion. Israeli historian Benny Morris wrote that the idea of expulsion of Palestinian Arabs was endorsed in practice by mainstream Zionist leaders, particularly Ben-Gurion. He did not give clear or written orders in that regard, but Morris claims that Ben-Gurion's subordinates understood his policy well: From April 1948, Ben-Gurion
5520-473: The British, and after Lehi assassinated Lord Moyne , the British Minister of State in the Middle East, decided to stop it by force. While Lehi was convinced to suspend operations, the Irgun refused and as a result, the Haganah began supplying intelligence to the British enabling them to arrest Irgun members, and abducting and often torturing Irgun members, handing some over to the British while keeping others detained in secret Haganah prisons. This campaign, which
5640-453: The British, stating: "Peace in Palestine is not the best situation for thwarting the policy of the White Paper". Ben-Gurion believed a peaceful solution with the Arabs had no chance and soon began preparing the Yishuv for war. According to Teveth "through his campaign to mobilize the Yishuv in support of the British war effort, he strove to build the nucleus of a 'Hebrew Army', and his success in this endeavor later brought victory to Zionism in
5760-412: The British. In June 1946, the British launched Operation Agatha , a large police and military operation throughout Palestine, searching for arms and arresting Jewish leaders and Haganah members in order to stop the attacks and find documentary evidence of the alliance the British suspected existed between the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi. The British had intended to detain Ben-Gurion during the operation but he
5880-460: The Counter-Terror School). Women were also formerly issued sandals , but this practice has ceased. IDF soldiers have three types of insignia (other than rank insignia) which identify their corps, specific unit, and position. A pin attached to the beret identifies a soldier's corps. Individual units are identified by a shoulder tag attached to the left shoulder strap . The position/job of a soldier can then be identified by an aiguillette attached to
6000-405: The Defense of Israel ' ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Tzahal ( צה״ל ), is the national military of the State of Israel . It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces , the Israeli Air Force , and the Israeli Navy . It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security apparatus . The IDF is headed by the Chief of the General Staff , who
6120-409: The General Assembly and in other places: talk of Arab-Jewish amity sound fantastic, for the Arabs do not wish it, they will not sit at the same table with us, they want to treat us as they do the Jews of Bagdad, Cairo, and Damascus. Nahum Goldmann criticised Ben-Gurion for what he viewed as a confrontational approach to the Arab world. Goldmann wrote, "Ben-Gurion is the man principally responsible for
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#17328551873486240-494: The Haganah, also joined the IDF with provisions , and Ben Gurion responded by disbanding its staff in 1949, after which many senior Palmach officers retired, notably its first commander, Yitzhak Sadeh . The new army organized itself when the 1947–48 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine escalated into the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , which saw neighbouring Arab states attack. Twelve infantry and armoured brigades formed: Golani , Carmeli , Alexandroni , Kiryati , Givati , Etzioni ,
6360-444: The Holocaust . In 1954, he resigned as prime minister and minister of defence but remained a member of the Knesset . He returned as minister of defence in 1955 after the Lavon Affair and the resignation of Pinhas Lavon . Later that year he became prime minister again, following the 1955 elections . He backed Israel's reprisal operations to Arab guerrilla attacks , and its invasion, along with Britain and France, of Egypt during
6480-404: The IDF and Palestinian fedayeen . In the 1956 Suez Crisis , the IDF's first serious test of strength after 1949, the new army captured the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, which was later returned. In the 1967 Six-Day War , Israel conquered the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip , West Bank (including East Jerusalem ) and Golan Heights from the surrounding Arab states, changing the balance of power in
6600-513: The IDF answer to a single General Staff . The Chief of the General Staff is the only serving officer having the rank of Lieutenant General ( Rav Aluf ). He reports directly to the Defense Minister and indirectly to the Prime Minister of Israel and the cabinet. Chiefs of Staff are formally appointed by the cabinet, based on the Defense Minister's recommendation, for three years. The government can vote to extend their service to four, and on rare occasions even five years. The current chief of staff
6720-480: The IDF uses the same rank names in all corps, including the air force and navy. From the formation of the IDF until the late 1980s, sergeant major was a particularly important warrant officer rank, in line with usage in other armies. In the 1980s and 1990s the proliferating ranks of sergeant major became devalued, and now all professional non-commissioned officer ranks are a variation on sergeant major ( rav samal ) except for rav nagad . All translations here are
6840-451: The IDF's support and protection for Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory . Human rights experts argue that actions taken by the IDF during armed conflicts in the OPT fall under the rubric of war crimes. Various UN special rapporteurs , alongside human rights and aid organizations including Human Rights Watch , Médecins Sans Frontières , Amnesty International , have accused Israel of war crimes. All branches of
6960-479: The Israeli military were granted an exemption. Permanent service is designed for soldiers who choose to continue serving in the army after their regular service, for a short or long period, and in many cases making the military their career. Permanent service is based on a contractual agreement between the IDF and the permanent position holder. After personnel complete their regular service, they are either granted permanent exemption from military service or assigned
7080-440: The Jewish Resistance Movement be dissolved. From then on, the Irgun and Lehi continued to regularly attack the British, but the Haganah rarely did so, and while Ben-Gurion along with other mainstream Zionist leaders publicly condemned the Irgun and Lehi attacks, in practice the Haganah under their direction rarely cooperated with the British in attempting to suppress the insurgency. Due to the Jewish insurgency, bad publicity over
7200-424: The Jews who even if their numbers were initially fewer could quickly call on reinforcements from the entire quarter. Far from being afraid of them, they were rather afraid of us. In general, however, relations were amicable, though distant. In autumn of 1906 he left Poland to go to Palestine . He travelled with his sweetheart Rachel Nelkin and her mother, as well as Shlomo Zemach his comrade from Ezra . His voyage
7320-405: The Manifesto Committee the task of deciding the new party's objectives. They produced The Ramleh Program which was approved by a second smaller 15-man conference held in Jaffa the following January 1907. The program stated "the party aspires to political independence of the Jewish People in this country." All activities were to be conducted in Hebrew; there should be segregation of the Jewish and
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#17328551873487440-421: The Warsaw Mechanical-Technical School founded by Hipolit Wawelberg . He did not have sufficient qualifications to matriculate and took work teaching Hebrew in a Warsaw heder. Inspired by Tolstoy he had become a vegetarian. He became involved in Zionist politics and in October 1905 he joined the clandestine Social-Democratic Jewish Workers' Party— Poalei Zion . Two months later he was the delegate from Płońsk at
7560-452: The age of 14 he and two friends formed a youth club, Ezra , promoting Hebrew studies and emigration to the Holy Land. The group ran Hebrew classes for local youth and in 1903 collected funds for the victims of the Kishinev pogrom . One biographer writes that Ezra had 150 members within a year. A different source estimates the group never had more than "several dozen" members. In 1904 Ben-Gurion moved to Warsaw where he hoped to enroll in
7680-418: The anti-Arab policy, because it was he who molded the thinking of generations of Israelis." Simha Flapan quoted Ben-Gurion as stating in 1938: "I believe in our power, in our power which will grow, and if it will grow agreement will come..." Goldmann reported that Ben Gurion had told him in private in 1956: Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That
7800-408: The city were roughly equal, about five thousand each. The Jews, however, formed a compact, centralized group occupying the innermost districts whilst the Poles were more scattered, living in outlying areas and shading off into the peasantry. Consequently, when a gang of Jewish boys met a Polish gang the latter would almost inevitably represent a single suburb and thus be poorer in fighting potential than
7920-562: The control over human resources and its placement. National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, although Arab (but not Druze ) citizens are exempted if they so please, and other exceptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds (see Profile 21 ). The Tal law exempted ultra-Orthodox Jews from service. In June 2024, Israel's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Haredi Jews were eligible for compulsory service, ending nearly eight decades of exemption. The army began drafting Haredi men
8040-505: 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. In 1937, the Peel Commission recommended partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab areas and Ben-Gurion supported this policy. This led to conflict with Ze'ev Jabotinsky who opposed partition and as
8160-410: The defending Arab Legion troops to "make arrangements ... for a phony war". The operation commander was Yigal Allon and his deputy was Yitzhak Rabin . The total force numbered around 6,000 soldiers. The operation was named after Palmach officer Daniel "Dani" Mass , who had fallen on January 16, 1948, while commanding a relief action known as " Convoy of 35 ". The first phase of Operation Dani
8280-423: The essentials. In Peres' opinion, the essence of Ben-Gurion's life work were "the decisions he made at critical junctures in Israel's history", and none was as important as the acceptance of the 1947 partition plan , a painful compromise which gave the emerging Jewish state little more than a fighting chance, but which, according to Peres, enabled the establishment of the State of Israel. The 1937 Ben-Gurion letter
8400-428: The establishment of Israel, and was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence , which he had helped to write. Under Ben-Gurion's leadership, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War saw the uniting of the various Jewish militias into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the expulsion and flight of a majority of the Palestinian Arab population. Subsequently, he became known as "Israel's founding father ". Following
8520-519: The first year, using various pen names, eventually settling for Ben Gurion. The adopting of Hebrew names was common amongst those who remained during the Second Aliyah . He chose Ben-Gurion after the historic Joseph ben Gurion . In the spring of 1911, faced with the collapse of the Second Aliyah, Poale Zion's leadership decided the future lay in "Ottomanisation". Ben-Zvi , Manya and Israel Shochat announced their intention to move to Istanbul . Ben-Zvi and Shochat planned to study law; Ben-Gurion
8640-598: The following month. Until the draft of July 2015, men served three years in the IDF. Men drafted since July 2015 serve two years and eight months (32 months), with some roles requiring an additional four months of Permanent service. Women serve two years. The IDF women who volunteer for several combat positions often serve for three years, due to the longer period of training. Women in other positions, such as programmers, who also require lengthy training time, may also serve three years. Many Religious Zionist men (and many Modern Orthodox who make Aliyah ) elect to do Hesder ,
8760-560: The following spring he was invited, by Ben-Zvi, to join the staff of Poale Zion's new Hebrew periodical, Ha'ahdut (The Unity), which was being established in Jerusalem. They needed his fluency in Hebrew for translating and proof reading. It was the end of his career as a farm labourer. The first three editions came out monthly with an initial run of 1000 copies. It then became a weekly with a print run of 450 copies. He contributed 15 articles over
8880-451: The formation of the Israel Defense Forces on 26 May 1948. Although Ben-Gurion had no legal authority to issue such an order, the order was made legal by the cabinet on 31 May. The same order called for the disbandment of all other Jewish armed forces. The two other Jewish underground organizations, Irgun and Lehi , agreed to join the IDF if they would be able to form independent units and agreed not to make independent arms purchases. This
9000-466: The introduction and two-thirds of the text. He suspended all his Poale Zion activities and spent most of the next 18 months in New York Public Library . Ben-Zvi, originally designated as co-editor, contributed a section on Jewish history in which he expounded the theory that the fellahin currently living in the area were descendants of pre- Roman conquest Jews. Eretz Israel – Past and Present
9120-493: The left shoulder strap and shirt pocket, and a pin indicating the soldier's work type. The military service is held in three different tracks: Sometimes the IDF would also hold pre-military courses (קורס קדם צבאי or קד"צ) for soon-to-be regular service soldiers. The Israeli Manpower Directorate ( Hebrew : אגף משאבי אנוש ) at the Israeli General Staff is the body which coordinates and assembles activities related to
9240-427: The madei bet is in olive drab . The dress uniforms may also exhibit a surface shine The service uniform for all ground forces personnel is olive green ; navy and air force uniforms are beige / tan (also once worn by the ground forces). The uniforms consist of a two-pocket shirt, combat trousers , sweater , jacket or blouse, and shoes or boots. The navy also has an all-white dress uniform. The green fatigues are
9360-470: 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
9480-530: The much more consequential (but falsely-claimed "first" such organization), Bar-Giora , founded in September 1907. Bar-Giora was transformed into Hashomer in April 1909, which operated until the British Mandate of Palestine came into being in 1920. Hashomer was an elitist organization with a narrow scope and was mainly created to protect against criminal gangs seeking to steal property. The Zion Mule Corps and
9600-412: The name "Israel Defense Forces" ( Hebrew : צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל ), Tzva HaHagana LeYisra'el , literally "the army for the defence of Israel," on 26 May 1948. The other main contender was Tzva Yisra'el ( Hebrew : צְבָא יִשְׂרָאֵל ). The name was chosen because it conveyed the idea that the army's role was defence and incorporated the name Haganah , the pre-state defensive organization upon which
9720-648: The name of Ben-Gurion in 1909, he rose to become the preeminent leader of the Jewish community in British-ruled Mandatory Palestine from 1935 until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, which he led until 1963 with a short break in 1954–55. Ben-Gurion's interest for Zionism developed early in his life, leading him to become a major Zionist leader, and the executive head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946. On 14 May 1948, he formally proclaimed
9840-717: The new army was based. Among the primary opponents of the name were Minister Haim-Moshe Shapira and the Hatzohar party, both in favor of Tzva Yisra'el . The IDF traces its roots to Jewish paramilitary organizations in the New Yishuv , starting with the Second Aliyah (1904 to 1914). There had been several such organizations, or in part even older date, such as the "Mahane Yehuda" mounted guards company founded by Michael Halperin in 1891 (see Ness Ziona ), HaMagen (1915–17), HaNoter (1912–13; see Zionism: Pre-state self-defense ), and
9960-539: The next four months Ben-Gurion and Ben Zvi embarked on a speaking tour planned to visit Poale Zion groups in 35 cities in an attempt to raise a pioneer army, Hechalutz , of 10,000 men to fight on the Ottoman side. The tour was a disappointment. Audiences were small; Poale Zion had fewer than 3,000 members, mostly in the New York area. Ben-Gurion was hospitalised with diphtheria for two weeks and spoke on only five occasions and
10080-464: The official translations of the IDF's website. Conscripts ( Hogrim ) (Conscript ranks may be gained purely on time served) Warrant Officers ( Nagadim ) Academic officers ( Ktzinim Akadema'im ) Officers ( Ktzinim ) The Israel Defense Forces has several types of uniforms: The first two resemble each other but the Madei Alef is made of higher quality materials in a golden olive while
10200-789: The region as well as the role of the IDF. In the following years leading up to the Yom Kippur War , the IDF fought in the War of Attrition against Egypt in the Sinai and a border war against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Jordan , culminating in the Battle of Karameh . The surprise of the Yom Kippur War and its aftermath completely changed the IDF's procedures and approach to warfare. Organizational changes were made and more time
10320-713: The restriction of Jewish immigrants to Palestine, non-acceptance of a partitioned state (as suggested by the United Nations) amongst Arab leaders, and the cost of keeping 100,000 troops in Palestine the British Government referred the matter to the United Nations. In September 1947, the British decided to terminate the Mandate. In November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution approving
10440-420: The results of the war were already satisfactory and Israeli leaders had to focus on the building of a nation. According to Benny Morris, "Ben-Gurion got cold feet during the war. ... If [he] had carried out a large expulsion and cleansed the whole country -the whole Land of Israel, as far as the Jordan River. It may yet turn out that this was his fatal mistake. If he had carried out a full expulsion rather than
10560-610: The right to be elected president of the state, should he be elected by all." Ben-Gurion recognised the strong attachment of Palestinian Arabs to the land. In an address to the United Nations on 2 October 1947, he doubted the likelihood of peace: This is our native land; it is not as birds of passage that we return to it. But it is situated in an area engulfed by Arabic-speaking people, mainly followers of Islam. Now, if ever, we must do more than make peace with them; we must achieve collaboration and alliance on equal terms. Remember what Arab delegations from Palestine and its neighbors say in
10680-404: The same for winter and summer and heavy winter gear is issued as needed. Women's dress parallels the men's but may substitute a skirt for trousers and a blouse for a shirt. Headgear included a service cap for dress and semi-dress and a field cap or "Kova raful" bush hat worn with fatigues. Many IDF personnel once wore the tembel as a field hat. IDF personnel generally wear berets instead of
10800-448: The same time Ben-Gurion assisted the illegal immigration of thousands of European Jewish refugees to Palestine during a period when the British placed heavy restrictions on Jewish immigration. In 1944, the Irgun and Lehi , two Jewish right-wing armed groups, declared a rebellion against British rule and began attacking British administrative and police targets. Ben-Gurion and other mainstream Zionist leaders opposed armed action against
10920-577: The service cap and there are many beret colours issued to IDF personnel. Paratroopers are issued a maroon beret, Golani brown, Givati purple, Nahal lime green, Kfir camouflage, Combat Engineers grey, navy blue for IDF Naval and dark grey for IDF Air Force personnel. In combat uniforms, the Orlite helmet has replaced the British Brodie helmet Mark II/Mark III , RAC Mk II modified helmet with chin web jump harness (used by paratroopers and similar to
11040-576: The struggle to establish a Jewish state." During the Second World War, Ben-Gurion encouraged the Jewish population to volunteer for the British Army . He famously told Jews to "support the British as if there is no White Paper and oppose the White Paper as if there is no war". About 10% of the Jewish population of Palestine volunteered for the British Armed Forces, including many women. At
11160-560: The ten-day campaign during the 1948 war , the Israelis were militarily superior to their enemies and the Cabinet subsequently considered where and when to attack next. On 24 September, an incursion made by the Palestinian irregulars in the Latrun sector, killing 23 Israeli soldiers, precipitated the debate. On 26 September, Ben-Gurion put his argument to the Cabinet to attack Latrun again and conquer
11280-518: The violent insurrection against the British in cooperation with the Irgun and Lehi with the approval of himself and other Jewish Agency officials. However, Ben-Gurion asked that the operation be delayed, but the Irgun refused. The Irgun carried out the King David Hotel bombing in July 1946, killing 91 people. Ben-Gurion publicly condemned the bombing. In the aftermath of the bombing, Ben-Gurion ordered that
11400-462: The wake of the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty and the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty , the IDF underwent a significant strategic realignment. Previously spread across various fronts— Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and Iraq in the east, and Egypt in the south—the IDF redirected its focus towards southern Lebanon and its occupation of the Palestinian territories (the Gaza Strip and
11520-447: The war, Ben-Gurion served as Israel's first prime minister and minister of defence . As prime minister, he helped build state institutions, presiding over national projects aimed at the development of the country. He also oversaw the absorption of Jewish immigrants . A major part of his foreign policy was improving relations with West Germany through a reparations agreement in compensation for Nazi confiscation of Jewish property during
11640-459: The whole or a large part of West Bank. The motion was rejected by a vote of seven to five after discussions. Ben-Gurion qualified the cabinet's decision as bechiya ledorot ("a source of lament for generations") considering Israel may have lost forever the Old City of Jerusalem. There is a controversy around these events. According to Uri Bar-Joseph, Ben-Gurion placed a plan that called for
11760-421: Was able to use when in discussions with Arab leaders were English, and to a lesser extent, French. The British 1939 White paper stipulated that Jewish immigration to Palestine was to be limited to 15,000 a year for the first five years, and would subsequently be contingent on Arab consent. Restrictions were also placed on the rights of Jews to buy land from Arabs. After this Ben-Gurion changed his policy towards
11880-575: Was at sea, returning from Istanbul, when the First World War broke out. He was not amongst the thousands of foreign nationals deported in December 1914. Based in Jerusalem , he and Ben-Zvi recruited forty Jews into a Jewish militia to assist the Ottoman Army. Despite his pro-Ottoman declarations he was deported to Egypt in March 1915. From there he made his way to the United States, arriving in May. For
12000-544: Was called the Saison or "Hunting Season", left the Irgun unable to continue operations as they struggled to survive. Irgun leader Menachem Begin ordered his fighters not to retaliate so as to prevent a civil war. The Saison became increasingly controversial in the Yishuv, including within the ranks of the Haganah, and it was aborted at the end of March 1945. At the end of World War II, the Zionist leadership in Palestine had expected
12120-549: Was dedicated to training for conventional warfare . However, in the following years the army's role slowly shifted again to low-intensity conflict, urban warfare and counter-terrorism . An example of the latter was the successful 1976 Operation Entebbe commando raid to free hijacked airline passengers being held captive in Uganda . During this era, the IDF also mounted a successful bombing mission in Iraq to destroy its nuclear reactor. It
12240-431: Was elected onto the five-man Central Committee and the 10-man Manifesto Committee. He also arranged that Ben-Gurion was chosen as chairman of the sessions. These Ben-Gurion conducted in Hebrew, forbidding the translation of his address into Russian or Yiddish. The conference was divided: a large faction— Rostovians —wanted to create a single Arab–Jewish proletariat. This Shochat and Ben-Gurion opposed. The conference delegated
12360-446: Was expected that their relationship would continue when they landed in Jaffa but he shut her out after she was fired on her first day labouring—manuring the citrus groves of Petah Tikva. Whilst in New York City in 1915, he met Russian-born Paula Munweis and they married in 1917. In November 1919, after an 18-month separation, Paula and their daughter Geula joined Ben-Gurion in Jaffa . It
12480-561: Was funded by his father. Immediately on landing in Jaffa , 7 September 1906, Ben-Gurion set off, on foot, in a group of 14, to Petah Tikva . It was the largest of the 13 Jewish agricultural settlements and consisted of 80 households with a population of nearly 1,500; of these around 200 were Second Aliyah pioneers like Ben-Gurion. He found work as a day labourer, waiting each morning hoping to be chosen by an overseer. Jewish workers found it difficult competing with local villagers who were more skilled and prepared to work for less. Ben-Gurion
12600-624: Was involved in the Lebanese Civil War , initiating Operation Litani and later the 1982 Lebanon War , where the IDF ousted Palestinian guerrilla organizations from Lebanon . For twenty-five years the IDF maintained a security zone inside South Lebanon with their allies the South Lebanon Army . Palestinian militancy has been the main focus of the IDF ever since, especially during the First and Second Intifadas , Operation Defensive Shield ,
12720-562: Was poorly received. Ben-Zvi spoke to 14 groups as well as an event in New York City and succeeded in recruiting 44 volunteers for Hechalutz; Ben-Gurion recruited 19. Ben-Gurion embarked on a second tour in December, speaking at 19 meetings, mostly in small towns with larger events in Minneapolis and Galveston . Due to the lack of awareness of Poale Zion's activities in Palestine it was decided to republish Yizkor in Yiddish . The Hebrew original
12840-602: Was published in Jaffa in 1911; it consisted of eulogies to Zionist martyrs and included an account by Ben-Gurion of his Petah Tikva and Sejera experiences. The first edition appeared in February 1916 and was an immediate success; all 3,500 copies were sold. A second edition of 16,000 was published in August. Martin Buber wrote the introduction to the 1918 German edition. The follow-up was conceived as an anthology of work from Poale Zion leaders; in fact Ben-Gurion took over as editor, writing
12960-459: Was published in April 1918. It cost $ 2 and was 500 pages long, over twice the length of Yizkor . It was an immediate success, selling 7,000 copies in 4 months; second and third editions were printed. Total sales of 25,000 copies made a profit of $ 20,000 for Poale Zion. It made Ben-Gurion the most prominent Poale Zion leader in America. In May 1918 Ben-Gurion joined the newly formed Jewish Legion of
13080-432: Was remarkably free of it ... Nevertheless, and I think this very significant, it was Płońsk that sent the highest proportion of Jews to Eretz Israel from any town in Poland of comparable size. We emigrated not for negative reasons of escape but for the positive purpose of rebuilding a homeland ... Life in Płońsk was peaceful enough. There were three main communities: Russians, Jews and Poles. ... The number of Jews and Poles in
13200-608: Was shocked at the number of Arabs employed. In November he caught malaria and the doctor advised he return to Europe. By the time he left Petah Tikva in summer of 1907 he had worked an average 10 days a month which frequently left him with no money for food. He wrote long letters in Hebrew to his father and friends. They rarely revealed how difficult life was. Others who had come from Płońsk were writing about tuberculosis, cholera and people dying of hunger. On his disembarkation at Jaffa, Ben-Gurion had been spotted by Israel Shochat who had arrived two years previously and had established
13320-504: Was successful, and by May 1948 Jewish forces were winning the civil war. On 14 May 1948, a few hours before the British Mandate officially terminated, Ben-Gurion declared Israeli independence in a ceremony in Tel Aviv. A few hours later, the State of Israel officially came into being when the British Mandate terminated on 15 May. The 1948 Arab–Israeli War began immediately afterwards as numerous Arab nations then invaded Israel. After
13440-470: Was the background for the Altalena Affair , a confrontation surrounding weapons purchased by the Irgun resulting in a standoff between Irgun members and the newly created IDF. The affair came to an end when Altalena , the ship carrying the arms, was shelled by the IDF. Following the affair, all independent Irgun and Lehi units were either disbanded or merged into the IDF. The Palmach, a leading component of
13560-413: Was the first time he met his one-year-old daughter. The couple had three children: a son, Amos, and two daughters, Geula Ben-Eliezer and Renana Leshem. Amos married Mary Callow, already pregnant with their first child. She was an Irish gentile , and although Reform rabbi Joachim Prinz converted her to Judaism soon after, neither the Palestine rabbinate nor her mother-in-law Paula Ben-Gurion considered her
13680-532: Was the language to be used; the future lay with a united Jewish and Arab proletariat . Further disappointment came when Ben-Zvi and Shochat were elected as representatives to go to the World Zionist Congress . Ben-Gurion came last of five candidates. He was not aware that at the next gathering, on Ben-Zvi's return, a secret para-military group was set up— Bar-Giora —under Shochat's leadership. Distancing himself from Poale Zion activism Ben-Gurion, who had been
13800-424: Was to capture the cities of Lydda and Ramle , located on the road to Jerusalem , southeast of Tel Aviv . Ramle was one of the main obstacles blocking Jewish transportation. From the start of the war, Lydda and Ramle militiamen had attacked Jewish traffic on nearby roads. Ramle became a focal point for blocking Jewish transportation, forcing traffic from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to a southern bypass. The second phase
13920-610: Was to capture the fort at Latrun and break through Ramallah . The operation was carried out under Palmach command using the Yiftach Brigade , the Harel Brigade , the 8th Armored Brigade and two battalions from the Kiryati and Alexandroni brigades . On 9 July units from the Yiftach Brigade began approaching Ramle from the south. At the same time troops from the other brigades began attacking villages north of Lydda. Caught in
14040-624: Was to join them but first needed to learn Turkish , spending eight months in Salonika , at that time the most advanced Jewish community in the area. Whilst studying he had to conceal that he was Ashkenazi due to local Sephardic prejudices. Ben-Zvi obtained a forged secondary school certificate so Ben-Gurion could join him in Dar al-Funun . Ben-Gurion was entirely dependent on funding from his father, while Ben-Zvi found work teaching. Struggling with ill health, Ben-Gurion spent some time in hospital. Ben-Gurion
14160-539: Was transferred to Sarafand . On 13 December 1918 he was demoted from corporal to private, fined three days' pay and transferred to the lowest company in the battalion. He had been five days absent without leave visiting friends in Jaffa . He was demobilised in early 1919. One of Ben-Gurion's companions when he made the Aliyah was Rachel Nelkin. Her step-father, Reb Simcha Isaac, was the leading Zionist in Płońsk, and they had met three years previously at one of his meetings. It
14280-461: Was visiting Paris at the time. The British stored the documents they had captured from the Jewish Agency headquarters in the King David Hotel , which was being used as a military and administrative headquarters. Ben-Gurion agreed to the Irgun's plan to bomb the King David Hotel in order to destroy incriminating documents that Ben-Gurion feared would prove that the Haganah had been participating in
14400-499: Was written when he was head of the executive committee of the Jewish Agency , to his son Amos on 5 October 1937. The letter is well known to scholars as it provides insight into Ben-Gurion's reaction to the report of the Peel Commission released on 7 July of the same year. It has also been subject to significant debate by scholars as a result of scribbled-out text that may or may not provide written evidence of an intention to "expel
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