Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 1984 The political unification of the Israeli Army Michael Uhry Newman Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons, and the Political History Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Newman, Michael Uhry, "The political unification of the Israeli Army" (1984). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3581. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5465 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Michael Uhry Newman for the Master of Arts in History presented August 24, 1984. Title: The Political Unification of the Israeli Army. APPROVED BY MEMBERS OF THE THESIS COMMITTEE: Jon E. Mandaville I Dr. r:ia vid~ A. ' Horowitz Dr. Thomas M. P'oulsen The essay charts forty years of Zionist history to illuminate the ' remarkable evolution of Israel's unified, apolitical army and Israel's "democratic civil-military tradition," forged in the fires of opposing military styles, ideological rivalry, competing underground forces, war and civil war. During the years 1907-1919, the Yishuv acquired two different military traditions, the Pioneer-Soldier tradition and the Professional 2 tradition. During 1920-1931, the presence of the British Mandatory power and rising Arab Nationalist violence produced a third military tradition the "Underground," first developed by the early Hagana, woven into the fabric of the Socialist-Zionism. During the period 1931-1936, the Hagana became a focal point in the political polarization of the Zionist movement, producing the Rightist underground, the IZL (the Irgun). By early 1937, the Right and the Left each possessed undergrounds separated by oceans of ideology. The Arab Revolt and the oscillating British policy in the years 1936-39 militarized the rival Jewish undergrounds. By the summer of 1939, violent, dramatic revolution in Palestine seemed imminent. United against British immigration policies yet divided in their strategies for the future of Jewish Pales tine, the IZL and the Hagana faced the choice of forming a united Jewish resistance or of engaging in a futile civil war. During 1939-1945, the Yishuv struggled to help defeat the Axis powers, defend the Yishuv, promote the immigration of Jewish refugees, and accommodate an oscillating British policy. From this collage emerged distinct underground military bodies of the far Right and of the far Left. The far Left spawned the development of the Palmach, which, despite competition between the far Left bloc and Ben Gurion ... s MAPAI, became the elite corps of the Hagana. From the militant Right, two schisms evolved, the LHI (the Stern Group) and the IZL under Menachem Begin-- each armed with differing ideology, tactics, and purpose, yet both dedicated to ending the British Mandate. In 1944, the growing strength of the IZL and LHI "revolt" conflicted with the Anglo-Zionist 3 diplomacy, precipitating a joint Hagana-British campaign, the "Season," against the "dissidents." In 1945, the Season ended in failure, as the official Yishuv waited for the unveiling of post-war British policy. During the post-war period, 1945-1946, Britain's anti-Zionist policy united a 11 the undergrounds in a "Jewish Resistance Movement." Despite internal tensions, the underground union endured for nine months. But the dramatic events of the summer of 1946 fractured that unity. During 1946-1947, the Hagana-Palmach and the IZL-LHI forces waged in de pendent and conf lie ting campaigns. But by 1948, e sea la ting Arab-Jewish violence drove the IZL and Hagana-Palmach together, in an uneasy alliance for the sake of "national" survival. From May 1948 through 1950, the new State of Israel struggled against the Arabs, as Ben Gurion struggled to dissolve the underground organizations. In the spring of 1948, Ben Gurion eliminated the confusion in the Hagana-Palmach command structure, placing himself in the role as political and military leader of Israel. In the summer, the LHI dissolved and the IZL was destroyed in a showdown with the IDF in the "Altalena Affair." Yet the IZL and LHI continued to fight in Jerusalem until the IDF forced their total disbandment in the late summer. Finally, Ben Gurion mustered the political clout to disband the Palmach. As the War of Independence ended, Ben Gurion gained a political mandate to shape the new Army. During 1949-1950, Ben Gurion engineered the IDF into a united and professional army, under the ultimate command of the civilian government. By 1950, the seeds of Israel's "democratic civil-military tradition" were implanted. The essay utilizes mostly secondary sources and memoirs, weaving 4 political and military history together into thorough account of the political unification of the Israeli Army. THE POLITICAL UNIFICATION OF THE ISRAELI ARMY by MICHAEL UHRY NEWMAN A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in HISTORY Portland State University 1984 TO THE OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH: The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Michael Ubry Newman presented August 24, 1984. E. Manda ville Dr. Dr. Dr . Thomas M. Poulsen APPROVED: uu~f His t or y Dr . J i m for Academi c Affair s TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE •••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••••••• iii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION • ••••••.••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 II MILITARY ORIGINS OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT ••••••••••••••••••••••• 5 III GROWING MILITARIZATION OF THE YISHUV: 1936-39 ••••••••••••••• 30 IV THE YISHUV AT WAR: 1939-45 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 58 V UNEASY ALLIANCES: 1945-1948 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 120 VI UNIFICATION OF THE ISRAELI ARMY: 1948-1950 ••••••••••••••••• 169 VII CONCLUSION ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••• 234 BIBLIOGRAPHY • •••••••••••••••..••••••••••••••.•••••• ~ •••••••.•.•. 243 PREFACE The essay involves over forty years of Zionist history, a complex history which has been examined, researched, discussed, and written about prolifically. To carve a meaningful and unique thesis from the wealth of historical material, this essay is imbued with several important limitations. The cutting edge of the thesis only grazes such significant topics as British-Zionist relations, Arab-Zionist relations, and Zionist-International politics without thorough examination. Complex and still highly controversial events-- such as the bombing of the King David Hotel, the attack on Deir Yassin, or the Altalena Affair-- are key events to the development of the thesis, but the essay rarely attempts to arrive at a decisive judgment regarding specific de tails. In the interest of simplicity, only the most essential military and political events are mentioned. The essay also relies on a very traditional historical approach by attributing the opinions, decisions, and actions of a group to their leaders. Within these parameters, with the help of these "limitations," the essay hopes to cut a useful historical channel to explore the political evolution of the Israeli Army. I wish to extend my thanks to the Portland State University History Department for its assistance and to the faculty for their excellence. I offer my specia 1 thanks to my advisor, Dr. Jo.n Mandaville. And I express my warmest and deepest appreciation to my family and to my wife, Elaine, for their support and love. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The preservation of the representative, civilian government's control over the military s true tu re is the corners tone of a democratic civil-military tradition, and a democratic civil-military tradition is one of the foundations for a stable, unified democracy. In Israel, this fundamental democratic civil-military tradition persists. Despite six major wars, despite an intense domestic security situation, despite the polarization of Israeli politics, despite the constant involvement of the Israeli population with the military, "the Israeli formula for 1 civil-military relations remains intact." Israel's democratic civil-military tradition is particularly significant in view of the fact that the Israeli Defense Force, or the IDF, plays such an enormous role in Israeli society. The IDF defends, educates, socializes, and unifies Israel. The IDF remains a symbol of pride for the vast majority of Israelis who, at some level, participate in the armed services. The IDF is a symbol of constancy, of solidarity, of unity. The IDF's role and image in Israeli society clearly contributes to the IDF's emergence as the one of the most powerful small armies in the world. The IDF's character is particularly unusual when compared to the armies of various other young nations which have emerged in the post-World War II period. As Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister and chief architect of the IDF, noted: 2 Israel is almost the only country in the region ••• of the Middle East and the wider region of Asia and North Africa where the army plays no role in politics. As we live in a democratic state, every Israeli soldier has the right to vote and the right to be a member of a political party and any other legal organization. But the army itself, as the defense force of the country, sees itself only as an executive instrument of the e lee ted re pre sen ta ti ves of the people, and they a lone can te 11 the army what to do and what not to do. In this respect, it is, of course, the same as any old-established democratic country in the world, but this, 1zi-ke democracy, is quite an accomplishment for a young country. The achievement of a unified army under the control of a representative government is remarkable given Israel's circumstances: the continuing threat of war and of terrorism, the constant social and economic crises, and the intensity of political and ideological conflicts.