The Sword And The Olive Read Free

wearing kid gloves. To expel the Palestinians will require only a few brigades, and second-rate ones at that; meanwhile, the bulk of the Israeli forces, armed and equipped as never before, will deploy on Israel’s borders to deal with possible attempts at intervention by the neighboring Arab states. Should such intervention be attempted, the main role in repelling them will be played by the Israeli Air Force. It too is armed and equipped as never before. In 1982, the last time the Israeli Air Force engaged in large-scale operations, it destroyed all the Syrian antiaircraft defenses in Lebanon and shot down about a hundred Syrian aircraft with hardly any losses. Syrian commanders of armored divisions charged with taking the Golan Heights or Egyptians preparing to drive a unit across 150 miles of open desert might do well to recall Isaiah 5:26-30 (author’s translation):
    And He will lift up a sign ... and shall hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and, lo, they shall come with speed swiftly. None of them shall be weary nor stumble; none shall slumber or sleep. Neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor shall the latchet of their shoes break. Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent for shooting; their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a tempest; their roaring shall be like a lion, and they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and pounce upon the prey, and devour it and belch, and no one shall deliver it.
     
    What is it to be? Are the two sides going to withdraw from the brink of the abyss and agree on some kind of compromise? Or will the conflict escalate, leading Israel to rise and smite its enemies? Outsiders, however good or bad their intentions, cannot answer this question; it is up to the Palestinians and the Israelis themselves. The former should finally forget about doing away with Israel, even if they euphemistically call that goal “the right of return.” The latter should finally forget about retaining much of the Territories that were occupied in 1967. Whatever the answer, it is clear that the IDF is going to play a critical role in events to come. It is for those who seek to understand that powerful force—its origins, growth, mentality, modus operandi, and capabilities—that this book is intended.
    MARTIN VAN CREVELD
Mevasseret Zion, Israel
April 17, 2002
Israel’s fifty-fourth Independence Day
     

INTRODUCTION
     
    EVER SINCE IT OFFICIALLY emerged out of the prestate Hagana during Israel’s War of Independence in 1947-1949, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has become one of the world’s leading armed forces. Time and again it has captured global headlines by fighting, and usually winning, wars against Israel’s Arab neighbors. Time and again it has come up with innovative concepts, beginning with the conscription of women (the only time in history this has been done) and more recently with the development of new weapons systems such as active tank armor and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs), unveiled for the first time during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Even as these lines are written, and regardless of the ongoing peace process, the IDF remains the ultimate guarantor of the country’s existence and a critical component in the balance of power in one of the world’s strategically most important regions.
    This book will trace the history of the IDF from its origins—the organizations known as Bar Giora and Ha-shomer, which date to the time when Palestine was part of the Ottoman empire—to the present day. It lies in the nature of things that the greatest attention will be devoted to military questions, that is, war and preparations for war; yet as far as space permits, political, economic, social, and cultural issues must also be considered. The longtime forces that shaped the IDF will be examined, but so will the outstanding and often highly colorful leaders who were responsible for making the day-to-day decisions. Analysis