IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) History
With the Arab invasion on May 15, 1948, the State of Israel had no regular army. What existed was a group of semi-autonomous paramilitary groups, led by its now High Command and each with its own political loyalties and military agenda. There was the centrist Haganah – the Israel Defense Army with about 10,000 fighters; The Left-wing Palmach Shock troops numbered around 3,000, mostly from the Kibbutzim; right-wing Irgun and LEHI together had 2,000 fighters. The Home Guard consisted of older citizens, while the pre-military Gadna youth battalions served outside the combat areas. Nachal pioneers guarded the border settlements.
The Provisional Government decided to establish a single, unified armed force, whose task was to defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Israel and to protect the inhabitants of Israel and to combat all forms of terrorism which threatened daily life. The army comprised of Navy, Air force and Land troops and was called the “Israel Defense Forces”, Tsahal, in Hebrew, acronym for Tsava haHagana leYisrael.
This hodgepodge army, individually active before the State of Israel was born, now had to blend into one. Because they were in the midst of war, the formation of the IDF was protracted. The Haganah, LEHI and Irgun fighters (except for those in Jerusalem) immediately joined the IDF when the State was established. The Palmach battalions gradually joined, until the chief of staff dissolved the organization in October 1948. Because of the war, it took almost 6 ½ months before the IDF’s unification was completed.
Each new immigrant of military age that arrived into the country during the War of Independence was immediately conscripted, often with disastrous results. These Holocaust survivors were still weak, lacked military training, and hardly spoke any other language than Yiddish.
Prior to Statehood, the Haganah had been secretly training youngsters in the Displaced Persons camps. Many were smuggled by boats to then Palestine, but after May 15, these immigrant recruits could enter legally. That was, until the Security Council began to scream for a truce, and forbade immigration of people between the age of 18 and 45, which was deemed military age. Who cared that a majority of Arab soldiers threatened the Jewish State? The detention camps were closed once more.
Since the War of Independence, the IDF had to fight many wars. Some were major, like the 6-day War and the Yom Kippur war. Some were drawn out, like the War of Attrition. Others seem to be continuous, like the war against terrorism. The IDF is forced to be constantly alert, for Israel’s enemies continue vowing to wipe Israel from the map. The present day IDF has top-of-the-line weapons and computer systems that are used and recognized worldwide. In short, almost every Israeli is a soldier, either in active or reserve duty.
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge.
Psalm 144: 1,2
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