The General's Revolt
Encyclopedia
Prior to the establishment of the state of Israel
the leader of the Yeshuv, David Ben Gurion, made several attempts to reorganise the main underground militia, the Haganah
, and its elite force, the Palmach
. In 1948 this led to a series of confrontations between Ben Gurion and leaders of the newly formed Israeli army which became known as "The General's Revolt".
In 1946 Ben Gurion tried to appoint loyal supporters into the upper echelons of the Haganah but was unsuccessful.
The following year, there was a debate within the defence establishment about what form of armed forces the Yeshuv should have in the anticipated conflict. Ben Gurion proposed an entirely new organisation to replace the Haganah, modelled on the British Army
. These new ideas shocked the Haganah leadership. The Haganah had not been active since withdrawing from direct action against the British authorities in July 1946, and the crisis threatened morale within Haganah units. Rather than damage the existing structures, Ben Gurion allowed his ideas to be dropped.
, was absent due to ill health, Ben Gurion came to the decision to abolish the post of Head of National Command, and give himself, as Minister of Defence, direct control over the General Staff. This post was held by Israel Galili, one of the leaders of Mapam
, the pro-Soviet rivals to Ben Gurion's Mapai
party. On 26 April Ben Gurion notified Galili of the decision. After Galili raised objections, on 3 May, Ben Gurion issued an official letter:
". . . The post of head of the national command is hereby abolished, and Israel Galili's appointment to the post is terminated. The staff of the security forces will henceforth receive its instructions exclusively from the director of security [Ben Gurion himself] or his representative."
A majority of senior IDF officers at that time were from Mapam, and the response from several of them was to threaten to resign. Mapam's newspaper, Al Hamishmar, predicted the result would be "a personal dictatorship." On 6 May the Haganah leadership presented Ben Gurion with an ultimatum:
""The heads of departments consider it essential to restore [Israel Galili] to his post until final arrangements are made. If this matter is not settled within the next 12 hours, the heads of departments will cease to consider themselves responsible for the conduct of affairs."
Ben Gurion refused to reinstate Galili, but accepted a compromise whereby Galili was a member of the General Staff, but with unspecified duties and the threatened resignations were withdrawn.
as commander of Jerusalem. Yadin joined Mapam members in accusing Ben Gurion of political interference in the army, with particular focus on Makleff who was regarded as inexperienced. A group of generals led by Yadin submitted their resignations. These included Mapam generals Cohen (Ben Hur), Zvi Ayalon and Galili. At a stormy cabinet meeting Ben Gurion accepted the setting up of a five man committee headed by Interior Minister Greenbaum
to consider the structure of the high command, on condition that Galili was dismissed. During its secret sessions the committee heard complaints of Ben Gurion's "incessant intervention in operational decisions" as in the recent attacks on Latrun
. In the media Mapam accused Ben Gurion of attacking the Palmach. The committee proposed that there should be a multi-party war cabinet, and that there should be two director generals from different parties: one between Ben Gurion and the Minister of Defence, and one between Ben Gurion and the army. With eight days until the end of the first truce, Ben Gurion announced his resignation as Prime Minister and as Minister of Defence. In the negotiations that followed the cabinet agreed to withdraw the committee's recommendations and Ben Gurion dropped his appointment suggestions and his threat of resigning. Galili was removed from all positions of influence and Ben Gurion remained supreme commander.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
the leader of the Yeshuv, David Ben Gurion, made several attempts to reorganise the main underground militia, the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
, and its elite force, the Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
. In 1948 this led to a series of confrontations between Ben Gurion and leaders of the newly formed Israeli army which became known as "The General's Revolt".
Prelude
Ben Gurion had three objectives:- Replacing the existing Yeshuv structures of control over the Haganah and replacing them with a centralised chain of command.
- Dissolving units connected with political movements and creating a unified national army.
- Building an army based on the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
model, breaking with the Palmach revolutionary army tradition.
In 1946 Ben Gurion tried to appoint loyal supporters into the upper echelons of the Haganah but was unsuccessful.
The following year, there was a debate within the defence establishment about what form of armed forces the Yeshuv should have in the anticipated conflict. Ben Gurion proposed an entirely new organisation to replace the Haganah, modelled on the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. These new ideas shocked the Haganah leadership. The Haganah had not been active since withdrawing from direct action against the British authorities in July 1946, and the crisis threatened morale within Haganah units. Rather than damage the existing structures, Ben Gurion allowed his ideas to be dropped.
The first round
In April 1948, whilst Chief of Staff, Yaakov DoriYaakov Dori
Yaakov Dori was the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces .Born in the present day Ukraine as Yakov Dostrovsky , son of Tzvi and Myriam, his family emigrated to Ottoman Palestine following the anti-Jewish pogrom in Odessa in 1905...
, was absent due to ill health, Ben Gurion came to the decision to abolish the post of Head of National Command, and give himself, as Minister of Defence, direct control over the General Staff. This post was held by Israel Galili, one of the leaders of Mapam
Mapam
Mapam was a political party in Israel and is one of the ancestors of the modern-day Meretz party.-History:Mapam was formed by a January 1948 merger of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party and Ahdut HaAvoda Poale Zion Movement. The party was originally Marxist-Zionist in its outlook and represented...
, the pro-Soviet rivals to Ben Gurion's Mapai
Mapai
Mapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
party. On 26 April Ben Gurion notified Galili of the decision. After Galili raised objections, on 3 May, Ben Gurion issued an official letter:
". . . The post of head of the national command is hereby abolished, and Israel Galili's appointment to the post is terminated. The staff of the security forces will henceforth receive its instructions exclusively from the director of security [Ben Gurion himself] or his representative."
A majority of senior IDF officers at that time were from Mapam, and the response from several of them was to threaten to resign. Mapam's newspaper, Al Hamishmar, predicted the result would be "a personal dictatorship." On 6 May the Haganah leadership presented Ben Gurion with an ultimatum:
""The heads of departments consider it essential to restore [Israel Galili] to his post until final arrangements are made. If this matter is not settled within the next 12 hours, the heads of departments will cease to consider themselves responsible for the conduct of affairs."
Ben Gurion refused to reinstate Galili, but accepted a compromise whereby Galili was a member of the General Staff, but with unspecified duties and the threatened resignations were withdrawn.
The second round
In June 1948, Ben Gurion tried again. He proposed reorganising the Haganah to give the IDF a unified command built on four battle zones. An underlying motive for the changes was to purge the IDF HQ of Mapam officers. In response, on 24 June, the acting Chief of Staff, Yigal Yadin and a group of staff officers put forward a plan for the restructuring which included their suggestions as to who should be in command of each of the four Commands. Yadin was not from Mapam, but three of the four suggested appointments were. Ben Gurion put forward counter-suggestions, with three British Army veterans to be department heads in the General Staff, with 28-year-old Mordechai Makleff as commander of the Eastern Command and Moshe DayanMoshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
as commander of Jerusalem. Yadin joined Mapam members in accusing Ben Gurion of political interference in the army, with particular focus on Makleff who was regarded as inexperienced. A group of generals led by Yadin submitted their resignations. These included Mapam generals Cohen (Ben Hur), Zvi Ayalon and Galili. At a stormy cabinet meeting Ben Gurion accepted the setting up of a five man committee headed by Interior Minister Greenbaum
Yitzhak Gruenbaum
Yitzhak Gruenbaum was a noted leader of the Zionist movement among Polish Jewry between the two world wars and of the Yishuv in Mandatory Palestine, and the first Interior Minister of Israel.-Education and journalistic career:Gruenbaum was born in Warsaw, Poland...
to consider the structure of the high command, on condition that Galili was dismissed. During its secret sessions the committee heard complaints of Ben Gurion's "incessant intervention in operational decisions" as in the recent attacks on Latrun
Battles of Latrun
The Battles of Latrun were a series of military engagements between the Israel Defense Forces and the Jordanian Arab Legion on the outskirts of Latrun between 25 May and 18 July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Latrun takes its name from the monastery close to the junction of two major...
. In the media Mapam accused Ben Gurion of attacking the Palmach. The committee proposed that there should be a multi-party war cabinet, and that there should be two director generals from different parties: one between Ben Gurion and the Minister of Defence, and one between Ben Gurion and the army. With eight days until the end of the first truce, Ben Gurion announced his resignation as Prime Minister and as Minister of Defence. In the negotiations that followed the cabinet agreed to withdraw the committee's recommendations and Ben Gurion dropped his appointment suggestions and his threat of resigning. Galili was removed from all positions of influence and Ben Gurion remained supreme commander.