Operation Dekel
Operation Dekel (Hebrew: מבצע דקל, Mivtza Dekel, lit. Operation Palm Tree), was the largest offensive in the north of Israel after the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade, a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade along with some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to capture Nazareth and the Lower Galilee. The operation was led by Ben Dunkelman, a Canadian volunteer who was the commander of the 7th Brigade.
On 15 July Israeli aircraft bombed the village Saffuriya and caused panic among the population. Most of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon. Only about 100 elderly remained.
On the evening of 16 July, Nazareth surrendered to the Israelis after a light fight which only involved one Israeli dead and one wounded. The Arab Liberation Army forces in the village under the command of Fawzi al-Qawuqji retreated to the mountains in the north. In sharp contrast to the surrounding towns, the inhabitants in Nazareth were never forced to evacuate. Dunkelman refused to obey orders from Chaim Laskov to evacuate the civilian population of Nazareth.[1]
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[edit] Arab communities captured in Operation Dekel
| Name | Date | Brigade | Population[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuwaykat | 10 July | 7th Armoured Brigade and Carmeli Brigade | n/a |
| Jiddin, Khirbat | 10–11 July | 1,500 | |
| Ma'lul | 14 July | 690 | |
| Saffuriyya | 15 July | Sheva' (7th) Brigade with two Battalions from Carmeli Brigade |
4,330 |
| Amqa | 15–16 July | 7th Armoured Brigade and Carmeli Brigade | 1,240 |
| al-Damun | 15–16 July | 7th Armoured Brigade | 1,310 |
| Mi'ar | 15–18 July | 7th Armoured Brigade | 770 |
| Nahf | 15–18 July | 7th Armoured Brigade | n/a |
| Sakhnin | 15–18 July | 7th Armoured Brigade | n/a |
| Nazareth | 16 July | 14,200[3] | |
| Lubya[4] | 16 July | 2,350 | |
| Hittin | 16–17 July | 7th Armoured Brigade | 1,190 |
| Nimrin | 16–17 July | 320 | |
| Sha'ab | 18 July | n/a | |
| Al-Birwa | 18 July | 260 |
[edit] See also
- List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
- List of Israeli military operations in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
- List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
[edit] References
- ^ Said, E.W. & Hitchens, C. (2001) Blaming the Victims pp. 86-87 ISBN 1859843409
- ^ 'All That Remains',ISBN 0 88728 224 5, quoting 1944/45 census.
- ^ 1944. 'Survey of Palestine 1945/6'. page 151. ISBN 0 88728 211 3.
- ^ 'All That Remains', page 527, quotes the'History of the Haganah': 'Lubiya fell without fighting and the road to Tiberias was open to us.'
[edit] External links
- Operation Dekel Jewish Virtual Library
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Coordinates: 32°46′53.41″N 35°12′6.26″E / 32.7815028°N 35.2017389°E
