David Eliezer... Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army in the 1973 War

David Eliezer (centre) was forced to resign following the October 1973 War (Getty)

David Eliezer, former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, was born in 1925. He led the storming of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1948, and assumed command of the northern forces that occupied the Golan in the setback.

He was removed from the Army Chief of Staff and relieved of service after he was accused of being responsible for the defeat of the Israeli army in the October 1973 War, and his failure to prepare for it.

He died in 1976.

Growing up and education

David Solomon Eliezer was born on August 27, 1925 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (then Yugoslavia).

He comes from a Spanish family belonging to Sephardic Jews, who immigrated to the Ottoman Empire during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.

His mother, Zahava, died when he was 6 years old, and he was raised by his grandparents. His father, Suleiman, was an officer in the Yugoslav army, and a fighter in Josef Tito's guerrilla forces that fought the Nazis during World War II.

Eliezer traveled to Zagreb, Croatia, to complete his studies when he reached 12 years old. He joined a movement that brought together young people from his peers there, and during that period he met individuals who later became prominent in Israel, such as Haim Barlev. There was fear of a German invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II. In addition to the restrictions imposed on Jewish education in schools, this motivated David and his peers to immigrate to Palestine, which was then under the British Mandate, and Eliezer was 15 years old at the time.

Upon their arrival in Palestine, they settled in the “Shaar HaAmakim” kibbutz, then moved to the “Ein Shemer” kibbutz to complete their training. Eliezer was raised within the “Qatari Kibbutz” movement, which is a Zionist movement based on revolutionary socialist principles.

On August 8, 1952, he married Bezalma, the daughter of the poet and writer Zvi Ard, one of the founders of Kibbutz Ein Shemer.

He then joined the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in November 1953, majoring in economics and Middle Eastern studies.

David Eliezer circa 1961 (Getty)

Ideology

Eliezer was linked to the principles of the “Zionist Socialist Union of Workers of the Land of Israel” (Achdut HaAvoda) party, which declares its Zionist affiliation and believes that Zionism is achieved through socialism.

Military experience

He began his military career early in his life. He joined the Haganah’s military force (Palmach) in 1946, when he was 21 years old. He then joined a course for future leaders in 1947, under the leadership of Chaim Bar-Lev in Kibbutz Dalia. He demonstrated diligence and excellence. After the course, he was sent to serve in the Upper Galilee region, to lead a unit responsible for tours and surveillance.

During the 1948 war, he participated in various battles with the Harel Brigade, and led the storming of the Old City of Jerusalem through the Prophet David Gate. He was appointed commander of the Haportzim battalion affiliated with the Harel Brigade. At the age of 24, he was the youngest commander. Battalion in "Palmach".

After then-Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion dissolved the Palmach organization and merged its forces with the army, Eliezer joined the Israeli occupation army as part of permanent military service, and began to rise through the military ranks. He began as an instructor in the battalion commanders’ course in 1950, then served as head of the War Division in The General Staff in 1954, and the following year he was appointed commander of the Givati ​​Brigade.

He was promoted in 1956 to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was appointed commander of the Infantry School. During the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956, he assumed command of the infantry battalion that attacked the Gaza Strip. He then settled in the Strip after being appointed commander of the Israeli forces there.

In 1957, he moved to serve in the Armored Corps, then was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1961. He assumed command of the Armored Corps, developed it, and developed plans for its participation in battles.

Based on his military achievements, he attained the rank of Major General in 1962, then in 1964 he was appointed Head of the Northern Command, where he supervised the movements of the occupation army on the Syrian border and monitored the sources of the Jordan River to ensure water reached Israel. In the Six-Day War in 1967, he personally assumed command of Northern forces stormed and occupied the Golan Heights.

Eliezer was able to gain the confidence of then Prime Minister Golda Meir and her deputy Yigal Allon, so he was appointed head of the Military Operations Department in the Israeli army, despite the opposition of Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. In 1969, he assumed leadership of the General Command branch of the army, and later in 1971 he received the rank of He held the rank of lieutenant general, then served as chief of staff the following year.

The end of his military career

In early October 1973, both Egypt and Syria put their armies on alert, but Israeli intelligence information did not give a high probability of war breaking out, which did not force the army to adopt a high state of readiness, and limited measures were taken, and only a small number were summoned. From the reserve forces.

On the morning of October 6, Eliezer realized that war would break out, but the head of military intelligence, Major General Elie Zeira and Moshe Dayan, believed that this possibility was unlikely. Following the outbreak of war that day, and the defeat of the Israeli occupation in the confrontation, Eliezer was exposed to a severe wave of violence. Criticisms, and as a result, the “Agranat” Committee was formed on November 21, to investigate the reason for the low level of the Israeli army’s preparedness for war, and to make recommendations.

David Eliezer (left) with Haim Barlev, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army in the 1967 war (Getty)

The results of the investigation were published in early 1974, and although Eliezer's efforts were praised, the report held him personally responsible for his poor assessment of the general situation before the war and the lack of appropriate military preparation for it, and recommended his removal from his position and the end of his services in the Israeli army. Eliezer submitted his resignation in April. April 1974, expressing grievance at being made a scapegoat over other military and political leaders.

Meanwhile, Eliezer had signed with his Egyptian counterpart in January 1974, the separation of forces agreement at Kilometer 101, and that was the first steps towards a peace treaty with Egypt.

After leaving the military, Eliezer served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Zim Navigation Company. He also began writing his memoirs, which specifically talk about the October 1973 War, and include details of the discussions that arose between officials on the eve of the war.

Positions and responsibilities

Eliezer held important military positions, most notably:

• Head of the War Division of the General Staff between 1954 and 1955.

• Commander of the Infantry School, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, between 1956 and 1957.

• Deputy Commander of the Armored Forces between 1959 and 1961.

• Commander of the Armored Corps, with the rank of general, between 1961 and 1964.

• Head of the Northern Command, between 1964 and 1969.

• Commander of the General Staff Branch, with the rank of Lieutenant General, between 1969 and 1971.

• Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army between 1972 and 1974.

Death

Eliezer was an athlete and enjoyed good health, but he suffered a severe heart attack while swimming, after which he was transferred to the hospital where he died that day, on April 15, 1976 in the city of Tel Aviv, at the age of 51 years, and was buried in Mount Al-Aqwad ( Mount Herzl) in Jerusalem.

Source: websites