Operation Dekel

Operation Dekel ( , 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 Brigade. On 15 July Israeli aircraft bombed the village Saffuriya and caused panic among the population. Most of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon . 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.

Operation Dekel ( , Mivtza Dekel , lit. Operation Palm Tree ), was the largest offensive by Israeli forces in the north of Israel after the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade led by Canadian volunteer Ben Dunkelman (called Benjamin Ben-David in Israel), a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade , and some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to capture Nazareth and the Lower Galilee . On 15 July Israeli aircraft bombed Saffuriya village and caused panic among the population; many of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon , others found shelter in Nazareth, leaving about 100 elderly people behind. On the evening of 16 July, Nazareth surrendered to the Israelis after a light fight which left 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 of Nazareth were never forced to evacuate as Dunkelman refused to obey orders from Haim Laskov to evacuate them.

Operation Dekel ( , Mivtza Dekel , lit. Operation Palm Tree ), was the largest offensive by Israeli forces in the north of Palestine after the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade led by Canadian volunteer Ben Dunkelman (called Benjamin Ben-David in Israel), a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade , and some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to capture Nazareth and the Lower Galilee . On 15 July Israeli aircraft bombed Saffuriya village and caused panic among the population; many of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon , others found shelter in Nazareth, leaving about 100 elderly people behind. On the evening of 16 July, Nazareth surrendered to the Israelis after a light fight which left 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 of Nazareth were never forced to evacuate as Dunkelman refused to obey orders from Haim Laskov to evacuate them.

Israeli military offensive in northern Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War Belligerents Israel Defense Forces Arab Liberation Army Commanders and leaders Ben Dunkelman Haim Fish † Units involved 7th Armored Brigade (Israel) Golani Brigade Operation Dekel ( ), was the largest offensive by Israeli forces in the north of Palestine after the first truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade led by Canadian volunteer Ben Dunkelman (called Benjamin Ben-David in Israel), a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade , and some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to capture Nazareth and the Lower Galilee . On 15 July Israeli aircraft bombed Saffuriya village and caused panic among the population; many of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon , others found shelter in Nazareth, leaving about 100 elderly people behind. On the evening of 16 July, Nazareth surrendered to the Israelis after a light fight which left 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 of Nazareth were never forced to evacuate as Dunkelman refused to obey orders from Haim Laskov to evacuate them.

Israeli military offensive in northern Palestine during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War Belligerents Israel Defense Forces Arab Liberation Army Commanders and leaders Ben Dunkelman Haim Fish † Moshe Carmel Yigal Alon Fawzi al-Qawuqji Units involved 7th Armored Brigade (Israel) Golani Brigade Operation Dekel ( Hebrew : מבצע דקל , romanized : Mivtza Dekel , lit. ' Operation Palm Tree ' ), was the largest offensive by Israeli forces in the north of Palestine after the first truce of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War . It was carried out by the 7th Armoured Brigade led by Canadian volunteer Ben Dunkelman (called Benjamin Ben-David in Israel), a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade , and some elements from the Golani Brigade between 8–18 July. Its objective was to capture Nazareth and the Lower Galilee . On 15 July Israeli aircraft bombed Saffuriya village and caused panic among the population; many of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon , others found shelter in Nazareth, leaving about 100 elderly people behind. On the evening of 16 July, Nazareth surrendered to the Israelis after a light fight which left 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 of Nazareth were never forced to evacuate as Dunkelman refused to obey orders from Haim Laskov to evacuate them.