David Shaltiel
Encyclopedia
David Shaltiel was an Israel
i military and intelligence
officer, later also diplomat
, and was most well known for being the district commander of the Haganah
in Jerusalem during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
.
He was born in Berlin into a Portuguese orthodox
Jewish family settled in Hamburg
.
At 16, Shaltiel joined the Zionist youth movement Blau Weiss, and he went to Palestine in 1923. However, he was not happy there, and returned to Europe in 1925. From 1925-1930 he was enlisted in the French Foreign Legion
. In 1934 he returned to Palestine. There he started working for the Haganah
, being charged with buying arms in Europe. In 1936 he was captured in Aachen
, Germany, by Gestapo
. Shaltiel spent the three next years in prisons/ concentration camps, including Dachau and Buchenwald. When he was sent to Berlin in 1939 the Haganah succeeded in freeing him. He then went back to Palestine. There he was at first condemned to death for murder by the British, but a British War Council later acquitted him. In 1942-43, he was the Haganah Commander in Haifa
.
Fulfilling also the office of commander of the Counterintelligence service - the "Ran" - and of the Intelligence Service - the Shin Yud - of the Haganah, he was involved in the conflicts
between the Haganah and the other Jewish underground groups - Irgun
and Lehi
.
Later, as Haganah's link to these organizations, Irgun
, helped them coordinate several missions with the Haganah. Among them the widely condemned attack at Deir Yassin
. In 1948, he was the local Haganah district commander when the village was attacked by Irgun and Lehi Jewish fighters despite a non-aggression pact signed between the Zionists and the Mukhtar
of the village, the villagers wanting to remain neutral in the war. At first Shaltiel did not agree with attacking Deir Yassin, but after a day he surrendered and wrote a letter to them saying that he had "no objection to your carrying out the operation". Yitzchak Levi, head of the Jerusalem branch of Haganah Intelligence
, proposed that the inhabitants should be notified that the truce was over, but Shaltiel then refused to endanger the operation by warning them.
He was also the mastermind behind Operation Kedem
, which had the goal of capturing "East Jerusalem
". The mission was carried out July 8, 1948 by Irgun troops and was a total failure. From that moment, he was, (according to himself), disgraced and his name was erased from official Israel history.
Between June 11 and July 21, 1948, he had a series of meetings, mediated by the UN, with Abdullah el Tell
, the commander of Arab Legion
troops in the Old City. On July 7 they signed the "Mount Scopus
Agreement" which stated that the Jewish enclave at Mount Scopus should be de-militarized and would come under UN supervision. On July 15 the Haganah and Irgun launched a massive bombardment on the Old City which was followed by infantry attacks on the New
, Jaffa and Zion Gates. These failed to gain their objectives. On 21 July Shaltiel and el Tell signed a formal cease-fire based on the existing positions of their forces.
After the end of the Independence War, David Shaltiel founded the Border Corps of the Israeli army, the Heyl Hasfar, and was its first commander. Later, because of administrative problems, he recommanded to transfer these units into the frame of the Israeli Police, then they became known as Border Guard -Mishmar Hagvul.
In the years 1950-1952 Shaltiel served as military attaché
of Israel in France.
and later fulfilled several diplomatic charges - as Israel's plenipotentiary minister in Brazil
and Venezuela
(1952–1956), then in Mexico (1956–1959) and ambassador in Netherlands
(1963–1966).
Died in Jerusalem in 1969.
Shaltiel was married twice - with Inge, then in 1942 with Yehudit, born Judith Irmgard Schonstedt (1913–2010), psychologist
, daughter of a family of rabbis from Berlin.
A little girl,Tamar, adopted by him and his second wife, had to be returned to her biological mother.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i military and intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
officer, later also diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, and was most well known for being the district commander of 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 :...
in Jerusalem during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
.
He was born in Berlin into a Portuguese orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish family settled in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
At 16, Shaltiel joined the Zionist youth movement Blau Weiss, and he went to Palestine in 1923. However, he was not happy there, and returned to Europe in 1925. From 1925-1930 he was enlisted in the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. In 1934 he returned to Palestine. There he started working for 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 :...
, being charged with buying arms in Europe. In 1936 he was captured in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, Germany, by Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. Shaltiel spent the three next years in prisons/ concentration camps, including Dachau and Buchenwald. When he was sent to Berlin in 1939 the Haganah succeeded in freeing him. He then went back to Palestine. There he was at first condemned to death for murder by the British, but a British War Council later acquitted him. In 1942-43, he was the Haganah Commander in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
Fulfilling also the office of commander of the Counterintelligence service - the "Ran" - and of the Intelligence Service - the Shin Yud - of the Haganah, he was involved in the conflicts
The Hunting Season
The Hunting Season or The Saison was the name given to the Haganah's suppression of the Irgun's insurgency against the government of the British Mandate in Palestine.-Background:...
between the Haganah and the other Jewish underground groups - Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
and Lehi
Lehi (group)
Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
.
Later, as Haganah's link to these organizations, Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
, helped them coordinate several missions with the Haganah. Among them the widely condemned attack at Deir Yassin
Deir Yassin massacre
The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when around 120 fighters from the Irgun Zevai Leumi and Lohamei Herut Israel Zionist paramilitary groups attacked Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, a Palestinian-Arab village of roughly 600 people...
. In 1948, he was the local Haganah district commander when the village was attacked by Irgun and Lehi Jewish fighters despite a non-aggression pact signed between the Zionists and the Mukhtar
Mukhtar
Mukhtar meaning "chosen" in Arabic, refers to the head of a village or mahalle in many Arab countries as well as in Turkey and Cyprus. The name refers to the fact that mukhtars are usually selected by some consensual or participatory method, often involving an election. Mukhtar is also a common...
of the village, the villagers wanting to remain neutral in the war. At first Shaltiel did not agree with attacking Deir Yassin, but after a day he surrendered and wrote a letter to them saying that he had "no objection to your carrying out the operation". Yitzchak Levi, head of the Jerusalem branch of Haganah Intelligence
SHAI
Shai , established in 1940, was the intelligence and counter-espionage arm of the Haganah and the forebear of the Military Intelligence Directorate in Mandate Palestine....
, proposed that the inhabitants should be notified that the truce was over, but Shaltiel then refused to endanger the operation by warning them.
He was also the mastermind behind Operation Kedem
Operation Kedem
Operation Kedem was an action planned and carried out in July 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli war. Its purpose was to capture East Jerusalem . After the first cease-fire of the Arab–Israeli war, which lasted for four weeks, the balance in power in Jerusalem had shifted dramatically...
, which had the goal of capturing "East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
". The mission was carried out July 8, 1948 by Irgun troops and was a total failure. From that moment, he was, (according to himself), disgraced and his name was erased from official Israel history.
Between June 11 and July 21, 1948, he had a series of meetings, mediated by the UN, with Abdullah el Tell
Abdullah el Tell
Abdullah el-Tell, served in the Transjordanian Arab Legion during the 1948 war in Palestine rising from the rank of company commander to become Military Governor of the Old City of Jerusalem...
, the commander of Arab Legion
Arab Legion
The Arab Legion was the regular army of Transjordan and then Jordan in the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
troops in the Old City. On July 7 they signed the "Mount Scopus
Mount Scopus
Mount Scopus , جبل المشهد , جبل الصوانة) is a mountain in northeast Jerusalem. In the wake of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Mount Scopus became a UN protected Jewish exclave within Jordanian-occupied territory until the Six-Day War in 1967...
Agreement" which stated that the Jewish enclave at Mount Scopus should be de-militarized and would come under UN supervision. On July 15 the Haganah and Irgun launched a massive bombardment on the Old City which was followed by infantry attacks on the New
New Gate
The New Gate is the newest gate in the walls that surround the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built in 1889 to provide direct access between the Christian Quarter and the new neighborhoods then going up outside the walls. The arched gate is decorated with crenelated stonework...
, Jaffa and Zion Gates. These failed to gain their objectives. On 21 July Shaltiel and el Tell signed a formal cease-fire based on the existing positions of their forces.
After the end of the Independence War, David Shaltiel founded the Border Corps of the Israeli army, the Heyl Hasfar, and was its first commander. Later, because of administrative problems, he recommanded to transfer these units into the frame of the Israeli Police, then they became known as Border Guard -Mishmar Hagvul.
In the years 1950-1952 Shaltiel served as military attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
of Israel in France.
and later fulfilled several diplomatic charges - as Israel's plenipotentiary minister in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
(1952–1956), then in Mexico (1956–1959) and ambassador in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(1963–1966).
Died in Jerusalem in 1969.
Shaltiel was married twice - with Inge, then in 1942 with Yehudit, born Judith Irmgard Schonstedt (1913–2010), psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, daughter of a family of rabbis from Berlin.
A little girl,Tamar, adopted by him and his second wife, had to be returned to her biological mother.
External links
- http://www.etzel.org.il/english/ac19.htm