Retribution operations

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Retribution operations
Part of the Arab-Israeli conflict
Date 1950s-1960s Location Middle East Result Israeli victory
Belligerents
Israel	Egypt  Jordan  Syria Palestinian fedayeen
Commanders and leaders
David Ben-Gurion Moshe Sharett Levi Eshkol	Gamal Abdel Nasser Hafez al-Assad Hussein bin Talal
Strength
?	?
Casualties and losses
53 soldiers killed	356 soldiers killed Unknown number of Palestinian guerrillas killed (probably thousands)[citation needed]

v • d • e Arab–Israeli conflict Jerusalem riots (1920) – Jaffa riots (1921) – Palestine riots (1929) – Arab revolt (1936–1939) – Civil War (1947–1948) – Arab-Israeli War (1948–1949) – Retribution operations (1951-1966) – Suez Crisis (1956) – War over Water (1964–1967) – Six-Day War (1967) – War of Attrition (1967–1970) – Wrath of God (1972–1979) – Yom Kippur War (1973) – South Lebanon conflict (1978) – Lebanon War (1982) – South Lebanon conflict (1982–2000) – First Intifada (1987–1993) – Second Intifada (2000–2005) – Shebaa Farms conflict (2000-2006) – Lebanon War (2006) – Gaza War (2008–2009)

The Retribution operations (Hebrew: פעולות התגמול) were military operations carried out by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1950s and 1960s. These actions were in response to constant fedayeen terror attacks, when militants would infiltrate from Syria, Egypt, and Jordan into Israel and conduct guerrilla attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. The policy of the retribution operations was unusual due to Israel's declared intent of establishing a high 'blood cost' on the enemy side. This was thought to be necessary in order to deter the Fedayeen from committing future attacks^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 The policy 2 The main retribution operations 2.1 April 1951 - October 1956 2.2 January 1960 - November 1966 3 Israeli commemoration of the retribution operations 4 References 5 See also

[edit] The policy

Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion and Israeli chief of staff Moshe Dayan lead the retribution operations policy. Underlying this policy was intent to act strongly in response to terror attacks. While sending the message that any terror attack aimed at Israelis would be followed by a severe Israeli response. In the words of Ben-Gurion,from his lecture "retribution operations as a means to ensure the Peace":

We do not have power to ensure that the water pipe lines won't be exploded or that the trees won't be uprooted. We do not have the power to prevent the murders of orchard workers or families while they are asleep, but we have the power to set a high price for our blood, a price which would be too high for the Arab communities, the Arab armies and the Arab governments to bear.^{[citation needed]}

This approach dominated Israel in the 1950s and 1960s, although it was not the only one. Moshe Sharett,the Israeli prime minister during the retribution operations, objected to this policy and after the Ma'ale Akrabim massacre he wrote in his diary:

Committing a severe responsive act to this bloodbath would only obscure its horrors, and put us in an equal level with murderers of the other party. We should rather this instance to raise political pressure on the world powers, to have them exert unprecedented pressure on Jordan.

[edit] The main retribution operations

[edit] April 1951 - October 1956

• Operation El-Hamma (התקיפה באל-חמה) - Following the el-Ḥamma incident on April 4, 1951 in which seven Israeli soldiers were killed after attempting to enforce Israel's sovereignty in the demilitarized zone to include the el-Ḥamma enclave - Hamat Gader. The next day the first retribution operation since signing the cease-fire agreements was carried out. Unlike the following retribution operations, this operation was carried out by the Israeli Air Force. The operation failed when the attacking planes missed their target.

• Operation Shoshana (מבצע שושנה) - Carried out on 14 October 1953 following an attack in which an Israeli mother and her two children were killed. Carried out by Unit 101 in the village of Qibya in the West Bank, which was controlled by Jordan at the time. Sixty-nine Jordanian citizens were killed during the operation. In addition to that, forty-five houses, a school, and a mosque were destroyed.^[1]

• Operation Black Arrow (מבצע חץ שחור) - Carried out in Gaza (while under Egyptian control) between 28 February until 1 March 1955. The operation was aimed at the Egyptian army. 38 Egyptian soldiers were killed during the operation and thirty were injured. Eight IDF soldiers were killed during the operation and thirteen were injured. According to the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, this operation was the main motive for Egypt's big arms deal with Czechoslovakia in 1955.

• Operation Elkayam (מבצע אלקיים) - Carried out on 31 August 1955 against the police forces of Khan Yunis from where attacks had been carried out against Israelis. 72 Egyptian soldiers were killed during the operation. The operation was followed by a massive buildup of Egyptian troops in the Gaza Strip.

• Operation Volcano (מבצע הר געש) - Following the invasion of the Egyptian forces into the Israeli youth village and communal settlement Nitzana, the IDF carried out attacked in that area on November 2, 1955. 70 Egyptian soldiers were killed during the operations and 48 were captured. Seven IDF soldiers were killed during the operation.

• Operation Saiir (מבצע שעיר) - Carried out on December 22, 1955, the IDF forces raided Syrian outposts on the slopes of the Golan Heights.

• Operation Olive leaves (מבצע עלי זית) - Carried out on December 11, 1955 at Syrian posts located on the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee in response to constant Syrian attacks on Israeli fishermen. 50 Syrian soldiers were killed and 30 were captured. Six IDF soldiers were killed during the operation.

• Operation Gulliver (מבצע גוליבר) - Carried out on 13 September 1956 in Jordan.

• Operation Lulav (מבצע לולב) - Carried out on September 25, 1956 in the Arab village Husan, near Bethlehem. The operation was in response to the murder of participants in an archaeological conference held in Ramat Rachel and the murder of two farmers from Moshav Aminadav and Kibbutz Maoz Haim.

• Operation Samaria (מבצע שומרון) - Carried out on October 10, 1956 in which IDF forces attacked the Qalqilya police forces. 100 Jordanian soldiers and 17 IDF soldiers were killed during the operation. The operation was carried out in response to the constant infiltrations from the West Bank, and in response to the constant attacks from of the Jordanian army aimed at Israeli soldiers and civilians.

[edit] January 1960 - November 1966

The Sinai War of 1956 ended the first phase of the Israeli retribution operations. The retribution operations policy continued also after the Sinai War, but were held mainly in Jordan and Syria, because at that time the majority of attacks originated from the Jordanian and Syrian borders. The main retribution operations held after the Sinai War include:

• Operation Tawfiq (פעולת תאופיק) - Carried out on January 31, 1960. It was the first Israeli retribution operation carried out after the Sinai war. The operation was carried out by Golani forces at the Syrian village of Tawfiq, in response to attacks on Israelis in Tel Katzir. Tawfiq was designated by the IDF as the center of many Syrian attacks and as a result it was decided that the destruction of the village was vital. During the operation the village was conquered and destroyed while being attacked by Syrian artillery. Six Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation. Three IDF soldiers were killed during the operation and seven were injured.

• Operation Swallow (מבצע סנונית) - Another operation which was carried out as a result of Syrian attacks on Israeli fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. During The operation which was carried out on 16 March 1962, Israeli forces from the Golani Brigade raided Syrian posts in the village of Nokyeab. 30 Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation. Seven IDF soldiers were killed during the operation and seven were injured.

• Operation as-Samu (פעולת סמוע) - Carried out on November 13, 1966, IDF forces attacked the village of as-Samu, south of the city of Hebron, in response to sabotage acts aimed at Israeli targets. During the operation dozens of houses were bombed. 18 Jordanians were killed during the operation. One IDF soldier was killed during the operation - the paratroop battalion commander, Lt. Col. Yoav Shaham. In addition to the ground operation, an air battle was conducted between eight Hawker Hunter aircraft of the Royal Jordanian Air Force and four Mirage aircraft of the Israeli Air Force.

[edit] Israeli commemoration of the retribution operations

A commemoration site called "Black Arrow" (חץ שחור), which commemorates the various retribution operations and the heritage of the Israeli paratrooper units, is located in the Negev.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Israeli wars and armed conflict
• Palestinian fedayeen
• Unit 101

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