Lt. Gen. Moshe Dayan (1953-1958)

Early involvement in the defense of Jewish communities

Moshe Dayan was born in 1915 at Kibbutz Degania, the first kibbutz established by Jewish Zionist pioneers in the land of Israel.

From the age of 18, Moshe Dayan was involved in the defense of the Jewish community present in Mandatory Palestine. In 1933, he joined the Haganah as a member of the Jewish Auxiliary Police. When the former general of the British Army Orde Wingate established the Special Night Squads, (the joint British-Jewish counterinsurgency unit), Moshe Dayan was one of the first five people to volunteer. He served as deputy to Wingate in several daring operations. In 1939, Dayan was arrested by the British with other members of the Haganah.

Dayan was then imprisoned in Acre for two years. Once released, he volunteered to join an Australian infantry division, with whom he fought the Vichy army in Syria (1941). It was during this period that he lost his left eye; he was looking through binoculars that were struck by a sniper. After the victory of the Allies in Syria, he joined the Paratroopers training course in the British Army. At the end of his training, Dayan returned to the Haganah as a permanent member. He participated in intelligence operations in the service of the British Army, and was sent on missions by the Haganah in neighboring Arab countries.

Accession to the position of IDF Chief of Staff

When the War of Independence broke out, Dayan was sent to the Jordan Valley region and participated in the conquest of Lod and Ramleh during the “Battles of the Ten Days”, as commander of the 89th Battalion of the 8th Armored Brigade. He later became commander of the Jerusalem area, and negotiated with the Jordanian commander to restore order in the area. He also played a role in the negotiations of the Arab-Israeli armistice on the Greek island of Rhodes.

He was appointed Commandant of the Southern Region Command in 1949, Commanding Officer of the North Region Command in 1952, and then Chief of the Intelligence Branch. On December 6, 1953, he became Chief of the General Staff. During his tenure, he focused on combat units, such as Unit 101, which carried out many cross-border operations. He was also involved in planning the Sinai campaign in 1956, and personally commanded the IDF forces during the operation. He directed the withdrawal from the Sinai, to which he was personally opposed. During this period, his eye patch became the symbol of his boldness, his pride, and his victories.

A ministerial career working towards peace

Moshe Dayan completed his four-year term as Chief of Staff on January 29, 1958, and was elected as a member of the fourth Knesset (Israeli Parliament), and served as Minister of Agriculture (1959-1964).

On June 1, 1967, shortly before the Six-Day War broke out, he was appointed Minister of Defense by then-Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, and enjoyed unprecedented popular support for his charismatic personality. His dazzling victory during the Six-Day War allowed him to proclaim the "open bridges" policy without delay, which permitted Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria freedom of movement to and from Jordan. He fought for the signing of an agreement with Egypt, which included a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gidi and Mitla strategic passes in Sinai.

After the setbacks of the Yom Kippur War, Moshe Dayan presented his resignation, which then-Prime Minister Golda Meir refused. The Agranat commission report did not consider Dayan the minister responsible for the events that led to the outbreak of the war. In June 1974, when the government of Golda Meir resigned, he completed his term as Minister of Defense. In 1977, he joined the Likud government headed by Begin, and held the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Moshe Dayan was one of the initiators of contact with Egypt. He met the King of Morocco and Hassan Tohami, the representative of the Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat. He was a major contributor to the Camp David Accords, and to the signing of peace agreements with Egypt. In 1980, he resigned from his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was elected to the 10th Knesset for the Telem party which he founded and led.

Moshe Dayan died on October 16, 1981.