1948 – Independence
A Commander during the War of Independence
On November 29, 1947, the UN Assembly decided upon the partition of the Land of Israel/Palestine and the establishment of a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews accepted the proposal. The Arabs in Palestine rejected it and launched attacks on Jewish targets in an attempt to foil the plan. The War of Independence began.
As the Palmach Operations Officer and Liaison appointed to coordinate with the general staff, Rabin dealt primarily with reinforcing the Palmach troops with weaponry and human resources, as well as securing the route to Jerusalem, which was subject to incessant attacks from the Arab villages along the way.
At the beginning of April 1948, Yitzhak Rabin joined the Harel Forces, and within a short time was appointed as Commander of Harel Headquarters. He was in charge of alerting the defense line in place for the convoy transfer to Jerusalem and called for offense actions to be taken against the villages that were serving as bases for those attacking the convoys.
During the same month, the Harel Brigade was established and Rabin, at 24 years old, was appointed as its commander. Four days later, the decision was made to launch Operation Yevusi, intended to take control over Jerusalem immediately following the British evacuation. In the bitter battles within the city and the breakthrough into the city, dozens of his soldiers were killed. On May 14, 1948, the day the state was declared, Rabin was with his exhausted forces at the command post near Ma’ale HaHamisha.
On June 11, the first truce during the war went into effect. During the truce, the Burma Road, a bypass to Jerusalem was spurred open by the Harel Brigade, easing the siege on the city. Operation Danny began on July 9, to capture Lod and Ramla. Yitzhak Rabin served as the Operations Officer and Deputy to The Operation Commander, Yigal Allon. The sight of the convoys of displaced refugees with their belongings on their shoulders left a heavy impression on the IDF soldiers.
During the second truce, Palmach Headquarters was dismantled, amidst a tough debate, and its brigades were integrated into IDF units. Now, as part of the Israel Defense Forces, the Palmach prepared to capture the Negev.
Rabin took advantage of the truce, and on July 19, he married his sweetheart, Leah Schlossberg.
Yigal Allon was appointed Commander of the Southern Front, and most of the members of the Palmach Headquarters joined him, including Rabin, who was appointed as Operations Officer of the Front and Deputy to Allon. In this position, Rabin dealt with planning major operations against the Egyptian army. During the battles, he was sent as Allon’s representative to ceasefire talks with Egypt in Rhodes. This was his first diplomatic task. In anticipation of
