From Training in Post-World War II Germany to Fighting a Desperate Battle against Egypt, an Israeli General Tells His Story

Oct. 20 2021

During his long career in the IDF, Major General Yom Tov Tamir served as a tank officer in the Six-Day War (in which he was wounded), the War of Attrition, the Yom Kippur War, and the First Lebanon War. In 1964, he and a handful of other Israeli officers were selected—at America’s behest—to go to West Germany for training in armor tactics, where they served wearing German military uniforms. He discusses these experiences with John Spencer, an expert on urban warfare at West Point, giving particular attention to his role in the fighting along the Suez Canal in the 1973 war, when an Egyptian surprise attack overwhelmed Israeli defenses. Tamir concludes by explaining the significance of the IDF motto “The tank is iron, but the man is steel.” That is, human capabilities and morale are more important than any piece of technology. (A two-part podcast. Audio, 44 and 27 minutes, respectively.)

Read more at Urban Warfare Project

More about: Israeli history, Israeli military, Military history, Yom Kippur War

Expand Gaza into Sinai

Feb. 11 2025

Calling the proposal to depopulate Gaza completely (if temporarily) “unworkable,” Peter Berkowitz makes the case for a similar, but more feasible, plan:

The United States along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE should persuade Egypt by means of generous financial inducements to open the sparsely populated ten-to-fifteen miles of Sinai adjacent to Gaza to Palestinians seeking a fresh start and better life. Egypt would not absorb Gazans and make them citizens but rather move Gaza’s border . . . westward into Sinai. Fences would be erected along the new border. The Israel Defense Force would maintain border security on the Gaza-extension side, Egyptian forces on the other. Egypt might lease the land to the Palestinians for 75 years.

The Sinai option does not involve forced transfer of civilian populations, which the international laws of war bar. As the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other partners build temporary dwellings and then apartment buildings and towns, they would provide bus service to the Gaza-extension. Palestinian families that choose to make the short trip would receive a key to a new residence and, say, $10,000.

The Sinai option is flawed. . . . Then again, all conventional options for rehabilitating and governing Gaza are terrible.

Read more at RealClear Politics

More about: Donald Trump, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula