Palmach

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The Palmach (Hebrew: פלמ״ח, acronym for פלוגות מחץ, Plugot Maḥatz, "Strike Phalanges/Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the main paramilitary organization of the Yishuv (pre-1948 Jewish community in Palestine) during the period of the British Mandate. The Palmach was established in May 1941. By the outbreak of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, it consisted of over 2,000 men and women in three fighting brigades and auxiliary aerial, naval and intelligence units. With the creation of the Israel Defense Forces, the three Palmach Brigades were disbanded. This and political reasons compelled many of the senior Palmach officers to resign in 1950. The Palmach contributed significantly to Israeli culture and ethos, well beyond its military contribution. Its members formed the backbone of the Israel Defense Forces high command for many years, and were prominent in Israeli politics, literature and culture.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Arieh El-Hanani (1898-1985), Yitzhak Meir and Naftali Bezem, Public domain