Uzi Narkiss | |
|---|---|
 Narkiss in 1959 | |
| Native name | עוזי נרקיס |
| Born | January 6, 1925 |
| Died | December 17, 1997 (Aged 72) Jerusalem, Israel |
| Buried | Jerusalem, Israel (Mount Herzl) |
| Allegiance | Palmach, Israel |
| Awards |  War of Independence Ribbon Sinai War Ribbon Six-Day War RibbonLegion of Honour |
Uzi Narkiss (Hebrew:עוזי נרקיס; January 6, 1925 – December 17, 1997) was an Israeli general. Narkiss was commander of theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) units in the Central Region during the 1967Six-Day War. Narkiss appears in the famous photograph ofDefense MinisterMoshe Dayan flanked byChief of StaffYitzhak Rabin taken in theOld City of Jerusalem shortly after its capture fromJordanian forces.[1]
Uzi Narkiss was born in Jerusalem toPolish Jewish parents. His first memory was of going into hiding during the1929 Palestine riots. Narkiss attended high school atGymnasia Rehavia. He joined thePalmach at the age of 16[2] and was involved inHaganahoperations against British Mandatory forces inPalestine.
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In April 1948, Narkiss headed the assault onKatamon with the Fourth Battalion of theHarel Brigade, during which time they captured the monastery atSan Simon — a key strategic position. Following the final departure of the British in May 1948 and the IsraeliDeclaration of Independence, Narkiss was appointed to assist those besieged in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Narkiss' unit, dubbed a "diversionary force," succeeded in penetrating Zion Gate, bringing in supplies and evacuating the wounded from those under siege. When military reinforcements failed to appear, however, Narkiss ordered his men to retreat, with the Old City falling to Jordanian forces shortly thereafter.[3]
Narkiss spent several years studying in France at theÉcole de Guerre (the French Military Academy). He later served as an Israeli military attaché and was awarded theLégion d’honneur by the French government. In 1965, he was appointed the first director of the Israel National Defense College.
During theSix-Day War on June 5, 1967, with seven brigades under his command known asCentral Command, Narkiss was responsible for combating any possible Jordanian offensive. Capturing the Old City was not part of the plan.Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units moved effectively to take key positions in east Jerusalem, where one key location wasAmmunition Hill. Still, to Narkiss' dismay, the politicians would still not allow the Old City to be taken. But with a looming cease fire approaching after an emergency meeting of the UN,Moshe Dayan gave the order to Narkiss who quickly capitalised on the opportunity to capture the city before any cease fire prevented this as an option. Under his direction, the Old City was captured on June 7 and Jerusalem was reunified under Israeli control. From Narkiss' viewpoint, this completed the campaign he had begun 19 years earlier, and whose previous failure had haunted him.
After the war, the Palestinian village ofBeit Awwa was completely destroyed.[4]Moshe Dayan claimed the destruction was carried out under the orders of an officer who wished to expel the residents; Brigadier General Uzi Narkiss claimed the credit for the action.[5]
In response to ongoingfedayeen attacks across theJordan River in early 1968, the IDF performed dual military operations in March: Operation Asuta, as part ofSouthern Command operations; and Operation Inferno, as part Narkiss's Central Command. While the IDF considered the former an operational success, the latter resulted in theBattle of Karameh, which obtained mixed results. While Operation Inferno achieved most of its objectives, namely uprootingFatah from their headquarters atKarameh in Jordan, it failed to captureYasser Arafat. Moreover, the Israelis suffered numerous casualties and loss of equipment, some of which was paraded throughAmman. This emboldenedKing Hussein, and led to a recruitment wave in Fatah. As a result, Narkiss was quietly relieved of his command, and instead went on to hold key positions in theJewish Agency and theWorld Zionist Organization.[6]
In 1948, Uzi Narkiss searched the body of the dead Palestinian commanderAbdul Kader Husseini for his Koran on the battlefield. In the 1980s he wanted to give it to Kader's sonFaisal Husseini but only "in the presence of journalists and TV cameras – otherwise I am not interested". Husseini was not interested under such terms, therefore Narkiss kept it in his library.[7]
Narkiss died in 1997 after a long illness at the age of 72. He was buried in the military cemetery onMount Herzl.[8]
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