Uzi Narkiss ( he, עוזי נרקיס; January 6, 1925 – December 17, 1997) was an Israeli general. Narkiss was commander of the
Israel Defense Forces units in the Central Region during the 1967
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Ju ...
. Narkiss appears in the famous photograph of
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan flanked by
Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...
taken in the
Old City of Jerusalem shortly after its capture from
Jordanian forces.
Biography
Uzi Narkiss was born in Jerusalem to
Polish Jewish
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...
parents. His first memory was of going into hiding during the
1929 Arab riots. Narkiss attended high school at
Gymnasia Rehavia. He joined the
Palmach at the age of 16 and was involved in
Haganah operations against British Mandatory forces in
Palestine.
He died in Jerusalem at the age of 72.
Military career
In April 1948, Narkiss headed the assault on
Katamon
, settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem
, image_skyline = בית רה"מ לוי אשכול ברחוב בוסתנאי 3 בשכנות קטמון בירושלים.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, image_caption = House ...
with the Fourth Battalion of the
Harel Brigade, during which time they captured the monastery at
San Simon — a key strategic position. Following the final departure of the British in May 1948 and the Israeli
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...
, 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.
Narkiss spent several years studying in France at the
École de Guerre (the French Military Academy). He later served as an Israeli military attaché and was awarded the
Légion d’honneur by the French government. In 1965, he was appointed the first director of the Israel National Defense College.
During the Six-Day War on June 5, 1967, with seven brigades under his command known as
Central Command, Narkiss was responsible for combating any possible Jordanian offensive. Capturing the Old City was not part of the plan. Israeli units moved effectively to take key positions in east Jerusalem, where one key location was
Ammunition 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 of
Beit Awwa was completely destroyed.
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. In 1948 Uzi Narkiss searched the body of the dead Palestinian commander
Abdul Kader Husseini for his Koran on the battlefield. In the 1980s he wanted to give it to Kader's son
Faisal Husseini
Faisal Abdel Qader Al-Husseini ( ar, فيصل عبدالقادر الحسيني) (July 17, 1940 – May 31, 2001) was a Palestinian politician.
Al-Husseini was born in Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq, son of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, commander of local ...
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.
Husseini's Koran
/ref>
Public positions
After his retirement from the army in 1968, Narkiss held key positions in the Jewish Agency
The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...
and the World Zionist Organization.
References
External links
General Uzi Narkiss
– A historic radio interview with General Uzi Narkiss on June 7 – one day after the Six-Day War, describing the battle for Jerusalem
* Central Zionist Archives
Central Zionist Archives (CZA; he, הארכיון הציוני המרכזי) is the official archive of the institutions of the Zionist Movement: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod/the U ...
in Jerusale
site
Office of Uzi Narkiss (S91)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Narkiss, Uzi
People from Jerusalem
Israeli generals
Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent
Palmach members
1925 births
1997 deaths
Burials at Mount Herzl