Dov Tamari ( he, דב תמרי; born 1936) was an Israeli military leader. He retired as a brigadier general. He held several prominent posts, including the
IDF's Chief
Intelligence Officer.
Military service
Tamari was drafted into the IDF in 1954. He volunteered as a
paratrooper in the
Paratroopers Brigade
The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...
. He served as a soldier and a
squad leader and took part in the
Reprisal operations. In 1956 he became an infantry officer after completing
Officer Candidate School and returned to the Paratroopers Brigade as a
platoon leader.
On 10 October 1956, during Operation Samaria, in which the Paratroopers Brigade attacked the Jordanian military stronghold in
Qalqilya
Qalqilya or Qalqiliya ( ar, قلقيلية, Qalqīlyaḧ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank which serves as the administrative center of the Qalqilya Governorate of the State of Palestine. In the 2007 census, the city had a population of 41 ...
, Tamari's force was separated from the main force and came under heavy attack. Tamari showed extraordinary bravery and his force repelled the Jordanian force. For his actions he was decorated with the
Medal of Courage.
Tamari fought in the 1956
Sinai War
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
and was wounded during the battle for
Mitla Pass. Afterwards he led a paratrooper company and the Brigade's
reconnaissance company. He was appointed commander of
Sayeret Matkal, and led its men during
clandestine operations and in the
Samu Incident. For his actions as the commander of Sayeret Matkal Tamari received two
Chief of Staff (Ramatkal) Citations.
During the
Six-Day War he commanded a reserve Paratroopers battalion.
He later commanded the
401st Armored Brigade.
During the
Yom Kippur War Tamari served as the deputy commander of the
162nd Division.
[Anat Balint, Haggai Hitron, Amnon Barzilai]
"Channel 2 Puts Off Screening of Controversial Film on 1973 Battle"
''Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'', 26 April 2004. After the war he commanded the 162nd Division and served as the first Chief
Intelligence Officer.
He retired in 1979 in the rank of brigadier general.
Tamari hold a
Ph.D. from
University of Haifa in
military history
Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships.
Professional historians norma ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamari, Dov
1936 births
Israeli generals
Israeli Jews
Israeli people of the Six-Day War
Israeli people of the Yom Kippur War
Living people
Recipients of the Medal of Courage
Brigadier generals
University of Haifa alumni