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P. 189
+"By the Way – the Jewish State Has Been Founded"
It was the day of the invasion of the Arab armies – Saturday, May 15, '48, in the
afternoon. The first battalion of the Palmach (Yiftach Brigade) was fighting, Yiftah,
was fighting the invaders from Lebanon, at the Malkiya and Kadesh-Naftali posts.
The situation was dire: there were dozens of dead and wounded soldiers, the
commanders had been killed, the battalion was hungry and thirsty, the ammunition
was running out, and the Arabs were attacking in waves.
At this point the commander of the operation, Yigal Peikowitz-Alon ("Yiftah")
radioed the battalion commander, Dan Lanner ("Hagai"). Neither could hear the
other, owing to the distance and the difference in altitude. At the time, Gandhi
[Rehavam Zeevi] was covering the battalion with the Maoz-Kadouri platoon, from
a position near the military camp in Malkiya, which was located high up. Gandhi
volunteered to serve as a relay station and transfer the commanders' messages to
one another.
Yigal promised to send help, and gave over some information: "Harel" [Brigade]
was fighting at Bab-el-Wad; a company from "Yiftah" was fighting in the Jordan
Valley; the "Negev" brigade was confronting the Egyptians, and so on – a great many
troubles. Yigal conveyed one more detail: "Yesterday, the Jewish state was declared
in Tel Aviv."
G andhi relayed all this news to Dan Lanner, minus the final part about the
declaration of the state. Yigal heard Gandhi's report on the wireless and said, "You
forgot to pass on that the state has been founded." Gandhi corrected himself,
reporting to Dan: "By the way, the Jewish State has been founded."
M ishpahat HaPalmach (The Palmach Family), ed. Haim Gouri and Chaim Chefer, 1973
After the Declaration 187
It was the day of the invasion of the Arab armies – Saturday, May 15, '48, in the
afternoon. The first battalion of the Palmach (Yiftach Brigade) was fighting, Yiftah,
was fighting the invaders from Lebanon, at the Malkiya and Kadesh-Naftali posts.
The situation was dire: there were dozens of dead and wounded soldiers, the
commanders had been killed, the battalion was hungry and thirsty, the ammunition
was running out, and the Arabs were attacking in waves.
At this point the commander of the operation, Yigal Peikowitz-Alon ("Yiftah")
radioed the battalion commander, Dan Lanner ("Hagai"). Neither could hear the
other, owing to the distance and the difference in altitude. At the time, Gandhi
[Rehavam Zeevi] was covering the battalion with the Maoz-Kadouri platoon, from
a position near the military camp in Malkiya, which was located high up. Gandhi
volunteered to serve as a relay station and transfer the commanders' messages to
one another.
Yigal promised to send help, and gave over some information: "Harel" [Brigade]
was fighting at Bab-el-Wad; a company from "Yiftah" was fighting in the Jordan
Valley; the "Negev" brigade was confronting the Egyptians, and so on – a great many
troubles. Yigal conveyed one more detail: "Yesterday, the Jewish state was declared
in Tel Aviv."
G andhi relayed all this news to Dan Lanner, minus the final part about the
declaration of the state. Yigal heard Gandhi's report on the wireless and said, "You
forgot to pass on that the state has been founded." Gandhi corrected himself,
reporting to Dan: "By the way, the Jewish State has been founded."
M ishpahat HaPalmach (The Palmach Family), ed. Haim Gouri and Chaim Chefer, 1973
After the Declaration 187
