Moshe Dayan

Born of Ukranian Jewish immigrant parents in Palestine in 1915, Moshe Dayan joined the Haganah (Defense) the underground Jewish army in Palestine in 1929 with aimed to protect Jewish people from harassment and violence from the Muslim Palestinian population with resented Jewish presense in Palestine. In 1937 Dayan became a sergeant with the Jewish settlement police mobile unit and within a year launched raids against occupying British and local Palestinian troops. Within a year he was captured and imprisoned, but released in 1941 with an offer to join the British army in Palestine in fighting the pro-nazi Vichy French and Arab and German allies. It was during an early engagement in Lebanon that Dayan lost his left eye in combat. Dayan spent the rest of the war recovering from his wounds and slight seeing loss. In 1947 he became an officer in the Haganah for local Arab affairs and in 1948, at the start of the Israeli War for Independence, Dayan became a Colonel in the Israeli Army and saw many actions throughtout 1948. In 1952 Dayan became Chief of Operations in the Israeli army and in 1956 saw the highlight of his military career with the Sinai Campaign against Egypt (October 29-November 5) which his forces captured Sinai and the Gaza Strip. In 1958 he retired from active duty and spent time as a writer, journalist and military advisor. In 1967 Dayan became Minister of Defense for Israel which he was one of those who mastermined the decisive Six-Day War (June 5-10) against Egypt, Jordan and Syria which Israel again won the Sinai, Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank of Jordan and the Golan Heights. Critized for the Israeli's army unreadness for the Yom Kipper War of 1973 (October 6-24) Dayan resigned as Minster of Defense on June 3, 1974. From 1977 to 1979 he was the Foreign Minster of Israel which he helped negotiate the final peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Living from then on in virtual retirement, Moshe Dayan died in 1981.