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'Operation Dekel' (palm tree), was the largest offensive in the north of Israel during the first and second truce of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was carried out by the Sheva' Brigade, a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade along with some elements from the Golani Brigade between July 8-18. Its objective was to capture Nazareth and the lower Galilee.
The operation was led by Ben Dunkelman, a Canadian volunteer who was the commander of the Sheva' Brigade.
July 15, Israeli aircraft bombed the village Saffuriya and caused panic among the population. Most of the villagers fled northwards toward Lebanon. Only about 100 elderly stayed put.
July 16, in the evening Nazareth surrendered to the Israelis after a light fight which only involved one Israeli casualty and one wounded. The ALA forces in the village under the command of Fawzi al-Qawuqji retreated to the mountains in the north. In sharp contrast to the surrounding towns, the inhabitants in Nazareth were never forced to evacuate. Dunkelman refused to obey orders from Chaim Laskov to evacuate the civilian population of Nazareth. (Source: pp. 86-87 in ''Blaming the Victims'' (Eds.: Edward W. Said and Christopher Hitchens)

Contents

Arab communities captured in Operation Dekel

Units participating in Operation Dekel

See also

External links and references

Arab communities captured in Operation Dekel

Arab communities captured in Operation Dekel

Name	Date	Resistance	Brigade
Kuwaykat	July 10 1948	???	Sheva' Brigade and Carmeli Brigade
Jiddin, Khirbat	July 10-11, 1948	???	???
Ma'lul	July 14	???	???
Saffuriyya	July 15	???	???
Amqa	July 15-16 1948	???	Sheva' Brigade and Carmeli Brigade
al-Damun	July 15-16 1948	????	Sheva' Brigade
Mi'ar	July 15-18, 1948	???	Sheva' Brigade
Nahf	July 15-18, 1948	???	Sheva' Brigade
Sakhnin	July 15-18, 1948	???	Sheva' Brigade
Nazareth	July 16	????	????
Lubya	July 16	???	???
Hittin	July 16-17, 1948	???	Sheva' Brigade
Nimrin	July 16-17, 1948	???	???
Sha'ab	July 18 1948	???	???
Al-Birwa	July 18 1948	???	???

Units participating in Operation Dekel

★ 7th Brigade (Sheva')

★ a battalion from the Carmeli Brigade

★ elements from the Golani Brigade

See also

★ List of villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

★ List of Israeli military operation in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

★ List of massacres committed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

External links and references

★ http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/Dekel.html