Israeli Arab Legion
- Thread starter simonov
- Start date
stryker NZ
New Member
do you mean the Arab Legion that was later transformed into the national army of Jordan? because if you do i can tell you a bit about them
wittmanace
Active Member
though there was the jordan legion...there are actually arab units in the israeli army. i havent read about them for years now....my memory is abit hazy but ill look them up. i havent heard them even be mentioned in a few years now. ill look and see if i find them again. the info i had was hard copy, so i could tell you the isbn when i find them..
stryker NZ
New Member
really now im interested all that my searches came up with was the British trained Arab legion of Jordan which took part in the 2 great wars and various conflicts against Israel were they called the arab legion aswell or did they have a different name
As far as I know Bedouins are used by Southern Command in the Negeve desert as trackers, using camels. They mostly patrol the border zone with Egypt, searching for drug smugglers, human trafficking, and, of course, terrorists and other threats. In the north they have been used extensively in somewhat similar roles, although they usually not employ camels. They probably took part in the Lebanon war this summer, but I have no sources on that.
The information I have comes from a newspaper article I read quite a while ago, so it might be that some of this does not hold true any longer.
The information I have comes from a newspaper article I read quite a while ago, so it might be that some of this does not hold true any longer.
Khairul Alam
New Member
I vaguely remember a BBC report during one of Israel's many incursions in Gaza. The report talked of Arab Bedouins hired to fight. The report accompanied a video of an Israeli soldier sticking his head out of a tank(I dont know for sure whether he was an Arab Bedouin).
Arabs in the IDF
While not required by law (according to Israeli law only Jewish and Druze men are drafted for 3 years, Jewish non observant women for 2) to serve in the IDF, quite a few choose to do so. Some do because it is family tradition (mostly bedouins whoose father served) and some because they believe it will help them integrate better with the Jewish majority.
Bedouins usually serve in what's called - "The Bedouin Patrol battalion", which (It might actually be more than battalion strength) patrols desert borders, and does pretty much what was said before, though not with camels for the past couple of decades
Others serve as "trackers", identifying changes on the ground that might indicate a side bomb or something similar. Quite a few were highly decorated for saving lives in this type of work.
Druze (which are also Arabs, but due to an agreement from 48 are required to serve) can choose to either serve in a homogeneous Druze infantry unit or allow the IDF to choose their placement as per its needs (as it does with Jews) and today you can find them in pretty much every unit.
While not required by law (according to Israeli law only Jewish and Druze men are drafted for 3 years, Jewish non observant women for 2) to serve in the IDF, quite a few choose to do so. Some do because it is family tradition (mostly bedouins whoose father served) and some because they believe it will help them integrate better with the Jewish majority.
Bedouins usually serve in what's called - "The Bedouin Patrol battalion", which (It might actually be more than battalion strength) patrols desert borders, and does pretty much what was said before, though not with camels for the past couple of decades
Others serve as "trackers", identifying changes on the ground that might indicate a side bomb or something similar. Quite a few were highly decorated for saving lives in this type of work. Druze (which are also Arabs, but due to an agreement from 48 are required to serve) can choose to either serve in a homogeneous Druze infantry unit or allow the IDF to choose their placement as per its needs (as it does with Jews) and today you can find them in pretty much every unit.
If I remeber the article correctly the main thing in it was the fact that some unit (or units?) in the Battalion had again taken up the use of camels, due to the fact that it is easier to sneak up on a smuggler with a silent camel than with a roaring jeep. They were however hampered by the fact that it is hard to get good camels these days It might of course be that this was some kind of a short time test which was deemed unsatisfactory, and as a result the use of camels was again discontinued.
I realise that in my earlier post I sounded like all Bedouins still use camels to fight, that, however, was not my intention. Sorry about that
It might of course be that this was some kind of a short time test which was deemed unsatisfactory, and as a result the use of camels was again discontinued.I realise that in my earlier post I sounded like all Bedouins still use camels to fight, that, however, was not my intention. Sorry about that
Hello all
this is my first contribution...
Indeed the IDF uses arabic bedouins and druze in its armed forces. The Bedouins as I remember serves in the southern parts of Israel especially as mentioned before, as trackers, in the Negev desert and borders, and in the Gaza strip at the time, while the druze usually serve in the West bank and northern border. Some of the soldiers captured or killed by Hezbollah & Co. have on occasions shown to be arab druze.. the same thing happened in the gaza strip where some times dead IDF soldiers showed to be bedouins. Another thing is that Palestinians in the west bank some years ago after the israeli withdrawal from lebanon, and the following collapse of the "Southern Lebanese Army" and the fleeing of many of its members to Israel, started talking about mysterious IDF soldiers operating and harrasing them at check points, sometimes hooded, and revealed by speaking arabic with the unique lebanese accent.
There is no specific point with my contribution, just wanted to share whatever I know and have heard of. Plz no Palestine-Isreal politics diskussion, I am tired of listening to it. Keep it simple, keep it military
this is my first contribution...
Indeed the IDF uses arabic bedouins and druze in its armed forces. The Bedouins as I remember serves in the southern parts of Israel especially as mentioned before, as trackers, in the Negev desert and borders, and in the Gaza strip at the time, while the druze usually serve in the West bank and northern border. Some of the soldiers captured or killed by Hezbollah & Co. have on occasions shown to be arab druze.. the same thing happened in the gaza strip where some times dead IDF soldiers showed to be bedouins. Another thing is that Palestinians in the west bank some years ago after the israeli withdrawal from lebanon, and the following collapse of the "Southern Lebanese Army" and the fleeing of many of its members to Israel, started talking about mysterious IDF soldiers operating and harrasing them at check points, sometimes hooded, and revealed by speaking arabic with the unique lebanese accent.
There is no specific point with my contribution, just wanted to share whatever I know and have heard of. Plz no Palestine-Isreal politics diskussion, I am tired of listening to it. Keep it simple, keep it military