Palhibe Platoon
The Palhibe Platoon was the name of the Bedouin platoon from Kfar Tuba in the Upper Galilee, which fought alongside the Jews in the War of Independence.
The Palhibe Platoon was the name of the Bedouin platoon from Kfar Tuba in the Upper Galilee, which fought alongside the Jews in the War of Independence. At the beginning of 1948, Amihud Shwartz and Mano Friedman from Rosh Pina introduced between Yiga’al Alon, the Palmach’s commander in the Galilee, and Hussein Ismail Abu Yusuf, the adored chief and leader of the Hibes’ tribe. The Sheikh expressed his wish to tie his fate with the Jewish fate in a blood covenant. The small tribe which comprised in 1948 of four hundred men, women and children, had terrorized the surrounding Arabs; the tribe’s men were brave and well armed, they rode noble horses and lived off pillage of sheep and cattle.
Already during the events of 1936- 1939 the Hibes would not assist the Arab rioters and maintained a friendly relationship with their Jewish neighbors. The Sheikh sold a territory of 500 dunams to the National Fund which would later become Kibbutz Kfar Hanasi. During the first months of the War, the Syrians made many attempts to convince the tribe’s chief to transfer his tribe to the Golan, promising that the past enmity would be forgotten. Although the Hibes were aware of the power gap between the Jews and Arabs and of the approaching Syrian and Lebanese invasion, they believed in the Jewish victory and refused all the tempting offers.
When Yiga’al Alon learned of the tribe’s frank intention to join the Jews, he first ordered the commanders of Operation Matate, not to harm the tribe’s men. After a while he decided to meet the Tribe’s chief. A delegation went on a visit which was prepared ahead by Yeruham Cohen (a prominent ‘Arabist’ from the Galilee). When the sheikh was asked why he wanted to join the Jews, he answered: “In the Bible it is said that this land is intended for the Jews, and the Holy scripts must not be disagreed with. I and my men want to live in peace as loyal citizens to the Jewish state”. Yiga’al knew of the blood revenge that hung in the shadow of the relationship between the Tribe and the Higher Arab Committee and that the Sheikh’s belief in the Jewish victory was what determined his decision.
To check his reliability, the Palmach’s men went out of the tent and requested the Sheikh to tell them of the Syrian army’s alignment beyond Bnot Ya’akov Bridge. The Sheikh gave a comprehensive and exact answer, which was confirmed with the information that Yeruham had (from his own sources).
In that same meeting it was decided to set up a military unit from the Tribe’s young men between the size of a company to a platoon, which would be subordinated to Yiftach Brigade and would integrate in its security operations. Isa’ac Hankin was appointed the unit’s commander and worked together with Mahmud Al Ubaid who would later be appointed the Company’s sergeant major in the framework of the Minority Unit of the I.D.F and become the I.D.F’s first scout.
Hankin began to train the unit; he first led the Tribe’e men to dig posts, covers and communication canals in preparation for an attack or a bombing against the village. Secondly, he trained seventy chosen young men in individual and class training. Until Operation Matate (on May 1948) the unit engaged in intelligence operation.
Already during the events of 1936- 1939 the Hibes would not assist the Arab rioters and maintained a friendly relationship with their Jewish neighbors. The Sheikh sold a territory of 500 dunams to the National Fund which would later become Kibbutz Kfar Hanasi. During the first months of the War, the Syrians made many attempts to convince the tribe’s chief to transfer his tribe to the Golan, promising that the past enmity would be forgotten. Although the Hibes were aware of the power gap between the Jews and Arabs and of the approaching Syrian and Lebanese invasion, they believed in the Jewish victory and refused all the tempting offers.
When Yiga’al Alon learned of the tribe’s frank intention to join the Jews, he first ordered the commanders of Operation Matate, not to harm the tribe’s men. After a while he decided to meet the Tribe’s chief. A delegation went on a visit which was prepared ahead by Yeruham Cohen (a prominent ‘Arabist’ from the Galilee). When the sheikh was asked why he wanted to join the Jews, he answered: “In the Bible it is said that this land is intended for the Jews, and the Holy scripts must not be disagreed with. I and my men want to live in peace as loyal citizens to the Jewish state”. Yiga’al knew of the blood revenge that hung in the shadow of the relationship between the Tribe and the Higher Arab Committee and that the Sheikh’s belief in the Jewish victory was what determined his decision.
To check his reliability, the Palmach’s men went out of the tent and requested the Sheikh to tell them of the Syrian army’s alignment beyond Bnot Ya’akov Bridge. The Sheikh gave a comprehensive and exact answer, which was confirmed with the information that Yeruham had (from his own sources).
In that same meeting it was decided to set up a military unit from the Tribe’s young men between the size of a company to a platoon, which would be subordinated to Yiftach Brigade and would integrate in its security operations. Isa’ac Hankin was appointed the unit’s commander and worked together with Mahmud Al Ubaid who would later be appointed the Company’s sergeant major in the framework of the Minority Unit of the I.D.F and become the I.D.F’s first scout.
Hankin began to train the unit; he first led the Tribe’e men to dig posts, covers and communication canals in preparation for an attack or a bombing against the village. Secondly, he trained seventy chosen young men in individual and class training. Until Operation Matate (on May 1948) the unit engaged in intelligence operation.