‘A Stronghold of Ignorance and Cowardice’

the Arab Combatant in the Eyes of the Israeli Combatants in 1948

Abstract

Despite the fact that Arab regular and irregular forces often waged bitter war against the Israelis in the 1948 war, a ridiculous image of the Arab combatant was to dominate Israeli collective memory. In the Israeli war literature of 1948, upon which this study is based, the Arab combatant was scorned for his alleged cowardice, stupidity and helplessness. A systematic analysis of this image of the Arab combatant shows that his ridiculous portrait was meant to serve the construction of the Archetypal figure of the Israeli soldier and commander as his complete opposite, and glorify the newly formed Israeli army.