David Shaltiel Israeli military leader and diplomat. Country: Israel

Biography of David Shaltiel

David Shaltiel was an Israeli military figure and diplomat. He was born into an Orthodox Sephardic family. His father was a leather merchant. In 1923, Shaltiel came to Palestine and worked as a hired agricultural worker. In 1925, he went to Italy and began working as a clerk in a textile factory. In 1926, he joined the French Foreign Legion and was demobilized in 1931 as a senior sergeant.

In 1932, Shaltiel returned to Palestine and joined the underground Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. The organization sent Shaltiel to Europe to procure weapons. In November 1936, Shaltiel was arrested in Germany and sent to a concentration camp. He was only released with great difficulty in 1939 due to the active efforts of the leadership of the Yishuv and Haganah.

In 1940, within Haganah, the Counterintelligence Department (Neged HaBrit) was created to counter the infiltration of British agents into Haganah. Shaltiel was appointed to lead this department. In 1941-1942, he became the head of all Haganah intelligence services. From 1942 to 1945, Shaltiel was in charge of the Haifa branch of Haganah.

In 1946, Shaltiel once again became the head of Haganah's intelligence service, which by then had become an independent intelligence organization called "Shai." During the War of Independence, from February 1948, Shaltiel was the commander of the Israeli armed forces in the Jerusalem area and played a crucial role in the battles for Jerusalem. He was promoted to the rank of Major General during the war.

From 1950 to 1966, Shaltiel served as a diplomat. From 1950 to 1952, he was the Israeli military attaché in France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. From 1952 to 1956, he served as Ambassador to Brazil and Venezuela. From 1956 to 1959, he was Ambassador to Mexico, and from 1963 to 1966, he served as Ambassador to the Netherlands.