Uzi Narkiss Israeli general who commanded the Central Front of the Israel Defense Forces Date of Birth: 06.01.1925 Country: Israel

Biography of Uzi Narkis

Uzi Narkis was an Israeli general who commanded the Central Front of the Israel Defense Forces during the Six-Day War in 1967. He was born in Jerusalem to a family of Polish immigrants. His first memory was of being in a shelter during the Arab riots in 1929. Uzi received his education at the "Rehavia" Gymnasium in Jerusalem and began his military service by joining the Palmach at the age of 16. He later participated in Haganah operations against the British colonial forces in Palestine. In April 1948, Uzi Narkis led an attack on Katamon, liberating the strategically important point of St. Simon Monastery. After the withdrawal of British forces from Palestine and the establishment of Israel's independence, Narkis was appointed to assist the besieged Jewish Quarter of the Old City. His unit managed to penetrate through the Zion Gate, providing supplies and evacuating the wounded from the siege. Only when it became clear that no military reinforcement would arrive, Narkis ordered his soldiers to withdraw from the Old City, which was occupied by Jordanian forces.
Education and Career

Uzi Narkis spent several years in France, studying at the École de Guerre (French Military School) and later serving as the Israeli military attache. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government. Narkis returned to Israel to continue his military career and in 1965 became the first director of the Israel National Defense College. In June 1967, Uzi Narkis commanded three brigades and participated in all battles against the Jordanian armed forces during the Six-Day War. The capture of the Old City was not initially planned. Israeli troops were moving to occupy key positions in East Jerusalem. Narkis was concerned that political leaders would not dare to take the Old City. However, influenced by the approaching ceasefire (after the nearest UN meeting), Moshe Dayan tasked Uzi Narkis with the mission to reunite Jerusalem without waiting for the ceasefire. Under Narkis's leadership, the Old City was taken back from the Jordanians, and Jerusalem was once again unified under Israeli control. From Narkis's perspective, this liberation marked the end of a campaign he had started nineteen years earlier, the loss of which often troubled him. Uzi Narkis retired from the IDF in 1968 and held key positions in the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization for a long time. He passed away in Jerusalem on December 17, 1997, at the age of 72.