Mordechai "Motta" Gur (; May 6, 1930 – July 16, 1995) was an Israeli politician and the 10th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. During the Six-Day War (1967), he commanded the brigade that penetrated the Old City of Jerusalem and broadcast the famous words, "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" (, Har HaBayit B'Yadeinu). As Chief of Staff, he had responsibility for planning and executing Operation Entebbe (1976) to free Jewish hostages in Uganda. He later entered the Knesset and held various ministerial portfolios. Gur wrote three popular children's books and three books about military history.

After two years in France, he returned and was appointed as the commander of the Golani Brigade (1961–1963) and commanded the counter-terror raid in Nukiev. He brought over the traditions and attitude of the Paratroopers, raised morale, and helped instill an espirit de corps in Golani for which the brigade is still famous. In 1965 he was appointed as the head of the operations branch in the general staff of the IDF. During 1965-1967 served as a commander of the IDF Command and Staff College.

alt=Mota Gur 1967 on the Mount of Olives|thumb|Mota Gur (on telephone, without helmet) with the [[Paratroopers Brigade|Paratroopers on the Mount of Olives before entering the Old City of Jerusalem.]]

In 1966 Gur was appointed as the commander of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade (Reserve), which he led during the Six-Day War. Gur and his troops were part of the assault force which wrested Jerusalem from the Jordanians, and which were the first to visit the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. The pictures of paratroopers crying at the Wall and Gur's audio recording in the communication networks, "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" (, Har HaBayit BeYadeinu!), became one of the most touching symbols of the war both to the Israeli public and those abroad.

After the war he was promoted to brigadier general's rank and was appointed as the IDF commander in the Gaza Strip and northern Sinai Peninsula. In 1969 he was promoted to major general and was appointed as the commander of the northern front, where Palestinian militants from the PLO, backed by Syria, attacked Israel's northern settlements. Gur led several counter-attacks to reign in the terror attacks, conquering the Shebaa farms from Syria in order to establish a defensive position to prevent border attacks.

From August 1972 to December 1973 he served as the IDF military attache at Israel's Washington D.C., embassy. Re-elected in 1984, he served as Minister of Health and was also a member of the Knesset's Security and Foreign Affairs Committee. Between 1986 and 1988 he served on the board of Solel Boneh, a construction company. In April 1988 he was appointed Minister without Portfolio, a position he retained following the 1988 elections until March 1990, when Labor pulled out of the coalition.

After the Labor Party won the 1992 elections, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin appointed Gur to be Deputy Minister of Defense. In that role, Gur was responsible for preparing the Israeli economy for times of war and crisis and interacting with the Jewish settlers in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin mourned him as "a special person, sensitive and strong, a soldier and a civilian, a lover of books and of writing, and above all, a friend." Stefan Gierasch in Victory at Entebbe (1976), and Mark Ivanir in 7 Days in Entebbe (2018).

Bibliography

  • Har HaBayit BeYadeinu (literally "The Temple Mount is in our hands") (The Battle for Jerusalem), 1974.

See also

  • List of Israel's Chiefs of the General Staff

References

  • Jewish Virtual Library Timeline