April 14, 1976
Lt. Gen. David “Dado” Elazar, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff during the Yom Kippur War, dies of a heart attack at age 50, two years after he resigned from the military in disgrace over the failures of the October 1973 war.
He was born in Yugoslavia on Aug. 27, 1925, and moved to Palestine in 1940. He attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and joined the Palmach before the 1948 War of Independence. He fought in many important battles and built a reputation as a courageous soldier. He rose through the ranks of the IDF to become the commander of the HaPortzim Battalion of the Harel Brigade. In 1964, he became chief of the Northern Command, and during the June 1967 war he led the capture of the Golan Heights from Syria.
He was appointed chief of staff of the IDF in 1972. In his first year, Israel faced two major terrorist attacks: the Lod Airport massacre (May 30, 1972), which killed 26 civilians, and the Munich Olympics massacre (Sept. 5-6, 1972), which killed 11 Israeli Olympic coaches and athletes. In response, Elazar ordered attacks against Palestinian military compounds in Syria and Lebanon.
After the October 1973 war with Egypt and Syria, the Agranat Commission, which investigated the many military blunders associated with the war, concluded that “Chief of Staff Lt.-General David Elazar bears personal responsibility for what happened on the eve of the war with regard to both evaluation of the situation and the question of the IDF’s preparedness. We state this with particular regret as it involves a soldier who has served the State with devotion and distinction for many years and has splendid achievements to his credit during and before the Six-Day War. … In the light of what has been stated above we regard it as our duty to recommend the termination of Lt.-General David Elazar’s appointment as Chief of Staff.”
Elazar resigned, saying, “I see no possibility to continue in my position despite the fact that I believe the errors attributed to me and the weight given to them do not justify the severe conclusions the commission has made concerning me.”
