Operation Shoter (“Policeman”)

Operation Shoter (“Policeman”) was an Israeli military operation carried out in late July 1948 with the objective of occupying the “Little Triangle” south of Haifa, which consisted of three Palestinian villages: Ijzim, Jaba', and Ayn Ghazal. The three villages had resisted two earlier attempts to occupy them, on 18 June and 8 July 1948. Their defenders also disrupted Israeli military movement and transportation along the coastal road between Haifa and Tel Aviv.

The final assault began on 24 July 1948 during the Second Truce. The operation was named “Shoter,” meaning “Policeman,” and was officially presented as a “police operation” against inhabitants who allegedly refused to recognize Israeli authority. In practice, however, it was a military operation, and this designation was used to conceal a violation of the truce. A special force composed of units from the Golani, Carmeli, and Alexandroni brigades participated in the operation, supported by intensive artillery and aerial bombardment.

By 26 July 1948, Ijzim, Jaba', and Ayn Ghazal had fallen under Israeli control. The assault resulted in the displacement of the inhabitants of all three villages, who were forced to evacuate. Jaba' and Ayn Ghazal were also extensively destroyed after their occupation. The attack provoked international protest because it was carried out during the Second Truce. United Nations mediator Count Folke Bernadotte later stated that the measures taken against the villages exceeded the terms of the truce. In September 1948, he called for the refugees to be allowed to return and for their damaged homes to be repaired or rebuilt, but these measures were never implemented.

The Palestinian villages directly targeted by Operation Shoter were:

Ijzim, Jaba', and Ayn Ghazal — Haifa District.