Deciphering the Military Rule

Connect with the research team on Talk to learn more about this project!

Military Rule over Palestinian citizens in Israel 1948-1966

Following the establishment of the State of Israel, the state implemented a system of military rule to ensure control over the areas with large Arab populations and to monitor their movements and activities. The regions under military rule initially included the Galilee and Negev regions and the cities of Ramla, Lod, and Jaffa. Following the ceasefire agreements with Jordan in April 1949 – the “triangle region” (an area along the Green line extending roughly from Kafr Qasim in the South to Umm al-Fahm in the North). Shortly after the 1948 War ended, the Israeli government removed military rule in the cities of Jaffa, Ramla and Lod. This left 85% of Palestinian citizens of Israel living under military rule, divided into three areas: the North, the Triangle, and the Negev.

For nearly twenty years, the Military Rule served as the central governance and oversight mechanism regarding the treatment of Palestinian citizens of Israel; as a result, it also was essential in defining relations between Palestinian and Jews citizens of Israel. The existence of the Military Rule administration not only caused significant resentment among Palestinian citizens of Israel, but also among the Zionist parties. Over the years, a serious debate emerged over the necessity and morality of military rule. Prime Minister Levi Eshkol abolished it in 1966 and transferred most of its responsibilities to various civilian institutions, including the police and the Shin Bet

The Military Rule Era dramatically shaped the relationship between the State and its Palestinian citizens. Yet this period, when hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians were subject to severe movement restrictions and lived under a military regime, became one of the most forgotten episodes in the history of the State of Israel. Historical research on the Miliary Rule era is quite limited and references to this period are almost completely absent from public discourse.

As part of the project Uncovering the Military Rule Era, we are asking you to assist in cataloguing the trove of information contained in thousands of documents regarding the period that we uncovered in various archives. The cataloguing project will help our ongoing research on the Military Rule era; we are also confident that through exploring original texts, you will gain valuable insights and be inspired to take action. The project facilitates comprehensive research that will lead to a series of online publications, a podcast series, a book of original documents and analysis, and more.

In the photo above: Israeli soldiers and Bedouin citizens outside the Military rule offices in Be'er Sheva, April, 1950. Courtesy of the Government Press Office.
In the maps above: Regional Map of the Military Rule in Israel, October 1952.