هذا التقرير متاح أيضًا بـ العربية

The Palestinian people face a brutal occupation on their land: an army equipped with advanced systems and modern technological methods. Within those systems are secret and public agencies and units alike, all aimed at tightening control over both people and land by force. The Palestinian has no choice but to arm himself with resistance and faith.

We continue with you in the series “Israeli Instruments of Repression.” In this article, we look at the Shaldag Unit, known by the number 5101 and also as the “Air Force commando unit.” This unit occupies its place within the special air forces, carrying out commando operations using advanced technological warfare means, as well as landing and abduction operations.

The Shaldag Unit

The unit was established in 1974 under the command of Muki Betser, in the wake of the Israeli occupation army’s defeat in the October War of 1973 and the failure of the “General Staff Reconnaissance Unit” to carry out its combat missions, as it was unable to keep pace with the battlefields.

At its founding, the unit was made up of reserve soldiers from the “General Staff” unit, but after a short time, it quickly split from it and became an elite unit affiliated with the Israeli occupation army’s Air Force.

Its name in Arabic means “kingfisher,” a type of bird that lives near rivers and feeds on fish it catches with its beak, known in English as the Kingfisher. The unit’s name is believed to derive from a quote by David Stirling, founder of the British SAS (Special Air Service), who said his unit would descend on an enemy like a kingfisher dropping onto its prey.

Its Activities

As noted, the unit specializes in commando missions and assassinations, deep intelligence operations, and the designation of civilian targets for military aircraft. It is therefore considered an elite, secretive unit unknown to the general public. As a result, there is little publicly available information about it, as information concerning the unit is restricted, especially details related to its targets and missions.

Three main activities in which the Shaldag Unit played a central and decisive role can be noted:

– The unit took part in “Operation Moses II,” or “Second Moses,” in 1984 and 1985 to relocate Falasha Jews from Ethiopia (Abyssinia) to “Israel.” This operation helped expose the Shaldag Unit in the media and caused a stir at the regional level, leading to the cancellation of the secret agreement signed by the Israeli government with the Sudanese government, under which the latter would provide facilities for transporting Falasha Jews to “Israel” via Israeli aircraft passing over Sudan.

When internal unrest intensified in Ethiopia during the rule of Mengistu Haile Mariam, tensions also rose among Israeli political circles, which were gripped by fear over the catastrophe that might befall the Jewish community (the Falasha), although there is historical and religious controversy over the origins of the Falasha Jews, and no established fact proves that their origins are Jewish.

As for the hidden reasons behind their transfer from Ethiopia, they were exploited as labor, regarded as fourth-class citizens in Jewish circles, and, from the moment they were transferred to “Israel,” they embraced the Jewish religion.

Accordingly, Yitzhak Shamir’s government moved to negotiate with Mariam to carry out a large-scale and rapid operation to transfer the Falasha from Addis Ababa to “Israel” in a single night. Indeed, on May 24–25, 1991, the Shaldag Unit transported about 14,500 Falasha to “Israel” in what became known as “Operation Solomon.”

– The unit took part in a large number of operations and military campaigns carried out by “Israel,” including the Second Intifada. It is also known for its role in the assassination of Fatah commander Youssef Abu Sway from Bethlehem, who was killed on Dec. 12, 2000.

– During the 2014 Gaza war, members of the Shaldag Unit were able to uncover tunnels belonging to the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and played a major role in supporting Israeli occupation army units that raided the Gaza Strip. Military aerial movements and reconnaissance were decisive during the 2014 war. It is worth noting that the unit’s sniper team continuously supported the infantry forces of the Nahal Brigade in the northern Gaza Strip.

Recruiting Members

Joining the unit is not easy. Candidates must pass the initial commando units test, and trainees undergo the longest training phase of any unit in the occupation army, lasting 22 months, with training placing heavy emphasis on aerial navigation.

In the advanced stages, the training becomes more difficult, designed to provide broad experience while increasing severe physical stress through long forced marches carrying heavy loads.

The training stages accompanying the basic training include six months of basic and advanced infantry training, a parachuting course, navigation exercises in all weather conditions and terrains, air-ground cooperation and aerial operations, intelligence gathering, communications and reconnaissance training, and specialized training for specific roles such as doctors, medics, and snipers.

They also receive two weeks of training in enduring enemy captivity, during which they are subjected to a sudden mock capture involving all forms of threat, interrogation, physical violence, and humiliation.

Among the most prominent commanders of this unit are Eliq Ron (1984–1987), Benny Gantz (1989–1992), and Eyal Rosenberg (1996–1999).

Its Most Notable Failures

During the July 2006 war, the unit carried out about 30 operations aimed at abducting Hezbollah captives in southern Lebanon in order to exchange them for Israeli occupation prisoners. In one operation carried out at Al-Hikma Hospital, the unit abducted three civilians under the mistaken belief that one of them was Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

After the war ended and the Israeli occupation was defeated, the unit failed during an airborne operation in the village of Budai, west of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, where members of the special unit “Sayeret Matkal” were also present. They were hit by a counter-ambush by one of the party’s groups, resulting in the death of force commander Emmanuel Moreno.

Like other units of repression and criminality in the occupation state, and despite its advanced standing in the Israeli Air Force, the Shaldag Unit often fails in many of its objectives, even as it may succeed in others. Ultimately, that is due to the resilience of the resistance, its sound management, and the development of its deterrent capabilities.