Amos Yarkoni (Hebrew: עמוס ירקוני) (born 1 June 1920 — died 7 February 1991), was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces and one of six Israeli Arabs to have received the IDF's third highest decoration, the Medal of Distinguished Service.

Yarkoni was born Abd al-Majid Hidr[2] (Arabic: عبد المجيد خضر المزاريب) in the Bedouin village of Na'ura[3] (east of Afula, in the Gilboa region of northern Israel).

In December 1947, as the war raged, he placed his destiny with the Jews, joining the nascent IDF and changing his name to Amos Yarkoni.

In 1955, the frequency and effectiveness of Fedayeen attacks being launched from the Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip and the Jordanian-controlled Hebron Hills area against isolated Israeli civilian communities increased, and the IDF searched for new ways to eliminate the threat.

Rehavam Zeevi, then a senior officer in the Southern Command and in charge of securing the isolated towns of the Jordan Valley, recommended Amos Yarkoni for the task.

Yarkoni and Zeevi had met some years earlier, when serving in a joint minorities/Jewish unit, and remained close friends for the rest of their lives.

[citation needed] Yarkoni accepted the recommendation, and the IDF tracking and counter-terrorism unit was formed under his guidance and command.

Behind the coffin marched the President of Israel, Chaim Herzog, political and military leaders, and ordinary Israelis from all walks of life.