David Shaltiel

David Shaltiel (Hebrew: דוד שאלתיאל; 16 January 1903 – February 1969) was an Israeli military and intelligence officer, later also diplomat, and was most well known for being the district commander of the Haganah in Jerusalem during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

David Shaltiel was born on 16 January 1903 in Berlin into a Portuguese Sephardic family, the oldest son of Benjamin Sealtiel and Helene Wormser.

[citation needed] At first Shaltiel did not agree with attacking Deir Yassin, but after a day he surrendered and wrote a letter to Irgun and Lehi, saying that he had "no objection to your carrying out the operation".

Yitzchak Levi, head of the Jerusalem branch of Haganah Intelligence (SHAI), proposed that the inhabitants should be notified that the truce was over, but Shaltiel then refused to endanger the operation by warning them.

[citation needed] Between June 11 and July 21, 1948, he had a series of meetings, mediated by the UN, with Abdullah el Tell, the commander of Arab Legion troops in the Old City.

[5] After the end of the Independence War, David Shaltiel founded the Border Corps of the Israeli army, Heyl Hasfar, and was its first commander.