ABSTRACT
During the difficult years of the transit camp period – 1950 to 1954 – the IDF was called upon to help their inhabitants. Were these instances of rescue and technical assistance a type common to other mobilized armies when emergencies arise, or can they be characterized as a more encompassing involvement, stemming from BenGurion’s outlook of state-guided pioneering with the army as its central agent? And if there was involvement of this nature, what constraints were placed upon it and what responses did it engender? These questions are explored in this chapter.
