A photograph of the heroic victory of the Six Day War, taken by Ilan Brunner, a photographer for the Government Press Office. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan (center), Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin (right) and Central Command General Uzi Narkis (left), who ordered the paratroopers to break into the Old City on their way to the liberated Western Wall a few hours after its liberation - June 7, 1967. On the photograph is a handwritten and signature dedication by Narkis in English dated: December 3, 1972.
The photograph is considered one of the best known in the history of the State of Israel and one of the symbols of the Six Day War and the Battle of Jerusalem. Uzi Narkis in his book "One Jerusalem" calls the photograph: "The cover image of the Six Day War in Jerusalem." The decision to break into the Old City during the war was a complex and difficult decision. The hours leading up to Motta Gur's historic proclamation, "The Temple Mount is in our hands, " were bloody. The photo of the commanders Dayan, Rabin and Narkis (behind Dayan and Narkis, with the face turned back, is Rehavam Zeevi, see below) with the uniform and helmets, entering through the Lions Gate to the liberated Western Wall, posted around the world and became a war symbol. During the Six Day War itself, this photograph was considered THE PICTURE OF THE VICTORY and the most prominent photograph of the war. The photo appeared in the front pages of major Israeli newspapers the day after the liberation of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, and a day later as the front page of "Davar HaShavuah" and even in English in the "New York Times".
The photo was taken by Ilan Brunner, who was drafted into the reserve as a military photographer by the IDF Spokesman. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan had a well-developed media consciousness, and when he left for the Old City after his release, he provided a team of photographers to accompany his entourage, and the IDF Spokesman's Unit sent Brunner to accompany Dayan. On the morning of June 7, 1967, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall were liberated. On that day, Brunner flew with Dayan and Rabin by helicopter from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and they landed near the nation's buildings, where a large entourage of officers and dozens of cars awaited them, accompanying Dayan and Rabin on their way to the Old City and the Western Wall. Dayan ordered Brunner to sit in the Commandaker, which was the second vehicle in the convoy, right after the car that was leading him. When they reached the Old City, the entourage hurried towards the Old City. They made their entrance through the Lions Gate, and Brunner perpetuated the class.
Uzi Narkis in his book "One Jerusalem", written years after the war, wrote that "Moshe Dayan had a rare sense of historical status and arrived 'ready' to the Old City. The 'preparation' included an entourage of photographers and media people. We drove to the lions' gate in the convoy, military policemen in front, and two security guards in the back. We stopped in front of the gate. The photographers entered it first. After them, the defense minister who stops under the gate and seems to feel that something is missing - hints to the chief of staff to stand by him. He pauses and he turns to me: 'Uzi, come here...' We are marching and the photographers are taking pictures, and thus the official entrance picture at the Lions Gate was born, which becomes the 'cover picture' of the 'Six Day War' in Jerusalem."
An interesting fact is that behind the three, between Dayan and Narkis, stands Rehavam Zeevi ("Gandhi"), then assistant Head of the Operations Division at the General Staff. Once photographed, Zeevi turned his head back, and his face is not visible in the photo. For all the years the officer seen in the in the photo was anonymous. In 1992, designer David Tartakover revealed the identity of the officer, while preparing a poster to mark "25 years to the occupation" which was based on the well-known photograph. Zeevi later said that during the filming he heard shots of Jordanian snipers and he turned around to see where they were shot from, thus missing the moment. When he met the photographer Brunner told him: "I turned around and missed my place in history. I'm like Lot's wife who turned her head back and became a salt pillar."
Inspired by the famous photograph, the artist Avraham Elisha designed a victory medal with Dayan and Rabin engraved on the background of the Lions' Gate.
Photo: 30x24 cm. Very good condition.
