Mahal (Israel)

Mahal (Hebrew: מח"ל‎‎, sometimes transliterated "machal") were both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who went to Israel to fight in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, including Aliyah Bet. About 4,000 volunteers from all over the world came to fight on the Israeli side.

Mahal made up a small fraction of the Israeli forces, except for the Air Force, where they were dominant.

Mahal was disbanded after the war, and most volunteers left Israel. Some, however, made their immigration permanent.

The Hebrew term מח"ל‎ is an acronym of מתנדבי חוץ לארץ‎ (Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz), which means Volunteers from outside the Land [of Israel]. The volunteers were referred to as Machalniks (or Mahalniks).

The Machalniks were mostly World War II veterans from United States and British Armed Forces. Allied armies were reduced considerably after the end of the war and many soldiers were demobilised; moreover, the service experience became mundane and did not suit some servicemen, particularly pilots. In various circumstances they were invited, or heard of the Jewish state's struggle for independence and volunteered. In some cases those who enlisted had no prior military experience. There were Jews and Christians, both ideological supporters of Zionism and mercenaries.

The Ha'apala movement, also called "Aliyah Bet", which attempted to evade the 1939 and 1948 British naval blockade restricting Jewish immigration to Palestine, was assisted by 236 Machal former servicemen of the Allied navies as crews of ten clandestine Jewish refugee ships, out of sixty-six participating vessels.

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