Background

When The LORD brought Zion's captives home, at first it seemed like a dream;
then our mouths filled with laughter and our lips with song. - Psalm 126.1-2

God, do not remain silent; do not be unmoved, O God, or unresponsive!
See how your enemies are stirring, see how those who hate you rear their heads.

Weaving a plot against your people, conspiring against those you protect, they say,
'Come, we will finish them as a nation, the name of Israel shall be forgotten!' - Psalm 83.1-4

It is questionable if any other literature in the world so aptly sums up the pendulating emotions felt by the Jewish people in the late 1940s.

First came the dream: the Jewish people's return to the land conquered by Joshua and expanded by King David and King Solomon over three thousand years ago. The streets were thronged with students dancing the hora with British soldiers on the eve of the United Nations vote making Israel a nation. But the dream gave way to a stark reality for the people of Israel. David Ben-Gurion, watching the young women and men dancing and refusing to celebrate along with them, was chided and asked why he was so dour. He responded: "All this means is war."

He was right. The day after the official inauguration of the state of Israel, the five Arab nations surrounding the land declared war on the fledgling state. Though defeated soundly by the new nation, the Arab nations continued to wage war with acts of terror, especially along the borders of the new land. It was against this backdrop that Ariel Sharon - known as "Arik" to those close to him - was tasked with the protection of the borders.

Sources: O Jerusalem! Larry Collins & Dominique Lapierre. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1972.