History Main / BadAssIsraeli

* [[AuthorTract Discussed throughout an entire chapter]] of ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', in which Bigby Wolf talks at some length about how he admires Israel's tenacity and "grit" in [[FantasyCounterpartConflict a world that's aiming to destroy it]].

* Ex-Mossad (or perhaps not-quite-ex-Mossad) agent Levi Abrams in the ''Liturature/BabylonRising'' series.

* The ''Jack West Jr.'' series by Creator/MatthewReilly. Stretch was pretty Badass, and he was Israeli (and a [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Legolas]] {{Expy}}).

* Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art form, is known for being ruthless and dirty, mostly because it advocates the exploitation of any of your opponent's weak spots in order to subdue/get away. This includes moves that would be disqualifying in other combat sports, like the liberal use of [[GroinAttack groin attacks]].

[[folder: Professional Wrestling]]

Israeli-born Jews' preferred nickname for themselves evokes the same trope. ''Tsabar'' (pl. ''tsabarim'') -- borrowed into English as "sabra" -- are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia cactus fruits,]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold soft and sweet on the inside, but tough, thorny and nigh impenetrable outside]].

* In ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'', Israel becomes a regional military superpower (even more than it is now) because its armed forces contain the most trained and serving women, both relative to its population and in absolute numbers, after the {{gendercide}} wipes out a large chunk of other nations' militaries. Like in real life, many of these women are shown to be inexperienced in actual combat since most women in the Israeli Defence Force are used in support and logistical positions, but they at least possess the training and background experience to maintain a functioning warmachine, at a time when other nations' militaries are totally falling apart. [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Israel has occupied large portions of the Middle East]], and can even project force as far away as the United States, when Alter crosses the Atlantic in an attempt to find the last man. Her soldiers might be inexperienced, but Alter herself is badass (Also [[AxCrazy psychotic]], [[GeneralRipper obsessed]], [[MoralEventHorizon willing to kill innocent people to achieve her goals]], and [[spoiler:[[DeathSeeker looking to die]]]]...but still badass).

* ComicBook/{{Magneto}}[=/Erik Lensherr=] was a Nazi hunter working with the Mossad and the CIA at the same time for some time and was living in Israel when he first met Charles Xavier.

* Ari Ben Canaan in ''Film/{{Exodus}}''.

* In the ''How to Ruin'' series by Simone Elkeles, Amy's Israeli boyfriend Avi.

Israeli-born Jews' preferred nickname for themselves evokes the same trope. ''Tsabar'' (pl. ''tsabarim'') -- borrowed into English as "sabra" -- are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia cactus fruits,]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold]] soft and sweet on the inside, but tough, thorny and nigh impenetrable outside.

* ''Series/SWAT2017'': The diamond robbers are all Israeli military veterans, using their skills against a criminal syndicate. As the syndicate is also Israeli, their people also have badasses in their ranks.

* Eton Ben-Eliezer, the Greek's drug lieutenant in ''Series/TheWire''.

* Magneto/Erik Lensherr was a Nazi hunter working with the Mossad and the CIA at the same time for some time and was living in Israel when he first met Charles Xavier.
* Discussed throughout an entire chapter of ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', in which Bigby Wolf talks at some length about how he admires Israel's tenacity and "grit" in a world that's aiming to destroy it.

* Mordechai in ''Film/TheHebrewHammer'' (a reference to Judah Maccabee) if he is really an Israeli, the movie is kinda vague about the location. But he even has his parody of the Shaft theme.

* The Israeli animated documentary ''Animation/WaltzWithBashir'' deconstructs the image of the badass Israeli soldier, looking at how the 1982 Lebanon War changed various soldiers, and in particular the events surrounding the Sabra and Shatila massacre (which was carried out by a group of Lebanese Christians) that Israel did nothing to stop.
* Any of the many films about the 1976 raid on Entebbe Airport, in which an Israeli commando squad flew into Uganda and rescued 102 of their countrymen who were being held hostage by terrorists, will have a lot of these. (Among them was Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of future Israeli Prime Minister UsefulNotes/BenjaminNetanyahu, killed in the raid.). Among the dramatizations of the raid are 2018 film ''Entebbe'' and 1977 Israeli film ''Film/OperationThunderbolt''.

* ''Literature/EndersGame'' Invoked. There is a myth that "Jewish generals never lose".

** Judah the Hammer/Yehudah Ha Maccabee, who started the rebellion against the Greeks, aka .

* The sexy neighbour in ''Series/{{Hung}}'' is a very fit and sexually aggressive Israeli former [[TheSquadette Squadette]], with strong opinions about hummus.
* Meta-example: The titles of the American, Australian, British, Thai, and Vietnamese versions of ''Series/IronChef'' are all more or less direct translations of the original Japanese ''Ryōri no Tetsujin''. The Israeli version, however, is called ''Krav Sakinim'' -- "Knife Fight".

* ''Series/RayDonovan'': Ray's private investigator/muscle/right hand man Avi. Played by Steven Bauer.

Israeli-born Jews' preferred nickname for themselves evokes the same trope. ''Tsabar'' (pl. ''tsabarim'') -- borrowed into English as "sabra" -- are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia cactus fruits,]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGol soft and sweet on the inside, but tough, thorny and nigh impenetrable outside]]. It can happen that just the latter part applies.

Israeli-born Jews' preferred nickname for themselves evokes the same trope. ''Tsabar'' (pl. ''tsabarim'') -- borrowed into English as "sabra" -- are [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia cactus fruits,]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold soft and sweet on the inside, but tough, thorny and nigh impenetrable outside]].

* In Series/{{Andromeda}} one of the Nietzchean Prides is named "Sabra". As Nietzchean naming customs always seem to relate to badass stuff, they must hold Israelis in high regard.

* Actress Creator/GalGadot's main acting credit before she played Franchise/WonderWoman in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse has been her role as Gisele Yashar in the ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast and Furious]]'' franchise. When she was announced as being the first actress to play Wonder Woman on the big screen, the reaction was overwhelmingly, vehemently negative due to her thin frame, with accusations thrown at Warner Bros. and DC Comics for wanting an unhealthy model rather than a "real woman" (whatever that means). Those people likely did not know that while she is a model, Gadot performed all her own stunts in ''Fast and Furious'', received military training as part of her mandatory two years of service in the IDF, was a fitness trainer for said military, can handle guns and in addition to the martial arts she already knows, and immediately began training in jiu-jitsu, capoeira and sword fighting. Also, she attributed her training as a main reason why she landed her role in ''Fast and Furious'', a stunt-heavy franchise. Her stunts in ''Wonder Woman'' probably put even more critics to rest.

-->-- '''Jon Stewart''', ''Series/TheDailyShow''

** Ziva's brother Ari.

** They are also known for their extraordinary piloting skills and discipline in crises, as shown by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Negev_mid-air_collision Zivi Nadivi]]: during a training exercise, he had a wing-to-wing collision with another aircraft in his F-15 Eagle. Nadivi nonetheless managed to recover from a severe spin, using the afterburuners to stabilize the craft. Aware that the plane was badly damaged and losing fuel rapidly, they decided to press on to an airfield several kilometers away anyway. It was only after successfully landing that he learned that nearly 2/3rds of the right wing had been sheared off in the collision. While this is often mentioned as [[CoolPlane a testament to the design and construction of the aircraft]], there is no doubt that the recovery and landing took unparalleled skill and sangfroid on the part of Nadivi and his [=REO=], Yehoar Gal. Just as amazingly, the plane was completely repaired and later used to score a kill against a [=MiG=]-23.

** The first example of Mossad-style infiltration and assassination is done by a short, [[TheSouthpaw left-handed]] Ehud. He is said to have invented the double-edged sword.

Israelis are badass. No ifs, ands, or buts. They are a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Nation]] and it is a national law that each one must have a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome on his Bar Mitzvah. The polite softspoken Israeli with glasses is a myth. If one miraculously appears, you can count on him being a BadassBookworm. If an Israeli is a villain you can count on him being something cool like an ArmsDealer or [[ProfessionalKiller an assassin]]. Every female Israeli is an ActionGirl [[TheSquadette Squadette]] who ''always'' looks great in her combat fatigues and beret with her Uzi jauntily slung over her shoulder. Every male Israeli is an AcePilot, or a spy for the UsefulNotes/{{Mossad}} (their other intelligence agencies are so secretive, Hollywood hasn't heard of them; and anyway no one can beat that name for [[RuleOfCool coolness]]). The Israeli Defense Force does not have a single ObstructiveBureaucrat like, oh, every other army in the entire world. It is too much of a BadassArmy.

Israeli-born Jews' preferred nickname for themselves evokes the same trope. ''Tsabar'' (pl. ''tsabarim'') -- borrowed into English as "sabra" -- are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia cactus fruits,]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold soft and sweet on the inside, but tough, thorny and nigh impenetrable outside]].

* Mordechai in ''Film/TheHebrewHammer'' (a reference to Judah Macabee) if he is really an Israeli, the movie is kinda vague about the location. But he even has his parody of the Shaft theme.

* Any of the many films about the 1976 raid on Entebbe Airport, in which an Israeli commando squad flew into Uganda and rescued 102 of their countrymen who were being held hostage by terrorists, will have a lot of these. (Among them was Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of future Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, killed in the raid.). Among the dramatizations of the raid are 2018 film ''Entebbe'' and 1977 Israeli film ''Film/OperationThunderbolt''.

* ''Exodus'' by Leon Uris is VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory, namely, the founding of the State of Israel after World War II. The characters all [[TookALevelInBadass take levels in badass]], going from "trapped in a Russian ghetto" to "walking across Eurasia" to "taking on an entire village with just a whip" to "running an unarmed freighter through the whole Royal Navy." Then, the newly-formed nation fights off the combined force of the Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian and Iraqi armies.

* Creator/GalGadot is not only a model and actress, she received military training as part of her mandatory two years of service in the IDF. She attributes her gun training and willingness to perform her own stunts to why she was chosen for the Fast and Furious franchise and later played Franchise/WonderWoman. As for her Israeli roles:
** Gisele Yashar in ''Film/FastFive'' is a sexy ex-Mossad agent.