History Main / BadAssIsraeli

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/israeligroinattack_2358.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Meddle not in the affairs of a [[ActionGirl female IDF soldier]], for [[GroinAttack your jewels are weak and easily compromised.]]]]

Given the controversial nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, expect this trope to be [[ArmiesAreEvil heavily headed towards]] TheFundamentalist types in many modern examples, especially if the author is Palestinian or Lebanese. With that being said, no real-life examples. Please only give examples shown within media.

* ''WebAnimation/IdolCorp'': Kattarina Qutie is the head of a feared international mafia organization. She has [[TheGunslinger her very own gun]] named Deagle-chan. Her hometown is Tel Aviv.

** Gideon, especially considering the odds he and his band of underdogs were up against.

* In a fourth season episode of ''Series/QueerAsFolk'', when a man is bashed on the street, an angry gay man tries to convince the community that they should stop being such "wimps" and defend themselves. The example he uses to protest against gays taking offensive slurs lying down: "Try calling an Israeli a kike! Man, they'd blow your ass right off the ''face of the Earth''!"

The above is popularly portrayed within predominantly western media and can be shown as TruthInTelevision, since the IDF maintains a more independent, less regimented mode of operation than many militaries, training their units to think on their feet (sometimes, though, the army does disagree: e.g. the case of Elor Azaria). This, however, also leads to the IDF making mistakes that a more regimented army wouldn't, with conscription being mandatory leading to a dispute in morality. Oh, and it definitely does have its fair share of {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s (any Israeli can tell you about how horribly inefficient the IDF can be), mostly in the form of disgruntled 19-year-old. Despite all this, the Israeli Army has won a consistent string of victories against conventional Arab-Armies during the cold war, thus evoking the trope.

With this in mind, the IDF is also notorious for a long string of atrocities against the Palestinian Arabs and their neighbors since the first Arab Israeli war, most notably the Nakba (committed by zionist paramilitaries such as Irgun) and the Sabra-Shatila Massacre (Perpetrated by Israeli-Backed Lebanese Terrorist groups). Additionally, the IDF has been well known for using indiscriminate force during bombing raids against Gaza, and is known for ruling the West Bank with an iron first. Within non-western examples (Especially Arab-Made media), expect the Israelis to be shown in a bad light due to these events.

The above is popularly portrayed within western media and can be shown as TruthInTelevision, since the IDF maintains a more independent, less regimented mode of operation than many militaries, training their units to think on their feet (sometimes, though, the army does disagree: e.g. the case of Elor Azaria). This, however, also leads to the IDF making mistakes that a more regimented army wouldn't, with conscription being mandatory leading to a dispute in morality. Oh, and it definitely does have its fair share of {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s (any Israeli can tell you about how horribly inefficient the IDF can be), mostly in the form of disgruntled 19-year-olds.

** Literature/{{Samson}} kills a thousand soldiers with the ''jawbone of a donkey''...and [[BondOneLiner follows up]] with a {{pun}}.[[labelnote:*]]It even works in English: "With an ass's jawbone I have made asses of them."[[/labelnote]] He also lifted two-ton doors and took them for a hike, lifted a loom by his hair, tore a lion apart with his bare hands, and, imprisoned, blinded and chained to a wall for his enemies to laugh at, simply yanked the chain hard enough to pull down the entire building.

* 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 ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]]'' franchise and later played Franchise/WonderWoman (even being allowed to keep her Israeli accent). As for her roles:

Israelis are badass in most cases. 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 or her Bat Mitzvah. The NiceJewishBoy with glasses is a showcase of BewareTheNiceOnes. 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]] of a KosherNostra, or even TheFundamentalist. 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 Israel Defense Forces do not have a single ObstructiveBureaucrat like, oh, every other army in the entire world. It is too much of a BadassArmy.

Given the controversial nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, expect this trope to be [[ArmiesAreEvil heavily subverted]] in many modern examples, especially if the author is Palestinian or Lebanese. With that being said, no real-life examples. Please only give examples shown within media.

Israelis are badass in most cases. 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 or her Bat 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]] of a KosherNostra. 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 Israel Defense Forces do not have a single ObstructiveBureaucrat like, oh, every other army in the entire world. It is too much of a BadassArmy.

Israelis are badass in most cases. 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 or her Bat 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 Israel Defense Forces do not have a single ObstructiveBureaucrat like, oh, every other army in the entire world. It is too much of a BadassArmy.

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 or her Bat 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 Israel Defense Forces do not have a single ObstructiveBureaucrat like, oh, every other army in the entire world. It is too much of a BadassArmy.

The above is partial TruthInTelevision, since the IDF maintains a more independent, less regimented mode of operation than many militaries, training their units to think on their feet (sometimes, though, the army does disagree: e.g. the case of Elor Azaria). This, however, also leads to the IDF making mistakes that a more regimented army wouldn't. Oh, and it definitely does have its fair share of {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s (any Israeli can tell you about how horribly inefficient the IDF can be), mostly in the form of disgruntled 19-year-olds.

Related to UsefulNotes/IsraelisWithInfraredMissiles. Can loosely apply to non-Israeli Jewish characters who are as tough as shoe leather, at least if their Jewishness is played up enough. Given the controversial nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, expect this trope to be [[ArmiesAreEvil heavily subverted]], especially if the author is Palestinian or Lebanese. With that being said, please be careful with Real Life examples.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Israel has been involved in seven conflicts that it recognizes as "wars" since its inception, plus any number of violent conflicts with its neighbors and internal strife that it doesn't think of as wars. But the three that cement Israel's reputation are these:
** The 1948 War of Independence: the newly-formed state had to fight off all the countries around it. Highlights include 150 soldiers, not all of whom were even experienced soldiers, achieving "tactical stalemate" against Syrian forces consisting "of one infantry brigade, one tank battalion, two armoured vehicle battalions, and one artillery battalion."
** The Six-Day War: Egypt and Syria massed their forces for an invasion after [[UsefulNotes/MoscowCentre Soviet intelligence]] incorrectly told Egyptian Vice-President Anwar Sadat that the Israelis were planning an invasion of Syria. Israel launched the most impressive preemptive strike in modern history, destroying the Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian Air Forces in a matter of hours. Iraq attempted to send in reinforcements to assist the Arab armies, but before they could fire a single bullet, they were halted by Israeli aircraft raining down [[KillItWithFire napalm]] upon them. The war ended with Israel capturing the entire Sinai peninsula, Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank (including all of Jerusalem, reuniting the city), ''tripling'' its territory. On the seventh day, they rested.
** The Yom Kippur War: A partial aversion of this, given that Israel actually got its ass kicked fairly badly during the initial stages of the war. However, a combination of American arms shipments (without which it is quite doubtful it could have turned the tide as well as it did) and some rather questionable generalship on the Arabs' side eventually led to Israel making swift gains and achieving a military victory. However, the sheer ferocity of the Arab advance in the beginning coupled with the fact the war really could have gone either way more or less shattered the Israelis' sense of invincibility that they had enjoyed since the end of the 1967 war. While it is sometimes mentioned that Israel was essentially "caught off guard" and attacked while the majority population was fasting, the Yom Kippur war also took place during the month of Ramadan, meaning that the Arabs were fasting too, and were doing so for much, ''much'' longer and with far more stringent conditions.
* Moshe Dayan, mastermind of the preemptive strike in the Six-Day War, complete with EyepatchOfPower.
* Golda Meir, one of the first female heads of government of the modern world (nicknamed "The Iron Lady" before Margaret Thatcher), was involved in the founding of Israel, and led it during some very hard times.
* Operation Entebbe, which inspired the Creator/ChuckNorris film ''Film/TheDeltaForce''.
** The late Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit and brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yoni became a LivingLegend during the Yom Kippur War, when he commanded a force that killed 40 Syrian commandos. He was later killed in action while commanding Operation Entebbe. He is remembered in Israel today for his unflinching devotion to the IDF and for inspiring his brother's hard line against terrorism.
* Imi Liechtenfield, a boxer who lived in Bratislava during antisemitic riots, developed the close-combat style later called Krav Maga with other Jewish athletes. He emigrated to Israel after the war and became the head of the IDF's physical training program... meaning that everyone in the IDF learns at least some Krav Maga, so they can [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TERblYO_o0o break people into pieces with their bare hands should the need arise.]]
** Krav Maga 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, as it is designed for the battlefield rather than the sporting mat. This includes moves that would be disqualifying in other combat sports, like the liberal use of [[GroinAttack groin attacks]].
* Israeli fighter pilots are badass not just for their dogfighting abilities and numerous kills. Even within the IDF, the flight schools are considered hardcore and is the most difficult course to join. The top scoring jet ace in the world (the so called "ace of aces") is Giora Epstein, an Israeli. Originally rejected as physically unfit, he fought to get a slot as a fighter pilot after serving for a time as a paratrooper. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he was separated from the other fighters in his group and took on eleven Egyptian [=MiGs=] single-handedly near the Great Bitter Lake. He killed four before running out of targets and fuel. Flying home, he asked the flight controller if there were any more targets he could take on the way.
** 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 afterburners 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.
* In the wake of the Transportation Security Administration's decision to start groping airline passengers, many (even at least one Congressman) have called for airline security modeled after what Israel uses at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, citing that their flag carrier El Al is an amazingly safe airline for all the people that want them dead.
* Dr. Ruth Westheimer, before she became a famous sex therapist. She emigrated to Palestine after World War 2 where she joined the Haganah (a Jewish paramilitary force that later became the basis of the Israeli defense forces). Due to her small size (being less than 5' tall), she was trained as a scout/sniper. Westheimer was seriously wounded in action by an exploding shell during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, and it was several months before she was able to walk again.
* [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by the State of Israel in its early days, when it was eager to point tourists to places where Jewish forces defeated Arab forces in battle. The practice faded out when it became clear that tourists didn't really have that in mind.
* 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, on top of ''being a mother''. 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.
* Danny Lewin, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, grew up in Israel and was once an officer in the Sayaret Matkal, the Israeli General Staff Reconnasiance Unit. He was the first person to die in the 9/11 terror attack, being knifed by one of the terrorists on American Airlines Flight 11 a good 15-20 minutes before the plane hit the WTC. While it is impossible to prove either way, his friends and family believe that this happened because he made an unsuccessful attempt to retake the plane.
* Yonatan Azarihab is an Orthodox Jew [[BadassBystander shop owner]] that was stabbed in the neck by a knife-wielding terrorist. What does he do? ''[[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/yonatan-azarihab-stabbing-victim-pulls-knife-out-of-own-neck-to-stab-attacker-in-suspected-terror-a6920706.html Pulls out the blade from his own neck and kills his assailant with it]]''. [[note]]Seriously, DontTryThisAtHome [[SincerityMode even if you are Israeli and/or Jewish]]; stab wounds will result in massive bleeding if the object is dislodged from the body without any care[[/note]]
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Szenes Hannah Szenes]], a Hungarian Jew who embraced Zionism, relocated to British Palestine to join a kibbutz, and later joined the Haganah as a paratrooper. She and two male colleagues jumped into Yugoslavia shortly after the Germans occupied Hungary; the men judged the mission too dangerous to continue, but Szenes continued on until she was detained at the Hungarian border. Despite being tied up and beaten for three straight days, she refused to provide the code to the transmitter she used to communicate with other parachutists. While Hannah was tragically executed in 1944 at just 23 years old, she is remembered today for her bravery [[WarriorPoet as well as her writing]].
* Invoked by New Jersey governor Jim [=McGreevey=] when he appointed former Israeli naval officer Golan Cipel as his homeland security advisor. When questioned about Cipel's lack of qualifications for the job (including US citizenship, which meant that he couldn't get security clearance), [=McGreevey=] responded that Cipel was "a security advisor from the Israel Defense Forces, probably the best in the world". It was later subverted when the ''real'' reason [=McGreevey=] appointed Cipel [[{{Pun}} came out]]: [=McGreevey=] was gay and [[{{Nepotism}} carrying on an affair with him]], leading to a scandal that forced [=McGreevey=] to resign.
[[/folder]]

%%* Samar Navabi in ''Series/TheBlacklist''.

%%* Lt. Ravit Bivas in season 2 of ''Series/TheLastShip''.

* 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 war machine, 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).

* [[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 [[FantasyConflictCounterpart a world that's aiming to destroy it]].

* ''Film/WorldWarZ''. [[spoiler: Israel falls to the Zombies. The IDF soldiers put up one hell of a last stand.]]

* Completely subverted in the Palestinian film ''Farha'', where the protagonist watches as [[spoiler: Israeli Paramilitaries take over and destroy her village during the 1948 Palestinian Exodus]].

* In ''Literature/WorldWarZ'', Israel is one of the only nations still functioning after the war, mainly because they were the ONLY nation to actually take the threat seriously. It is specifically explained that after the surprise of the Yom Kippur War, Israel's intelligence agencies had become committed to considering any rumored threat, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. The sheer level-headedness with which the Israelis responded to the crisis puts all other nations to shame. While other nations were in denial, after thorough research the Israelis realized what was happening, and initiated a voluntary self-quarantine: literally building a giant wall of reinforced concrete around all of its land borders, like a mini-Great Wall of China. Then, to convince their Arab neighbors that this is not to secure territorial conquests, they announce that they will let any Palestinians back into the country, provided that they go through medical screening and arrive before the date they seal the wall. Few believed them at the time, but at least this measure prevented neighboring Arab states from openly declaring war over the quarantine. Within a year, most of the world was overrun by shambling hordes of the undead numbering in the hundreds of millions - while Israel survived behind the wall as an island in a sea of zombies.
* Ernest K. Gann's ''The Antagonists'', a semi-fictionalized account of the siege of Masada, features an entire mountain full of badasses. Said mountain is so impenetrable that they ''had to flatten out one side of the mountain into a ramp'' to reach them.

* In Creator/HarryHarrison's ''Literature/ToTheStars'' trilogy, Israel is one of the few remaining true democracies remaining in the PostPeakOil CrapsackWorld ruled by a dictatorship. They are managing to hold their own against, pretty much, the entire world. In fact, in the third novel, they [[spoiler:lead an attack against a heavily-defended spaceport in the Mojave Desert]].

* In the ''Series/BurnNotice'' season 1 episode "Family Business", the episode's antagonists are [[FunWithSubtitles The Zamar Family:]] {{Arms Dealer}}s". The family members have varying levels of badass; the father is [[RetiredBadass ex-Mossad]], but the younger son is not too terribly bright, so the GuileHero mostly deals with the latter and stays the hell away from the former.

** Ziva David, who is so badass that Gibbs has to remind her to slash the FBI's ''tires'', not their ''throats''. Heck, when she's left out of any stage of a mission, it's for the ''suspect's'' safety, not hers.

* [[MamaBear Golda Meir]] in the miniseries ''A Woman Called Golda''. Played by Creator/IngridBergman. And in RealLife too of course. Hell hath no fury like a JewishMother.

* Appropriately enough, given the country. The Old Testament in Literature/TheBible is the UrExample , which portrays the Israelites as a [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Warrior Religion]]. Of course, it was written ''by'' the Hebrews ''for'' the Hebrews, so its possible that their objectivity might not be all that it could be.

** Barak is something of a {{double subversion}}, though. He refused to go into battle against the Canaanites unless Deborah agreed to go with him, which she did. Of course, this only further cements Deborah's own badassery.

** Basically any of the leaders from the Book of Judges, which covers a time period where, in lieu of kings, Israel was ruled by a series of badasses.
** Jacob, [[MeaningfulRename had his name changed]] to [[MeaningfulName "Israel"]], meaning "Wrestles with {{God}}", after doing [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly that]]. From night till daybreak. [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu To a stalemate]]. [[EarnYourTitle And didn't release his submission hold until he got a blessing]] (and after God moved Jacob's sciatic nerve an inch or two). Arguably makes him the TropeCodifier and UrExample, by virtue of being the very first Israeli. Hell, as we just explained above, [[IAmTheNoun he]] ''[[IAmTheNoun was]]'' {{I|AmTheNoun}}srael.
** Elijah the Prophet destroyed two detachments of soldiers by saying, "[[BadassBoast If I am a Man of God,]] [[KillItWithFire may fire come down and consume you and your fifty men.]]"

* Subverted, if not outright averted in ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'', as the author has a far more negative view of the Israeli military qualitatively (not morally): an Israeli helicopter raid to take the Minos Gate is successful (though with unfortunate collateral damage), but he Israeli army is regarded by other countries' armies as brave to a fault but reckless (with both driving and fire discipline), and the Israeli Navy is outright ''dangerously'' incompetent. Basically all the badassery isn't worth a damn when that attitude led to, in trying to avoid [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Rear-Echelon Motherfuckers (REMFs)]], getting rid of the ethic needed for seemingly "unmanly" staff work... like ''keeping track of your own nuclear submarine''!

** The 1948 War of Independence: the newly-formed state had to fight off basically all the countries around it. Highlights include 150 soldiers, not all of whom were even experienced soldiers, achieving "tactical stalemate" against Syrian forces consisting "of one infantry brigade, one tank battalion, two armoured vehicle battalions, and one artillery battalion."

** The Yom Kippur War: A partial aversion of this, given that Israel actually got its ass kicked fairly badly during the initial stages of the war. However, a combination of American arms shipments (without which it is quite doubtful it could have turned the tide as well as it did) and some rather questionable generalship on the Arabs' side eventually led to Israel making swift gains and achieving a military victory. However, the sheer ferocity of the Arab advance in the beginning coupled with the fact the war really could have gone either way more or less shattered the Israelis' sense of invincibility that they had enjoyed since the end of the 1967 war. While it is sometimes mentioned that Israel was essentially "caught off guard" and attacked while the majority population was fasting, it ought to be noted that the Yom Kippur war also took place during the month of Ramadan, meaning that the Arabs were fasting too, and were doing so for much, ''much'' longer and with far more stringent conditions.

Related to UsefulNotes/IsraelisWithInfraredMissiles. Can loosely apply to non-Israeli Jewish characters who are as tough as shoe leather, at least if their Jewishness is played up enough. Can often be TruthInTelevision too, as evidenced below- but just like any modern army, expect this trope to be [[ArmiesAreEvil heavily subverted]], especially if the author is Palestinian or Lebanese.

* Completely subverted in the Palestinian film ''Film/Farha'', where the protagonist watches as [[spoiler: Israeli Paramilitaries take over and destroy her village, with one grisly scene showing a young Israeli soldier being forced to kill a baby by his own commander]].

Related to UsefulNotes/IsraelisWithInfraredMissiles. Can loosely apply to non-Israeli Jewish characters who are as tough as shoe leather, at least if their Jewishness is played up enough. Can often be TruthInTelevision too, as evidenced below.

* Eleazar ben Ya'ir from ''Series/{{Masada}}'', of the Badass Israelite variety. He's quite good at being TheLeader and TheStrategist of the show's eponymous LastBastion for a while, at least until the Romans' [[SiegeEngines siege]] genius catches up.

* Eleazar ben Ya'ir from ''Series/{{Masada}}'', of the Badass Israelite variety.

* Hannah Szenes, a Hungarian Jew who embraced Zionism, relocated to British Palestine to join a kibbutz, and later joined the Haganah as a paratrooper. She and two male colleagues jumped into Yugoslavia shortly after the Germans occupied Hungary; the men judged the mission too dangerous to continue, but Szenes continued on until she was detained at the Hungarian border. Despite being tied up and beaten for three straight days, she refused to provide the code to the transmitter she used to communicate with other parachutists. She is remembered today for her bravery [[WarriorPoet as well as her writing]].

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

* ''Film/YouDontMessWithTheZohan'' an Creator/AdamSandler movie [[PlayedForLaughs plays this for laughs]] and [[UpToEleven takes it up to eleven]]. Zohan is, simply put, the baddest man alive. His Palestinian rival the Phantom (a man so awesome in his own right that he can walk on the ceiling) is the only man in the world whose awesomeness can even compare, and he still does not come close. Zohan's most badass feat is shown in a flashback when after being captured and having a hand cut off, said severed hand flies up, chokes his interrogator to death and then ''fetches Zohan a drink''. To top it off, [[AgentPeacock he's surprisingly effeminate]]. His dream in life is to be a hairdresser, which he pursues. And he satisfies his customers in every sense of the word. The story is based on the real Nezi Arbib, though obviously embellished for humor.

* Yonatan Azarihab is an Orthodox Jew [[BadassBystander shop owner]] that was stabbed in the neck by an terrorist KnifeNut. What does he do? ''[[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/yonatan-azarihab-stabbing-victim-pulls-knife-out-of-own-neck-to-stab-attacker-in-suspected-terror-a6920706.html Pulls out the blade from his own neck and kills his assailant with it]]''. [[note]]Seriously, DontTryThisAtHome [[SincerityMode even if you are Israeli and/or Jewish]]; stab wounds will result in massive bleeding if the object is dislodged from the body without any care[[/note]]