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The March 1968 battle of Karameh was a conflict with limited military importance fought primarily between the Israelis and Jordanians with some Palestinian guerrilla participation. Despite the limited guerrilla role, this battle, nevertheless, became a pivotal event in the emergence of a new Palestinian political identity. It also became an important case study in the role of political mythology in supporting emerging and evolving nationalisms. Demoralized Palestinians seized upon the heroic image of the small group of Palestinian guerrillas who had fought bravely during the battle. The myth about Karameh grew, for the most part, spontaneously because it met critical human needs among the Palestinians. This growth also occurred despite Jordanian and Israeli efforts to provide alternative descriptions of the same events. Distortions created by this myth and the Israeli countermyth can now be assessed using new and more candid sources. Additionally, Karameh also provides an interesting example of how political myths erode as they become less relevant to changing needs among the community they previously served.
on 21 March 1968 a strong Israeli force of around 15,000 troops supported by aircraft entered Jordan and clashed with Jordanian army regulars and Palestinian guerrillas near the town of Karameh (Al-Karama). The town itself is a few kilometers across the Jordan River from the West Bank and about 35 kilometers west of Amman. The 15-hour battle in this area was unexpectedly difficult for the Israelis, but it was not a significant military setback for them. Veteran troops from Jordan's First Infantry Division were the Israeli Army's toughest opponents in this battle, and these Jordanian soldiers fought in a highly professional manner, using armor and infantry forces with artillery support. The approximately 300 Palestinian fighters in the battle, by all accounts, showed great bravery but probably did not inflict many Israeli casualties, due to poor training, limited organization, and an almost total lack of heavy weapons.' The Karameh battle, nevertheless, became one of the most important confrontations of the Arab-Israeli conflict despite its limited military significance. This importance resulted from the battle's emergence as a central political myth for Palestinian nationalists and their supporters. To many Palestinians, this clash represented a significant battle in which heroic guerrillas fought off a superior enemy force and set the stage...