The 1967 War reemphasized that armor protection is extremely important for tanks so much so that Israeli designers placed tank survivability first, armament next, and speed third, General Israel Tal assumed command of the tank development project in 1970 and brought a professional soldier's experience to the design process. The Merkava combines the best features of American, British, French, and (captured) Soviet tanks, all of which have been used extensively by Israel in the past. The Merkava, which means "chariot" in Hebrew, was the result. High priority was given to the development of a Main Battle Tank (MBT). Alarmed, the Israeli government established a native defense industry so that state security would not be compromised by the political whims of outsiders. During and after the 1967 War, Britain and France refused to supply certain categories of modern weapons to Israel. Israel and the surrounding area are either desert or rolling hills, which form ideal tank country. However, it was not until 1967 that the Israeli government turned its attention to the creation of a main battle tank. Israel has fought five major wars in defense of its right to exist-1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982, when Israel invaded southern Lebanon to drive out Palestinian terrorists. Since then, Israel has existed in a technical state of war with each of its Arab neighbors except Egypt. The State of Israel came into being in 1948, and almost immediately an alliance of Arab nations declared war. The Merkava main battle tank was an inevitable product of those bloody early days of the Jewish State's existence and the policies of foreign powers.
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