Sholef The Sholef (Hebrew for "Slammer", which is slang in that language for "Gunfighter") was an Israeli Self-Propelled Howitzer prototype, built on the chassis of the Merkava Mk.III. Development of this artillery system commenced back in the 1970s. The project was considered of high national priority and incorporated the newest technological developments. Two prototypes of this vehicle were unveiled in 1984 and 1986, respectively, but it was not selected for production. Instead the Israeli Defense Forced selected upgraded version of American M109 howitzer.