1 lugl 1956 anni - Franco-Israeli planning

Descrizione:

In July 1956, IDF Chief of Staff General Moshe Dayan advised Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to attack Egypt at the first opportunity, but Ben-Gurion preferred to do so with French support. On August 7, French Defense Minister Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury asked Ben-Gurion if Israel would join France in attacking Egypt, to which Ben-Gurion agreed. By September 1, the French government formally requested joint planning for a war against Egypt, and by September 6, General Meir Amit was meeting with Admiral Pierre Barjot to discuss joint Franco-Israeli operations. On September 25, Shimon Peres informed Ben-Gurion that France sought Israel as an ally against Egypt, with Britain being the only opposition.

In late September, French Premier Guy Mollet pursued a dual policy of attacking Egypt with Britain or, if necessary, with Israel alone. On September 30, secret Franco-Israeli war planning began in Paris, assuming Britain would not participate. The French wanted to use airfields in Cyprus but, uncertain of Britain’s stance, considered using Israeli airfields instead. On October 5, during a visit by General Maurice Challe to Britain, the British were informed of the Franco-Israeli alliance.

During the negotiations leading to the Protocol of Sèvres on October 22, Ben-Gurion outlined Israel's strategy for the Middle East. He opposed the British plan as it would label Israel as the aggressor. Instead, he proposed a "fantastic" reorganization of the region: dividing Jordan, giving the East Bank to Iraq in exchange for peace and refugee resettlement, and annexing the West Bank to Israel as a semi-autonomous region. He suggested expanding Israel to the Litani River to make Lebanon more Christian, and permanently annexing areas in Sinai to ensure freedom of navigation in the Straits of Eilat and eliminate threats from Egyptian bases. He also mentioned exploiting oil in Sinai and building a pipeline to Haifa.

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