Ben-Gurion's 1956 Gaza remarks released for Suez Crisis anniversary

Israel is marking the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Sinai Campaign with the release of a comprehensive digital archive. The collection provides new insight into the strategic and political decisions made during Operation Kadesh, also known as the Suez Crisis. The materials are hosted on a dedicated website created for the commemoration.

The archive features remarks by David Ben-Gurion, who served as both prime minister and defense minister during the conflict. In a cabinet meeting on October 28, 1956, Ben-Gurion discussed the challenges of holding the Gaza Strip. He described the territory as an embarrassing objective that stood in the way of Israeli security. He stated that if he believed in miracles, he would wish the strip would sink into the sea.

Ben-Gurion repeated these sentiments on April 4, 1957, at a conference for senior officers. This meeting took place after the Israel Defense Forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. He argued that the Gaza Strip presented a problem regardless of which administration controlled it. He noted that Egyptian rule was the worst outcome, but Israeli retention carried a heavy price.

The former leader warned that staying in Gaza would require suppressing terror beyond Israel's capabilities. He believed this effort could have destroyed the state. Ben-Gurion also addressed the Palestinian population in the region. He explained that he opposed annexation from the start because Israel did not need another 300,000 Arab citizens. He cautioned that prolonged control might harm Israel morally rather than militarily.

Ben-Gurion cautioned commanders not to treat the success of the Sinai Campaign as a template for future wars. He noted that casualties had been limited during this specific conflict. However, he warned that future wars would bring devastating losses to civilian populations in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. He urged officers not to draw analogies from the Sinai Campaign to the next major conflict.

The release includes a handwritten account by Shimon Peres, who was the director-general of the Defense Ministry at the time. Peres described the decision-making process as contradictory. He noted that Ben-Gurion decided to go to war and then decided to withdraw. Peres wrote that Ben-Gurion explained that wars would not solve the Arab-Israeli problem. He added that an Arab victory could be final, whereas an Israeli victory would not necessarily be the last battle.

Other documents detail Operation Honio, a rescue mission conducted in November 1956. An Israeli team rescued 65 Jews from Port Said, Egypt. Lt. Col. Aryeh Eliav, who submitted a report to the head of Military Intelligence, stated his role was to rescue Jews and bring them to Israel. The archive also covers Israel Air Force activities during the war.

The air force files include a plan to attack Egyptian airfields that was never executed. They also record an accidental attack on Israeli troops and the attack on the Egyptian destroyer Ibrahim el-Awal. The dedicated website brings together more than 4,500 photographs, documents, and maps. Many of these items were not previously available to the public.

The site also provides information on 149 commanders. These individuals began their military careers during Israel's War of Independence and later became part of the IDF's founding command leadership. The IDF and the Defense Establishment Archive at the Defense Ministry are managing the publication of these materials. The release coincides with the 70th anniversary of the events of 1956.