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Operation Black Arrow

Coordinates: 31°30′48″N 34°28′49″E / 31.51333°N 34.48028°E / 31.51333; 34.48028
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Operation Black Arrow
Part of the reprisal operations (during the Palestinian Fedayeen insurgency)

Five fedayeen killed by Israeli border police in chase after attack near Nir Galim.
Date28 February – 1 March 1955 (1955-02-28 – 1955-03-01) (two days)
Location
Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip
31°30′48″N 34°28′49″E / 31.51333°N 34.48028°E / 31.51333; 34.48028
Result Israeli victory
Belligerents
 Israel  Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Israel Ariel Sharon
Israel Danny Matt
Israel Aharon Davidi
Units involved
Paratroopers Brigade
Casualties and losses
8 killed and 13 wounded 37–38 killed and 31 wounded

Operation Black Arrow (Hebrew: מבצע חץ שחור, romanized: Mivtza Ḥetz Shaḥor) was an Israeli military operation carried out in Gaza (while under Egyptian control) on 28 February 1955. The operation targeted the Egyptian Army. Thirty-eight Egyptian soldiers were killed during the operation as were eight Israelis.[1]

Israel's actions were unanimously condemned by United Nations Security Council Resolution 106.

Background

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The 1948 Arab–Israeli War resulted in a decisive Israeli victory. However, the Arab nations remained intransigent and were only willing to sign armistice agreements with Israel. Thus, a static situation of “no war, no peace,” emerged. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Arab refugees now camped alongside Israel's porous borders. The refugees lived in squalor and were kept under martial law.[2] Arab governments, but in particular Egypt, sensing the refugees’ discontent, capitalized on the opportunity to recruit embittered Palestinians for armed actions against Israel. At first, the infiltrations and border transgressions took the form of petty banditry and thievery.[3] However, by 1954, Egyptian military intelligence was taking an active role in providing various forms of support for Palestinian fedayeen activity.[4] After an attack by the fedayeen, Israel decided to take decisive action against Egypt for its sponsorship of the Palestinians and initiated Operation Black Arrow.

Casus belli

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On 25 February 1955, Arab infiltrators murdered an Israeli civilian in the town of Rehovot.[5][6][7] One of the terrorists who was pursued and killed by Israeli forces was found to be in possession of documents linking him to Egyptian military intelligence.[5] Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion and Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan demanded a harsh response directed against those believed to have sponsored the atrocity. Prime Minister Moshe Sharett was more hesitant but demurred.

Attack

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On February 28, Ariel Sharon, commander of the Paratroop Brigade was issued the go-ahead to initiate Operation Black Arrow. That night, a force of 150 paratroopers, led by Aharon Davidi and Danny Matt, attacked an Egyptian base near the city of Gaza.[5] An Egyptian military relief convoy was ambushed en route. In total, either thirty-seven[5] or thirty-eight[8] Egyptian soldiers were killed and many more injured for the loss of eight Israelis.

Aftermath

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In Egypt there was a sense of humiliation. Not since the Arab–Israeli war of 1948 had the Egyptians suffered such a blow.[9] The Israeli attack was unanimously condemned by the United Nations Security Council.[10] In response President Nasser decided to close the Gulf of Aqaba to Israeli shipping and air traffic.[10] He also increased support for Palestinian fedayeen raids, which invited even harsher Israeli retaliatory raids such as Operation Elkayam (72 Egyptian KIA) and Operation Volcano (81 Egyptian KIA, 55 captured).[11] Tensions between Egypt and Israel ultimately led to Israel taking part in the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula and Suez Canal alongside the United Kingdom and France (who held different motivations for invading) in which the Egyptians were defeated and the Fedayeen bases disbanded.[12]

Memorial

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Black Arrow memorial

A memorial [13] to this operation and other IDF paratrooper operations is situated between Kibbutz Mefalsim and the Gaza Strip.

References

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  1. ^ Spencer Tucker, The encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli conflict, ABC-CLIO, (2008) p. 1162
  2. ^ Zeev Schiff, History of the Israeli Army, Straight Arrow Books (1974), pp. 220–22
  3. ^ Schiff, pp. 222–23
  4. ^ Schiff pp. 224–25
  5. ^ a b c d Hesi Karmel, Intelligence for peace: the role of intelligence in times of peace, Frank Cass (1999) p. 56
  6. ^ Michael Oren, Origins of the Second Arab-Israeli war, Egypt, Israel and the Great Powers, Frank Cass (1992), p. 25
  7. ^ Benny Morris, Righteous victims: a history of the Zionist-Arab conflict, 1881–1999, Vintage (1999, 2001) p. 283
  8. ^ Spencer Tucker, p. 1162
  9. ^ Morris, (1999) p. 283
  10. ^ a b Rasler, Karen; William R., Thompson; Ganguly, Sumit (2013), How Rivalries End, University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 38–39, ISBN 978-0-8122-4498-4
  11. ^ Zeʼev Derori, Israel's reprisal policy, 1953–1956: the dynamics of military retaliation, Frank Cass (2005) p. 152
  12. ^ Schiff (1974) pp. 227–28
  13. ^ "Black Arrow Memorial". Jewish National Fund. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
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