Quotation from David Ben Gurion “Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria” — May 24 1948

In his personal notes. More drunk with power than ever after a meeting with his counsellors, he is already anticipating 1967.

Author : Thematics :
" We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria. The Achilles heel of the Arab coalition is the Lebanon. Muslim supremacy in this country is artificial and can easily be overthrown. A Christian State ought to be set up there, with its southern frontier on the river Litani. We would sign a treaty of alliance with this State. Thus when we have broken the strength of the Arab Legion and bombed Amman, we could wipe out Transjordan; after that Syria would fall. And if Egypt still dared to make war on us, we would bomb Port Said, Alexandria and Cairo. This will be the revenge for what they (the Egyptians, the Aramis and Assyrians) did to our forefathers during biblical times. "

Text based upon three translations : by Bar-Zohar [1] and [2] who indicates May 21, and by Ilan Pappé [3].

[1] Michael Ben-Zohar Ben-Gurion, A Biography , Delacorte, New York, 1978.

[2] Ben Gourion, Zichronot, 21 Mai 1948, quoted by Michael Bar-Zohar The Armed Prophet , Berker, 1967, p. 133.

[3] Ben Gourion, Zichronot, 24 mai 1948, quoted by I. Pappe, The Ethnic cleansing of Palestine , Oneworld, 2006, p. 144.

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