Quote:
Originally Posted by Yirmeyahu
shek,
Oren questions whether "Nasser even knew about the plan". He merely speculates that Nasser knew about it, and he also says that "objections to Dawn were raised by senior officers". The Egyptian Chief of Staff considered the plan "disastrous", as Oren tells it, and he explains how Egypt was not prepared to carry out the plan, quoting Fawzi to that effect.
Israel had similar contingency plans to attack Egypt, and had prepared its forces for the attack. The difference, of course, is that Israel carried out it's attack, while Egypt did not.
It was hence Israel which commited the act defined as "aggression", which is "the supreme international crime".
|
Egypt had units in position, orders issued, with a set SP time. It took a revocation order to stop Operation Dawn. Whether it was well planned, staffed, coordinated, etc. has no bearing as to whether it was ordered and prepared to be executed. Also, whether it was 'Amer that ordered it or Nasser is also irrelevant. If it had been executed under 'Amer's order and not Nasser's, would that somehow remove culpability from the state of Egypt? No.
In any event, it was clear that Nasser kicked out UNEF and understood that the blockade was an internationally causus belli, a blockade proven to be more than just mere rhetoric through the use of sea mines that would detonate in international waters, destroying any and every innocent ship passing through it to the port of Eilat.
From the moment Egypt mined the strait, Israel enjoyed the moral high ground as to jus ad bellum.