Binyamin Gibli

Binyamin Gibli (1919 – August 19, 2008) was the head of Israeli Military Intelligence from June 1950 to March 1955.Shabtai Teveth (1996) "Ben Gurion's Spy; The story of the Political Scandal That Shaped Modern Israel" Columbia University press, ISBN 0-231-10464-2 chronology p xvii-xxx] Gibli was forced to resign in the wake of the Lavon Affair, a failed Israeli operation in Egypt in 1954. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1013203.html]

Biography

Binyamin Gibli was born in Petach Tikva in 1919. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1013203.html] His father, Moshe Granzia of Briansk, Poland, immigrated to Palestine in May 1914. Granzia settled in Kfar Ganim and changed his name to Gibli. His mother was Yehudit.Shabtai Teveth (1996) "Ben Gurion's Spy; The story of the Political Scandal That Shaped Modern Israel" Columbia University press, ISBN 0-231-10464-2 pp 2-3] Gibli married Esther Pinhassi in 1940 and moved to her family home in Ein Ganim.

Career

:Member of the Labor sports association Hapoel:Member of Mapai:Member of Haganah:1941-late 1944 member of the Jewish settlement police.:October 1946 Joined SHAI as south district officer.:March 1948 appointed head of SHAI Jerusalem.:27 April 1948 Assumes SHAI command in Jerusalem:30 June 1948 SHAI disbands and Aman inaugurated Givly appointed as head of MI 1.:22 February 1953 Takes up study leave in US. Harkabi acting Director of Aman:28 March 1954 returns as Director of Aman:7 March 1955 resigns.

Lavon affair

Gibli was one of the planners "Operation Suzannah" whose objective was to keep the British in the Suez Canal by creating instability. Israeli operatives were sent to carry out attacks on Western targets in Egypt. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1013203.html] Egyptian authorities uncovered the plan, which pointed to Israeli involvement. In the wake of the scandal, known as the Lavon Affair, Gibli was forced to resign, along with Israel's defense minister, Pinhas Lavon.

References