Binyamin Gibli
Encyclopedia
Binyamin Gibli was the head of Israel
i Military Intelligence from June 1950 to March 1955. Gibli was forced to resign in the wake of the Lavon Affair
, a failed Israeli operation in Egypt in 1954.
in 1919. 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. Gibli married Esther Pinhassi in 1940 and moved to her family home in Ein Ganim.
In 1941 he joined the "Jewish Settlement Police
", and the following year completed an infantry officers' course at the training school for Haganah cadres. In 1946 he became a district officer for the Haganah Intelligence Service (SHAI), based in Petah Tikva
, with responsibility for the southern region. One of his duties was safeguarding the water pipelines to Jewish settlements.
In March 1948 he was appointed head of SHAI in Jerusalem. On 20 June 1948 he took part in the field court-martial of Meir Tubiansky
at Beit Jiz
. Three other SHAI officers were present including SHAI chief Isser Be'eri
. Gibli acted as presiding judge, prosecutor, witness and record-keeper. Tubiansky, 45 years old, was found guilty of transmitting information to the enemy and a few hours later executed by a Palmach
firing squad. On 3 July 1949 David Ben Gurion issued a public exoneration of Tubiansky and restitution of his rank and rights. Four days later his body was re-buried on Mount Herzl
. In November 1949, after a trial at which Gibli appeared as a witness for the prosecution, Be'eri was found guilty of manslaughter.
in the Suez Canal
by creating instability. Israeli operatives were sent to carry out attacks on Western targets in Egypt. Egypt
ian authorities uncovered the plan, which pointed to Israel
i involvement. In the wake of the scandal over who actually ordered the operation, known as the Lavon Affair
, Gibli was forced to resign, along with Israel's defense minister, Pinhas Lavon
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Military Intelligence from June 1950 to March 1955. Gibli was forced to resign in the wake of the Lavon Affair
Lavon Affair
The Lavon Affair refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence for plans to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and...
, a failed Israeli operation in Egypt in 1954.
Biography
Binyamin Gibli was born in Petah TikvaPetah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
in 1919. His father, Moshe Granzia of Briansk, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, immigrated to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in May 1914. Granzia settled in Kfar Ganim and changed his name to Gibli. His mother was Yehudit. Gibli married Esther Pinhassi in 1940 and moved to her family home in Ein Ganim.
In 1941 he joined the "Jewish Settlement Police
Jewish Settlement Police
The Jewish Settlement Police were a division of the Notrim established in Mandatory Palestine in 1936, during the Arab Revolt.-History:...
", and the following year completed an infantry officers' course at the training school for Haganah cadres. In 1946 he became a district officer for the Haganah Intelligence Service (SHAI), based in Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
, with responsibility for the southern region. One of his duties was safeguarding the water pipelines to Jewish settlements.
In March 1948 he was appointed head of SHAI in Jerusalem. On 20 June 1948 he took part in the field court-martial of Meir Tubiansky
Meir Tobianski
Meir Tobianski also Tubianski was an officer in the Israel Defense Forces who was executed as a traitor on circumstantial evidence on the orders of Isser Be'eri, the first director of the IDF's intelligence branch...
at Beit Jiz
Bayt Jiz
Bayt Jiz was a Palestinian Arab village situated on undulating land in the western foothills of the Jerusalem heights, southwest of Ramla. In 1945, it had a population of 550...
. Three other SHAI officers were present including SHAI chief Isser Be'eri
Isser Be'eri
Isser Be'eri was the director of the Haganah Intelligence Service in Israel and was responsible for helping to reorganise Israeli intelligence services in 1948, as well as knowingly ordering the execution of an innocent man, Meir Tobianski...
. Gibli acted as presiding judge, prosecutor, witness and record-keeper. Tubiansky, 45 years old, was found guilty of transmitting information to the enemy and a few hours later executed by a Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
firing squad. On 3 July 1949 David Ben Gurion issued a public exoneration of Tubiansky and restitution of his rank and rights. Four days later his body was re-buried on Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl , also Har HaZikaron , is the national cemetery of Israel on the west side of Jerusalem. It is named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb lies at the top of the hill. Yad Vashem, which commemorates the Holocaust, lies to the west of Mt. Herzl....
. In November 1949, after a trial at which Gibli appeared as a witness for the prosecution, Be'eri was found guilty of manslaughter.
Career
- Member of the Labor sports association HapoelHapoelHapoel is an Israeli sport association. It was established in 1926 as a union of the Histadrut, and represented the workers class...
- Member of MapaiMapaiMapai was a left-wing political party in Israel, and was the dominant force in Israeli politics until its merger into the Israeli Labor Party in 1968...
- Member of HaganahHaganahHaganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
- 1941-late 1944 member of the Jewish settlement police.
- October 1946 Joined SHAI as south district officer.
- March 1948 appointed head of SHAISHAIShai , established in 1940, was the intelligence and counter-espionage arm of the Haganah and the forebear of the Military Intelligence Directorate in Mandate Palestine....
Jerusalem. - 27 April 1948 Assumes SHAI command in Jerusalem
- 30 June 1948 SHAI disbands and Aman inaugurated Gibly 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.
- 1956 Brigade Commander.
- 1957 Chief of Staff, Central Command.
- 1960 Military Attache to the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
Lavon affair
Gibli was one of the planners Operation Suzannah whose objective was to keep the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
by creating instability. Israeli operatives were sent to carry out attacks on Western targets in Egypt. Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian authorities uncovered the plan, which pointed to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i involvement. In the wake of the scandal over who actually ordered the operation, known as the Lavon Affair
Lavon Affair
The Lavon Affair refers to a failed Israeli covert operation, code named Operation Susannah, conducted in Egypt in the Summer of 1954. As part of the false flag operation, a group of Egyptian Jews were recruited by Israeli military intelligence for plans to plant bombs inside Egyptian, American and...
, Gibli was forced to resign, along with Israel's defense minister, Pinhas Lavon
Pinhas Lavon
Pinhas Lavon was an Israeli politician, minister and labor leader, best known for the Lavon Affair.-Early life:Lavon was born as Pinhas Lubianiker in Kopychyntsi in what was previously Galicia in Austria-Hungary . He studied law at the University of Lviv, where he organized Histadrut organizations...
.