ABSTRACT
No negative change occurred in Franco-Israeli cooperation in spheres such as weapons purchases, joint military projects and intelligence exchange with de Gaulle’s ascent to power. In certain cases, collaboration between the two countries became even closer than it had been during the ‘honeymoon period’ preceding de Gaulle’s presidency. Their cooperation also extended into the political realm: France supported Israel on – or at least adopted a positive attitude towards – the Palestinian refugee issue and the diplomatic complications following the Eichmann affair. In an exceptional fashion, France even allowed Israel to cultivate relations with member states of the French community in Africa; no other country was granted such freedom in this respect.
