The Influence of Political Considerations on Operational Planning in the Sinai Campaign

Moshe Dayan, in an interview with the newspaper Ma’ariv after the publication of his first book, Diary of the Sinai Campaign, observed: ‘From its inception, the Sinai Campaign was in a political vice; a very crowded oyster bed imposing severe limitations.’1 This article will describe that Procrustean bed and changes made by headquarters during both the planning and execution of the Sinai Campaign, as well as their political significance.