March 2005: Israel Honors People Involved in Lavon Affair

Israel officially honors the nine Egyptian Jews who were involved in the “Lavon Affair” bombings in Egypt (see July 1954) Israeli President Moshe Katzav, presiding over the 2005 ceremony honoring the bombers in Jerusalem, says that the Israeli government has “decided now to express our respect for these heroes.” In 1954, in an effort to damage Egypt’s relationship with the West, Israeli agents bombed sites frequented by foreigners in Cairo and Alexandria with hopes that the attacks would be blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood. But the operation unraveled when one of the bombs being planted went off prematurely. [Reuters, 3/30/2005]