Plan Dalet

Plan Dalet, also known as Plan D, was a military plan developed and executed by the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary organization in Mandatory Palestine, during the 1948 Palestine war. The plan was finalized on March 10, 1948, and aimed to achieve several key objectives, including:

Consolidating control over territory designated for the future Jewish state in the UN Partition Plan. This involved capturing key strategic areas and establishing a network of fortified settlements.

Expanding Jewish territory beyond the borders of the UN Partition Plan. This included capturing Arab villages and towns located in strategically important areas.

Preventing the return of Palestinian refugees who had fled or been expelled from their homes. This involved various measures, such as demolishing villages and creating obstacles to their return.

Defending Jewish settlements and population centers from Arab attacks. This encompassed establishing defensive lines and conducting preemptive strikes against Arab forces.

Plan Dalet was implemented in phases, beginning with a series of targeted attacks on Arab villages in April 1948. These attacks were aimed at disrupting Arab communication and transportation networks and creating a sense of panic among the Arab population. The plan also called for the destruction of Arab villages and towns that were deemed to be a threat to the security of Jewish settlements.

The implementation of Plan Dalet had a devastating impact on the Palestinian population, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who became known as refugees. The plan's emphasis on territorial expansion and the prevention of Palestinian return laid the foundation for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.