Page 14 - Issue 58

Vol. 1 Issue 58 August 2023 ELITE

fight in 1973, it would have degenerated into a the following: “What was taken by force can only
situation like our neighbor Palestine – whose be recovered by force”, “A hand builds and a hand
occupied state represents the largest crisis in the bears weapons”, “War for peace” and “Egypt first
Middle East - describing the occupation as rampant and foremost”.
in Palestine like cancer is in a kidney, and stressing Issuing the necessary legislation to define the
that war is the only solution to confront the Zionist powers of the President of the Republic, the
enemy. Minister of Defense, and the Chief of Staff, and to

establish and define the powers of the National
Defense Council and the Supreme Council of the
Armed Forces.
Preparing the political stage before the 1973 War
after Israel and the United States had succeeded in
restricting Egypt within its borders, ensuring
Israel’s military superiority, and curbing the Non-
Aligned Movement.
Rebuilding and organizing the armed forces and
correcting the mistakes of 1967 at the tactical and
Al-Gamsi then gave a quick run through of the
historical events and wars that led up to the 1973 strategic levels through the formation of the
war, starting with going to war to help Palestine second and third field armies, and the formation
preserve its land in 1948, passing through the of the leadership of the Civil Defense Forces to
tripartite aggression in 1956, Al-Naksa in 1967, and assume civil protection of vital targets in the
ending with the October War of 1973. The Major governorates in cooperation with the national
General’s talk generally revolved around several police forces.
main axes, which are strategic planning, the Preparing the theater of operations by placing
problems and challenges that faced the leadership many forces along the Suez Canal. In addition to
when making the crossing decision, the stages establishing missile battalions (missile wall), and
leading up to the 1973 war, the military strategic warning radars for the units and formations of the
goal of the war, and the strategic deception plan. Air Defense Forces.
The Major General began his talk on the strategic
planning axis with the measures taken by the
political leadership after the setback of 1967, when
the people rejected the resignation of the late
President Gamal Abdel Nasser and insisted on
completing the war and restoring the occupied
territories. The leadership at that time decided to
take the war of attrition as an approach and a way
to rebuild the armed forces organizationally,
training-wise, and morally.
Strategic planning was thus composed of the Exploiting the closure of the Suez Canal to put
following set of strategic objectives: pressure on international powers to force Israel to
Working to unify the Arab ranks after the retreat in order to open it again for the passage of
differences worsened due to Egypt’s support international trade.
for the Yemeni revolution through the The Major General then moved on to talk about the
Khartoum Conference that took place on problems and challenges that faced the Egyptian
13 August 29, 1967, in which three things were leadership when preparing for the crossing, which
agreed upon: “No peace with Israel”, “No
included:
recognition of Israel” and “No negotiations
with Israel". The Suez Canal blockade, which the enemy
Establishing a set of common principles to be established on the eastern bank of the canal by
adopted by the entire Egyptian nation, stating creating sand wall lining the entire canal
supported by a concrete wall.