Fast Fact #17
The years 1954-1959 were the height of strategic relations between France and Israel. Not unlike today, the United States would not supply certain arms to the newly established Jewish state. But France was willing to sell Israel high-quality weapons, including Mirage jet fighters. This helped shift the balance of Mideast power toward Israel. Shimon Peres – at the time, the youngest-ever director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Defense – handled the rapprochement.