Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to help Argentina during the 1982 Falklands War as revenge for Britain’s crackdown on the Irgun during the British mandate of Palestine, according to a new book.

“Operation Israel: The Reaming of Argentina During the Dictatorship,” by Argentinian journalist Hernan Dobry, explains how Israel secretly supplied arms and equipment to Argentina via Peru.

According to the book, Begin authorized the deal by saying, “Is this going to be used to kill the English, Kadima [go ahead]. Dov from up there is going to be happy with the decision.”

Dov Gruner was a close friend of Begin who was captured and hanged by the British in April 1947.

“Obviously, it must be all done perfectly,” the Israeli prime minister adds, according to the book.

The testimony is provided by Israel Lotersztain, a salesman for Isrex, an Israeli defense company in Argentina.

Israel armed Argentina’s military dictatorship with air-to-air missiles, fuel tanks for fighter bombers, gas masks and missile radar alert systems, as well as warm “dubonim” jackets, according to the book. The riskiest deal allegedly concerned supplying 23 French-built Mirage IIICs fighter aircraft, which were camouflaged with the Peruvian flag. — jta