In the spring and summer of 1942, as General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps roamed the Western Desert and advanced towards Egypt, the threat to the Land of Israel became more tangible than ever. The Jewish public called this period "Two Hundred Days of Fear." Faced with the possibility of a breakthrough of the British lines in Egypt and the fall of the Suez Canal, the Yishuv leadership, in collaboration with the British army, was required to formulate a strategic emergency plan in the event of a Nazi invasion.
The plan that was formulated was called the "Northern Plan", And it was given the dramatic nickname "Masada on the Carmel" by the community.". The main idea was based on the tactical topography of the Carmel Range and the strategic importance of the Haifa port and the factories in the bay. According to the plan, if the south fell, British army forces would withdraw, together with the Haganah and Palmach fighters, to a fortified and isolated compound in the north of the country, centered on Haifa and the Carmel.
As part of the preparations, fortifications were planned, food, fuel, and ammunition were stockpiled, and underground communications infrastructure was established throughout the mountain. The fighters were supposed to fiercely defend the stronghold until the last soldier, with the goal of distracting German forces and preventing them from gaining a full grip on the Middle East.
Ultimately, the plan was never implemented. In November 1942, Rommel's forces were repulsed in the Second Battle of El Alamein, and the direct threat to the settlement was removed. Nevertheless, the planning experience and military skill acquired during the preparation of the "Northern Plan" contributed greatly to building the organizational strength of the Palmach and laying the foundation for Haifa's security infrastructure for years to come.
The real threat was not from the south! Not from Rommel's hopeless corps sent to rescue the Italian army in North Africa from its troubles. The real threat was from the north, from the French army that controlled Lebanon on the border of Israel, when the Vichy government and Marshal Pétain were in power, an ally of Nazi Germany. Dayan lost an eye from a French sniper's shot. And the remains of the fortifications on the heights of Carmel are clearly pointed north, from where the French were expected to invade.