Hi Sandra and James – thanks for highlighting these details and the extra facts you discovered through your own research. France’s role in arming Israel is one of those elements of the conflicts in the Middle East that usually gets ignored or overlooked, yet all the criss-crossing alliances and partnerships are so key to understanding the bigger picture.
Personally, I found the Saudi Hashemite wars to be quite interesting – it’s one side of the post-WWI division of the Middle East that I’ve never learned before. I appreciated understanding more of the background behind the creation of Jordan and Saudi Arabia both as official nation-states, and culturally/ideologically as well.