Summary
The Western-sponsored military alliance signed on 24/2/55, “the first (and last) military alliance that the West succeeded in establishing with the participation of any Arab state” in its global plans, whose signing, Egypt’s refusal to join it and Israel’s reprisal actions timed against that refusal form the political spine of Chapter 5 of Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace (Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace, PDF p.204-205).
Details
- Egypt declared firmly that it would not join the new bloc and attacked it strongly; four days later, on 28/2/55, the Israeli raid on Gaza took place — the dates 17, 24 and 28 February (Ben-Gurion’s return to the Defence portfolio, the Pact’s signing, the raid) trace, in the book’s argument, “the outline of the policy of “reprisal”” (PDF p.204-205).
- American pressure on the Arab states, especially Egypt, to join the Pact continued through 1955, one means being the impression that the USA was about to sign a mutual defence treaty with Israel — leverage Israel provided, in Haaretz’s words (20/6/55), “without Israel itself deriving any benefit from its role in the whole diplomatic game” (PDF p.207).
- For Gamal Abd al-Nasser, whose strength came from the Arab nationalist movement, joining the Pact would have been “akin to political suicide”; the pressure instead drove Egypt to the Czech-Egyptian arms deal (PDF p.207).
- In Jordan, Britain’s December 1955 Templer mission offered, in return for joining the Pact, a 65% augmentation of the Legion, £6.3 million of heavy arms and a new treaty; the attempt brought down two governments, mass unrest, and ultimately John Glubb’s dismissal on 1/3/56 (PDF p.228-230).
- The book’s catalogue of reprisals as “gifts” to Pact pressure: the Gaza raid (1955) for pressuring Egypt, Operation Kinneret for pressuring Syria, and the Qalqilya raid for pressuring Jordan to join (PDF p.232).
Related pages
Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace, Czech-Egyptian arms deal, Gaza raid (1955), Operation Kinneret, Watchdog state