THE 1956 WAR
Collusion and Rivalry in the Middle East

Edited by David Tal

The collusion between Israel, France and England which constituted the driving force behind the 1956 War, requires a major reassessment in light of recently declassified documents and the appearance of `new historians' who are challenging traditional concepts regarding the war and its origins. The volume opens with the international aspect of the war, deals with regional issues and concludes with an innovative look at Israeli involvement. The combination of fresh archival sources and contemporary historiographical perspectives allows for bold interpretations of issues such as the plot which paved the way to the eruption of hostilities, Egyptian losses and gains, and Soviet and American opposition in the shadow of the Cold War.

Contributors to the collection include Issac Alteras (Queens College, CUNY), Paul Gaujac (Centre d'יtudes d'historie de la Dיfens, France), Yoav Gelber (Haifa University), Motti Golani (Haifa University), Keith Kyle (The Royal Institute of International Affairs, London), Avi Shlaim (Oxford University) and Iurii Strizhov (Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Contents

Introduction- A New Look at the 1956 Suez War

David Tal

The Last Imperial War or an Imperial Hangover?

Aron Shai

Suez, Eisenhower and the Sinai Campaign of 1956: The First Major Crisis in US-Israeli Relations

Isaac Alteras

France and the Crisis of Suez: An Appraisal, Forty Years Later

Paul Gaujac

The Soviet Union and the Suez Crisis

Laurent Rucker

Britain's Slow March to Suez

Keith Kyle

The Protocol of Sèvres, 1956: Anatomy of a War Plot

Avi Shlaim

The Origins of the Czech-Egyptian Arms Deal: A Reappraisal

Rami Ginat

The Sinai War, 1956 ­– Three Partners, Three Wars

Motti Golani

Egyptian Perspectives of the Suez War

Yoram Meital

Regaining Lost Pride: the Impact of the Suez Affair on Egypt and the Arab World

Elie Podeh