Ben-Gurion, David. Negotiations with Nasser.

€ 500,00

An important item of diplomatic history documenting U.S. President Eisenhower's effort to forge peace between Egypt and Israel in 1956. Eisenhower sent out his close friend Robert B. Anderson to serve as a secret envoy who would permanently end the Arab-Israeli dispute. Anderson carried out tireless negotiations with Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser, reporting back to Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion.

In the present work Ben-Gurion tells the story of this diplomatic mission, recounting his own talks with Anderson as well as his speeches in the Knesset and correspondence with Eisenhower. During his meetings with Nasser, Anderson offered substantial American aid in exchange for a peace treaty with Israel. Nasser demanded the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel, wanted to annex the southern half of the country and rejected direct talks with Israel. A second round of secret diplomacy by Anderson in February 1956 was equally unsuccessful. Nasser sometimes suggested during his talks with Anderson that he was interested in peace with Israel only if the Americans would supply him with unlimited military and economic aid, including funding for the Aswan high dam. Eventually, all diplomatic efforts having failed, Israel invaded Egypt on 29 October with the primary objective of re-opening the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba, thus kicking off the Suez Crisis.

In very good condition.