Back in 1967, the US-Israel relationship was by no means as close as it would become just a few years later. Up through 1967, the US tried to project an image of cautious neutrality in regards to the Israel-Arab conflict. That was certainly true in the 1956 war, in which the US and the Soviet Union, issued a joint ulitimatus demanding that the IDF withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula, and was still true with regards to the 1967 war. It's pretty obvious, at least to me, that they attacked the USS Liberty because they were uncertain of US intentions in that region at that time.
Things would change after the 1967 war. First of all, Israel had inflicted a humiliating defeat on the major Arab states, including Egypt and Syria, making the top regional power in the Middle East. Then after that war, there was the so-called "war of attrition" between Israel and Egypt from 1967-1970. That conflict became very much tied to cold war politics since Egypt was at that time, considered to be within the Soviet orbit. That led the Nixon Administration to seek much closer ties with Israel. And in 1974, US diplomacy would lead to the flipping of Egypt from the Soviet orbit to the US sphere of influence. That would eventually lead to the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt under the Carter Administration. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#30562): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/30562 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/106409203/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
