Word: arabism
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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This is one conclusion that can be drawn from a review of the secret diplomacy that took place immediately before Sadat's visit. From its birth in 1948, Israel had always maintained secret contacts with its Arab enemies, largely through Mossad, the intelligence service that operated as a sort of underground diplomatic corps for the Jewish state. TIME has learned that these contacts between Israel and a number of Arab states, notably Morocco, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, bolstered Sadat's confidence and set the stage for his Peace Initiative. The following narrative is based on TIME...
Perhaps the most crucial single event in the secret diplomacy of this period was the decision by the Israeli government in July 1977 to advise Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia of some important information that Israeli intelligence had learned: namely, that leftist Arab extremists, trained in Libya and supported by that country's radical leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, were plotting to overthrow the moderate governments in Cairo, Khartoum and Riyadh. Acting on the information provided by Israel, those governments quickly arrested a number of the plotters. Sadat went further: he launched heavy commando raids against...
...Israelis responded to the Arabs' gratitude by sending newly appointed Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan on a round of secret visits to Middle Eastern capitals. Premier Menachem Begin had come to power a month earlier vowing that Israel would retain the West Bank and Gaza, Arab lands captured during the Six-Day War of 1967. Nonetheless, the fact that he had agreed to warn Sadat, and the other moderate Arab leaders of impending danger, gave them the feeling that Begin had the stature and the courage to make significant concessions in peace negotiations...
Although the Rabin-Fahd meeting was aborted, the Premier's mission to Morocco led directly to a series of sessions between top-level Egyptian and Israeli intelligence officials in Rabat. By the time the Israelis learned, through intelligence sources in Libya, of the radical Arab plotting against Sadat and the other moderate Arab leaders, Menachem Begin had become Israel's Premier. Begin ordered Israeli Intelligence Chief Yitzhak Hoffi to fly to Morocco to deliver the information directly to his Egyptian counterpart, General Mohammed Shoukat...
...against this background that Dayan in late July set forth on his odyssey to Muslim capitals in search of a peace formula. Dayan assured his Arab hosts that the Begin government was prepared to make more "generous compromises" than previous Israeli governments. He specifically told the Egyptians and other leaders: "We are ready to transfer the airbase at Sharm el Sheikh to the U.N. and keep some civilian installations there for a limited period. We are ready to restore your sovereignty over all of Sinai and to put our settlements in the Rafah area under your flag. We suggest small...