ABSTRACT
The first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 resulted in a clear Israeli victory, but did not generate peace treaties between Israel and any of her Arab neighbours. Indeed, the latter frequently threatened a ‘second round’. The Allies were concerned that Arab terrorist attacks inside Israel (between 200 and 300 Israelis were killed between 1948 and 56) and consequent Israeli retaliation raids might escalate into a full-scale war in the Middle East.2 The UK and the US had good reason to dread being confronted with the impossible choice between siding either with Israel or with the Arabs in the event of war.
