ABSTRACT
The subject matter of this book is the relations between Israel and Egypt. I will not, therefore, deal with matters related to the granting of autonomous status to the Palestinians in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, as embedded in the Camp David accords. Neither will I deal with the arguments or counter-arguments put forward by Egypt and Israel in almost three years of negotiations on the issue. As is well known, the Palestinians themselves categorically refused to take part in any negotiations based on these accords. In fact, the discussions were held between the best man (Egypt) and the bride (Israel) without the participation of the groom (the Palestinians), who had made it quite clear that he had no interest whatsoever in the marriage. I will restrict myself here to those elements that have a bearing on the bilateral relationship between Israel and Egypt: the real positions of the two sides, their negotiating tactics, and the impact of these on their interaction.
