ABSTRACT
Singe the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the issue of US arms supply has been one of the most sensitive issues affecting relations between the two countries. For more than a decade following Israel’s establishment, the United States adhered to a policy of not selling major military items to Israel. With one minor exception in 1958, these restrictions remained in force for approximately 14 years, even during periods in which Israel suffered from a marked inferiority in arms. Such was the case, for example, during the first months of the Israel War of Independence and during much of the 1950s, in particular the period immediately following announcement of the Czech- Egyptian arms deal in September 1955.
