Reuven Shiloah — Master of the Covert Contact: The First Attempt to Organize a Summit Meeting between Moshe Sharett and Gamal Abdul Nasser *

Reuven Shiloah, the first head of the Mossad, has often been called 'a one-man Mossad'. ¹ He was involved in every Israeli Intelligence operation in the 1940s and 1950s. At the same time, Shiloah was one of the few Middle East experts in Israel who regarded the Arabs not only as enemies and intelligence targets but also as neighbours and potential allies. He pursued his efforts to establish covert contacts with Arab leaders virtually simultaneously with his intelligence activities. He was one of a small group of people who handled the secret Israeli contacts with King Abdullah of Jordan, with the leaders of Syria and Lebanon, and with King Farouk of Egypt. The 'Young Officers' Revolt' in Egypt, which toppled Farouk in a bloodless coup, and raised the banner of social revolution, aroused great hopes in Israel. Ben Gurion's retirement to Kibbutz Sdeh Boker in 1953 ² together with Moshe Sharett's election as Prime Minister, created a slim window of opportunity for peace initiatives with Egypt.