ABSTRACT
Regional defence was a recurrent theme in the international and local politics of the Middle East in the 1950s. The seemingly anodyne notion that Middle Eastern states could unite for their common defence against external threats served as the catalyst for widespread instability, even violence, in a number of those states, and was among the underlying causes of the Suez crisis and the second Arab—Israel war. Involving such crucial issues as the future of the Suez Canal, the arms balance and a Palestine settlement, the struggle over regional defence became a prominent feature of Egypt—Israel relations and a major cause of the second Arab—Israel war.
