A Constructivist Analysis of Egypt-Israel Relations during Nasser and Sadat Periods

Abstract

One of the important results of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is the emergence of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian question. The Arab soil which was already populated by an Arab community, namely Palestinians, became a destination for the Israeli settlements which triggered hatred and anger of the Arab states in general. Conception of Israel as the main enemy of the Arab states reached the highest level following the Suez Crisis of 1956 that made Gamal Abdel Nasser the charismatic leader of the suppressed Arab world, and thus born and shone pan-Arabic ideology of the late 1950s and 1960s. Nasser became the epitome of the struggle against the imperialist West and its extension Israel in the Middle East. Then came Anwar Sadat and put the Egyptian interests in front of the Arab concerns, making Egypt the first Arab state having officially recognized Israel. Foreign policy of Egypt towards Israel took a steep turn from pan-Arab nationalism to Egyptian nationalism. Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty that ended military confrontations on the battlefields which continues even today. How and why that policy shift took place is the main research item of this study, and it is researched based on the tenets of social constructivism focusing on the concept of identity. After examining historical flow of the events and analyzing foreign policy behaviors and discourse of the leaders, this thesis argues that the Egyptian state identity changed from Nasser to Sadat, and that change was rooted in the inherent domestic and international factors. This study concludes that state identity of Egypt is relevant in its relations with Israel during Nasser’s and Sadat’s tenure.