ISRAEL AND THE SOVIET UNION 1948-1973

This chapter discusses the factors that shaped the relationship between Israel and the Soviet Union during the years 1948 to 1973. Israel and the Soviet Union made decisions about their relationship within the context of superpower competition in the Middle East. Another important factor was the economic aspect. Both Israel and the Soviet Union could benefit from trading with each other. For instance, in the early 1950s, Israel was an important consumer of Soviet oil. However, once the Soviet Union was able to establish meaningful trade ties with the Arab world, they willingly gave up on the Israeli market. During the 1970s, the declining level of relations turned out to be the USSR’s Achilles heel and led to a Soviet loss of influence in the Middle East.