It's been suggested that Israel and Golda Meir in particular turned down an Egyptian offer of peace, which eventually led to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. So I thought I should link to this: Did Golda Meir Cause the Yom Kippur War?
The conclusion from the article:
War did not come because Golda Meir scoffed at peace proposals (she
didn’t), or because Dayan was pushing too aggressively for settlements
(there were only 7000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and Gaza in
October 1973), [47] or even because Israelis were overconfident in the
ultimate issue of the continuing diplomatic impasse. The ultimate cause
of the war was Arab rejection of Israel’s legitimacy, compounded by an
inimical and overweening Arab sense of pride—pride that could not have
been assuaged even if Israel had handed back every inch of occupied
territory and demanded nothing in return.
I remember listening to Anwar Sadat in interviews after he came to speak in Israel, trying to explain how the Yom Kippur War had assuaged the Arab's lost sense of pride and allowed for the option of peace with Israel to be entertained.
In 11 years of commenting at websites and blogs, I think this was the only time I used the "F" word. I've deleted it, along with all the other inflammatory things I said. I've apologized the recipient of all of my abuse. And I aplogize to you, dear readers.
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