Not even the end of the Franco dictatorship dramatically altered the situation between Spain and Israel. Only with Spains entry into NATO and the EEC did it, above all under pressure from the latter, establish full diplomatic relations with Israel, in 1986. Guy Settons study is to be welcomed as a much-needed continuation of Raanan Reins study of relations between the two countries up until 1956. It makes an undoubted contribution in its own right to our understanding of the often-strained relations between Spain and Israel in the 20th century. From the Preface by Series Editor Nigel Townson, Complutense University, Madrid
Despite a common heritage dating back centuries and mutual national interests, such as their joint fear of Soviet influence across the Mediterranean, it took 38 years after the establishment of the State of Israel (1948) and a decade after Francos death (1975) for relations to be established between Jerusalem and Madrid (1986). The absence of ties between both countries prior to 1986 was an anomaly that requires explanation. There was no apparent reason why both countries should not have established full diplomatic ties prior. Indeed, during the first years of Israeli statehood until 1952, Spain sought unsuccessfully to establish official ties with Israel as a means to overcome international isolation. But adhering to a moral foreign policy standard, Israel refused formal ties with the former Axis supporter. By 1953, however, Israel began adopting a more pragmatic view.
Five centuries after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain bilateral ties were formalized after Spains successful transition from Francos dictatorship to democracy and Madrids ascension to the EEC in 1986. Once in the Community, Madrid had to align its foreign policy with Brussels which necessitated diplomatic relations with Israel. Without this systematic pressure on Madrid, the anomaly of IsraeliSpanish relations would have likely continued. Post 1986 the ties between the two countries were overshadowed by strong international political forces the ArabIsraeli conflict and the IsraeliPalestinian struggle which delayed bilateral progress. Explaining the impact of these forces is key to understanding the relationship. Although many positive milestones have been reached there are substantive issues of concern for both sides, and a feeling that much work remains if the relationship, and indeed friendship, is to become worthy and rewarding.
Cover illustration: Prime Minister Shimon Peres of Israel in conversation with Prime Minister Felipe Gonzlez of Spain at the Dutch Premiers official residence in The Hague, on 19 January 1986, two days after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Courtesy of Saar Yaacov and the Israel Government Press Office.
Guy Setton has a PhD in History from Tel Aviv University after majoring in International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He obtained a Masters degree in International History at the London School of Economics.
Sussex Studies in Spanish History
General Editor: Nigel Townson, Universidad Complutense, Madrid
Consultant Editor: Jos lvarez-Junco, Universidad Complutense, Madrid
Advisory Editors: Pamela Radcliff, University of California, San Diego Tim Rees, University of Exeter
Jos lvarez-Junco, The Emergence of Mass Politics in Spain: Populist Demagoguery and Republican Culture, 18901910.
Tom Buchanan, The Impact on the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, Loss and Memory.
Andrew Dowling, Catalonia since the Spanish Civil War: Reconstructing the Nation.*
Hugo Garca, The Truth about Spain!: Mobilizing British Public Opinion, 19361939.
Irene Gonzlez Gonzlez, Spanish Education in Morocco, 19121956: Cultural Interactions in a Colonial Context.
Aitana Guia, The Muslim Struggle for Civil Rights in Spain: Promoting Democracy through Migrant Engagement, 19852010.
Patricia Hertel, The Crescent Remembered: Islam and Nationalism on the Iberian Peninsula.
Silvina Schammah Gesser, Madrids Forgotten Avant-Garde: Between Essentialism and Modernity.
David Messenger, LEspagne Rpublicaine: French Policy and Spanish Republicanism in Liberated France.
Javier Moreno-Luzn, Modernizing the Nation: Spain during the Reign of Alfonso XIII, 19021931.
Inbal Ofer, Seoritas in Blue: The Making of a Female Political Elite in Francos Spain.
Mario Ojeda Revah, Mexico and the Spanish Civil War: Domestic Politics and the Republican Cause.
Elizabeth Roberts, Freedom, Faction, Fame and Blood: British Soldiers of Conscience in Greece, Spain and Finland.
Julius Ruiz, Paracuellos: The Elimination of the Fifth Column in Republican Madrid during the Spanish Civil War.
Guy Setton, SpanishIsraeli Relations, 19561992: Ghosts of the Past and Contemporary Challenges in the Middle East.
Manuel lvarez Tardo and Fernando del Rey Reguillo (eds.), The Spanish Second Republic Revisited.
Nigel Townson, The Crisis of Democracy in Spain: Centrist Politics under the Second Republic, 19311936.
Nigel Townson (ed.), Is Spain Different?: A Comparative Look at the 19th and 20th Centuries.
* Published in association with the Caada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies and the Catalan Observatory, London School of Economics.
A full list of titles in the series is available on the Press website.
Dedication
This work is dedicated to my grandmother Marianne Gabriella Fein Daniel (19211990)
Her escape from Nazi Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust took her to Spain. From there, on 12 March 1941, she boarded the SS Magallanes in Bilbao to cross the Atlantic and start a new life in New York. Five decades later, on 30 July 1990, she unexpectedly passed away by my side in Granada while we toured Spain together during that summer. She has always been a source of inspiration for me.
Copyright Guy Setton, 2016.
Published in the Sussex Academic e-Library, 2016.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Setton, Guy, author.
Title: SpanishIsraeli relations, 19561992 : ghosts of the past and contemporary challenges in the Middle East / Guy Setton.
Description: Brighton ; Chicago : Sussex Academic Press, [2016] | 2016 |
Series: Sussex studies in Spanish history | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015043427 | ISBN 9781845197568 (hbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781782843085 (mobi) | ISBN 9781782843092 (pdf)
