Meir's rejection of the Egyptian offer reflects…
April 1971 CE
Meir's rejection of the Egyptian offer reflects the hawkish but also complacent politico-military strategy that has guided Israeli policy since the June 1967 War.
Advised by Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan and ambassador to Washington Yitzhak Rabin, the Meir government holds that the IDF's preponderance of power, the disarray of the Arab world, and the large buffer provided by Sinai, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights will deter the Arab states from launching an attack against Israel.
Therefore, the Israeli government perceives no compelling reason to trade territory for peace.
This view has wide Israeli public support because of a growing settler movement in the occupied territories, a spate of Arab terrorist attacks that harden public opinion against compromise with the Arabs, and the widespread feeling that the Arab states are incapable of launching a successful attack on Israel.