Az „aranykorszak” vége. A hatnapos háború következményei Csehszlovákiára és Prága harmadik világbeli politikájára
The End of A “Golden Age” – The Consequences of the Six-Day War on Czechoslovakia and Prague’s Third World Policy

Summary/Abstract: Jusst prior to the so-called Six-Day War, delegations from Egypt and Syria hurried to the Eastern bloc states to acquire more intensive diplomatic support, humanitarian help and arms supplies. One of the main destinations was Czechoslovakia which between 1955 and 1968 was one of the main supporters not just for the Arab States but even for most of the Third World countries and national liberation movements. So, it was no surprise that the Communist leadership did not hesitate when they had to choose after the armed conflict: the defeated Arab states (Egypt, Syria) or victorious Israel? Despite the fact that Czechoslovakia played a key role in the first Arab–Israeli War (supporting the Israeli militias and army with weapons), from the early fifties to the mid-sixties, the relations between Israel and Czechoslovakia remained very cold. So first, it seemed that the suspension of diplomatic ties would not have any longstanding consequences on Prague’s Middle East-policy nor the country itself. However, before and during the Prague Spring, there were shown displays of public sympathy for Israel – not just from the intelligentsia, but from the members of the so-called Communist reform movement alike. Although there were some signs of warming up the former Czechoslovak–Israeli relations, the invasion of the Warsaw Pact and Gustáv Husák’s “normalization” ruined such hopes. Moreover, after 1968 the Czechoslovak leadership attempted to return to the “golden age”, but due to the purge in the country and some changes in the Middle East, this remained an unfulfilled dream.

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