Israel's Relations with the East European States From Disruption (1967) to Resumption (1989-91)

In the years 198991 Israel renewed its diplomatic relations with the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Poland and Czechoslovakia, relations which were severed subsequent to the Six Day War, and diplomatic relations with Albania were established for the first time. Talks with East Germany came to nothing due to East Germanys refusal to recognize its part in paying restitutions to Israel for its involvement in the persecution of Jews during the Nazi rule, and due to the approaching German reunification process. The author, who served in those years as Deputy Director General of Israels Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in charge of East and Central Europe, and who took part in these processes, documents, for the first time, the chain of contacts between Israel and the countries of East-Central Europe (except for the USSR) which led up to renewing diplomatic relations between them. Govrin also deals with their hostile policies towards Israel in the international and Middle Eastern arena,