of 1956, to the failure of France in Algeria and, thereby, to the end of the French-Israeli alliance, could be clearly foreseen. (When de Gaulle made his violently anti-Israeli remarks at his press conference at the end of 1967, we could quote hundreds of our statements during the intervening years forecasting this inevitable turn-about.) It could also have been predicted that the future leaders of Algeria-Houari Boumedienne, for one-would become the most extreme anti-Israel element in the Arab camp.
The avenues open in 1954 were either unseen or ignored, while Israeli policy went along the well-trod road of traditional Zionist conviction. That year was a crucial one-not because it was a turning point, but rather because it was not.