The Soviet Union and the United States of America have had a history of conflict. The cold war was the rivalry between the aforementioned nations and their respective allies that dominated world affairs from the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This can be seen as the major conflict between these two nations. The Cold War was waged on political, economic, propaganda, and espionage fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons, though the threat of nuclear war was always present. Although both superpowers originally supported the creation of Israel in 1948, it was not long before the cold war conflict extended into this region. The Arab-Israeli conflict became another important front on which the Cold War could be waged.
In 1956, the Soviet Union declared that they regretted their role in the creation of Israel'. Instead, they waged support for the Arabs in this region, supplying the various Arab neighbours of Israel, especially Egypt, with arms and economic aid in the Sinai Crisis of 1956. Soviet influence in the Arab community made Israel a de facto ally of the Americans. In this particular conflict, the Americans took on the role of peacekeeper to protect their own interests, however generally they supported Israel and detested Egyptian president Nasser. The Sinai crisis solidified the framework of the Cold War in the Middle East - that is, from this point on the Soviet Union supported the Arabs, and the United States Israel. This theme continued in the following conflicts - the six-day war of 1967, the Yom Kippur war of 1973, the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the Intifada. When the Palestinians announced their statehood', in 1988, the Soviet Union supported them and America did not. Constantly, the Soviet Union aided and supported the Arab states, especially it's client states Syria and Iraq, and America supported Israel. .
The aid and support of the two superpowers was not only significant during times of conflict - even in times of relative peace, the Arabs depended on the Soviet Union for their support, and Israel would not even exist without the financial and military support of the Americans.
