Honest question. I'm really not trying to stir up conflict. I'm a daily lurker and I'm looking for serious academic answers.
A roommate and I were talking about the current situation between Gaza and Israel, and he stated that no Arab leader has ever recognized the state of Israel.
I found this hard to believe, that never in the last century has any Arab leader recognized Israel, and said as much. However, in looking into it online, it seems he is right.
From what I've read, no Arab leader has ever recognized the state of Israel.
So... what I want to know is, A) is my research true? Are there really no Arab leaders that have ever recognized Isreal, and B) If so, why?
It's untrue.
Both Egypt and Jordan have recognized Israel, but not without heavy criticism from the rest of the Middle East and Islamic world as a whole.
Moreover, expanding the scope to predominantly muslim countries, Iran gave Israel de facto recognition until the 1979 revolution, as did Chad between 1961 and 1972 (when relations were severed). Turkey, the Maldives (as of 2009), and various countries in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are all predominantly peopled by adherents to Islam) also recognize Israel.
hello! I've removed this post because it's clear from your response to turtleeatingalterman that you are looking for current conditions, which is against this sub's "20-year rule". Here's the rule:
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/rules#wiki_is_this_the_right_place_for_your_question.3F
Do consider x-posting this question to /r/AskSocialScience or perhaps /r/Politics.