Middle East.- Israel Defence Force (General Staff, [Tel Aviv]) Three maps of the Middle East relating to oil production following the Suez Crisis, including an Israeli strategic map of the Arabian Peninsula showing oilfields and associated infrastructure, a map of oil fields and pipelines in the Fertile Crescent, and a map of the Middle East, produced by Israel's General Staff soon after the Suez Crisis, colour printed maps, on thin wove paper, map sheets between 495 x 695 mm (19 1/2 x 27 1/4 in) and 960 x 820 mm (37 3/4 x 32 1/4 in), old folds with some associated minor splitting, light surface dirt and browning, unframed, [c.1957-1958] (3)

⁂ Scarce at auction, with only a handful of copies in institutional collections. The present series of maps were likely produced by the IDF in reaction to the Suez Crisis and its associated geopolitical shifts. With the Egyptians operating the Suez Canal, and Britain and France being forced by the USA to abandon their post-imperial plans, Israel now counted in both U.S. and Soviet plans for their control of Middle Eastern politics. Britain was forced to anchor its Middle Eastern influence in Cyprus, Aden and Iraq, while the increased American influence can be seen in the huge swathe of territory assigned to Aramco.