Publication details
Czechoslovak diplomatic dilemmas in regards to the Adolf Eichmann trial
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Middle Eastern Studies |
| Citation | |
| web | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00263206.2023.2173179 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2023.2173179 |
| Keywords | Czechoslovakia, Israel, Adolf EIchmann, Cold War diplomacy |
| Description | This article aims to analyze the ambiguous diplomatic approach of Czechoslovakia towards the trial with Adolf Eichmann launched in Jerusalem in April 1961. Even though Eichmann was internationally seen as one of the unquestionable Holocaust perpetrators, the approach of Czechoslovak diplomacy towards his trial was not as supportive and cooperative as would normally be expected from a country severely affected by Nazi repression in the recent past. Due to the ongoing Cold War rivalries that put Czechoslovakia and Israel on opposite sides of the conflict, in the early 1960s, the bilateral relations of the two countries were strained and hostile. The disinclination of Czechoslovakia to cooperate with Israel on the preparations for the Eichmann trial by providing testimonies of his crimes, however, put Czechoslovakia into a thorny diplomatic position hence this reluctance could have been interpreted as an indirect backing of a Nazi criminal. Altogether, the situation escalated in an unprecedented diplomatic dilemma for Czechoslovak authorities. |