The Six Day War began in 1967 due to heightened tensions caused by Palestinian attacks on Israel’s borders. Syria sought Egypt’s support, and Egypt signed a mutual defense agreement with Jordan. Israel struck hard and captured several territories. The conflict over occupied territories continued, and relations between Arab nations and Israel remain tense today. The Six Day War demonstrated Israel’s proficiency in battle and strategy and led to the US recognizing Israel as a valuable ally.
As an example of ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the Six Day War is a study of how to start an armed conflict and how to end it quickly. Here is some insight into the events leading up to the Six Day War and how this 1967 Arab-Israeli war still impacts all parties concerned today.
While political and religious tensions have long been a hallmark of Arab-Israeli relations, many believe that the factors that led to the open conflict of the Six-Day War have their roots in the events that occurred in the year 1965. All Beginning that year and continuing until the June declaration of war in 1967, Palestinian attacks on Israel’s borders created heightened tensions already brewing from earlier conflicts.
Based in Syria, these border attacks were thought to be conducted under the auspices of the Palestine Liberation Organization and targeted not only Israel, but Jordan and Lebanon as well. Syria, fearing reprisals and invasions by Israel, asked for Egypt’s support. Egypt then moved troops from the Sinai Peninsula and transferred them along the Syrian borders. In parallel, Egypt has also signed a mutual defense agreement with Jordan, guaranteeing mutual support in the event of an attack by Israel. The agreements between the three Arab nations set the stage for the emergence of the Six Day War.
Surrounded by those seen as enemies in cahoots with Israel, the decision was made to strike and strike hard. On June 5, 1967, the third Arab-Israeli war began. Within a short time, Israel had captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Old City of Jerusalem, the West Bank of the Jordan River, the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip. Israel’s first success during the Six Day War is sometimes remembered as An Naksah, or “The Setback,” in Palestinian history. With a combination of highly competent strategy, armies and air power, Israel decided to shorten what would come to be known as the Six Day War.
Sustaining heavy damage before it could ever get airborne, the Egyptian Air Force was soon crippled. Likewise, the Syrian and Jordanian air forces suffered heavy damage. Israel’s preemptive strike had been effective, and the Six-Day War ended on June 10, 1967.
Unfortunately, the conflict between the Arab nations and Israel continued, in part over the occupied territories which Israel claimed from the war. The UN intervention did little to alleviate the problems, as the French and English versions of the UN effort to reach a friendly solution were not exactly alike. The end result was that Israel claimed compliance with the English version of resolution 242 and did not deem it necessary to discuss the issue further. As late as 1982, the issue of resolution remained a problem.
Indeed, relations between Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Israel are still tense today, with no real solution in sight. While the Six-Day War acted as a means by which Israel demonstrated its proficiency in battle and strategy, as well as enabling a unified Jerusalem for the first time in more than 1800 years, little else was accomplished. However, the Six Day War somewhat tipped the balance of power in the Middle East and led to the recognition by the United States that Israel could be a very valuable ally.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
