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Egypt vs. Israel Redux
June 5-11, 1967
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1948 war—still humiliating for Arabs, still present in political
talk
1956 Suez Crisis—while Nasser “won” the Suez Canal
ultimately, and the British & French were humiliated, Israel
had invaded
During the 1960s there were frequent clashes along the
Jordanian-Israeli border, and between Syria & Israel
Still, Arab unity and inter-Arab affairs were more prominent
and potentially flammable than anything with Israel
Nasser’s attempt at Arab unity (the United Arab Republic)
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After the 1948 war, these
were the agreed upon
borders
Mark your map with
Jordan’s occupation area
and Egypt’s too
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May 1967 USSR & Syria gave out false intelligence saying
Israel was preparing a military attack against Syria
Nasser responded as a show of Arab unity and his Pan-Arab
leadership role, by deploying troops in the Sinai
Pro-Nasser, anti-Israel demonstrations in several cities
o Nasser was tempted to continue his brinkmanship: “the practice of
causing or allowing a situation to become extremely dangerous in
order to get the results that you want” “going to the brink”
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Nasser requested all UN forces leave the Sinai—they
listened & left
Nasser occupied Sharm al-Sheik and blockaded Israeli
shipping
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Nasser’s army was bogged down in Yemen’s civil war and
unprepared to fight Israel
He probably believed the US or USSR would step in to help
But instead, other Arab leaders jumped on board and Egypt,
Jordan, and Iraq formed a fast alliance
Israel couldn’t allow the straits to be blockaded or for
Nasser to build up an alliance
Early morning June 5, 1967 Israeli air force attacked
Egyptian air bases and destroyed most of their air force
while it was still on the ground
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Later on June 5, Syria and Jordan joined the fight and Israel
destroyed their air forces immediately
Jordan attacked Jerusalem (see map) and when Israel forced
them to retreat, Jordan abandoned the West Bank to Israeli
occupation
“with undisputed control of the air” Israel defeated Egypt in
the Sinai and advanced to the east bank of the Suez
Then Israel turned full force to Syria and took the long
disputed territory of the Golan Heights
A ceasefire was signed on June 11 in the Golan Heights
In 6 days Israel had defeated 3 Arab states “a resounding
triumph for Israel, a humiliating disaster for the Arab forces,
and a shattering blow to Nasserism.”
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Use the website on your paper to complete the Arab Threats
and War sections.
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War started June 5, and on June 6 Israeli Foreign Minister Eban
flew to New York (UN Headquarters) to work on a ceasefire deal
Later that day, a resolution was passed that Israel and Jordan
accepted, but Egypt, Syria, and Iraq rejected; fighting continued
When Israel reached the Suez Canal on June 8, Nasser had to
admit defeat—also, foreign press had broken through and
reported the truth that his army was decimated
Israel continued on to Golan Heights to secure Syria’s loss
Ceasefire signed there on June 10, effective until Oct 1973
Important changes: flying to foreign countries mid-war to make
deals, the UN resolution actually mattered (LoN?), Cold War
alliances determined outcome
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Use the same website to complete the Immediate Aftermath
section.
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Israel gained Gaza, Golan Heights, and West Bank= 3 ½
times its original size
Because of this, Israel was now the country with the largest
Palestinian population—refugees from 1948 now lived
within Israel’s borders
o Refugees were relatively well treated
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Palestinian nationalist identities were reawakened by the
defeat
o The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO, 1964) ramped up
terrorist activities against Israelis
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Jews in Arab countries were immediately persecuted—raids
on Jewish towns, survivors imprisoned
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In 132 hours:
Arabs lost 25 people to Israel’s 1; Egypt lost 10-15,000
men
Material losses were extreme for the Arabs: 85% of Egypt’s
military hardware was destroyed
Israel ended up capturing thousands of Arab soldiers as
well as hundreds of tanks, guns, vehicles
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Israel got to pick the name of the war
Options considered: The War of Daring
The War of Salvation
The War of the Sons of Light
Six-Day War was chosen because it took God six days to
create the earth…
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June 9 (Egypt’s demise was set)
"I have taken a decision," he announced, "for which I need
your support. I have decided to withdraw totally and for
good from all official posts and political roles, and to return
to the ranks of the masses, to perform my duties in their
midst, like any other citizen.“
Immediately people took to the streets and begged Nasser
to stay President. He did.
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From 1967-1970 when Nasser died, he proclaimed Egypt at
a state of war with Israel called the War of Attrition
Mostly centered around the Suez Canal (remember Israel
won the whole Sinai in the Six-Day War)
The USSR helped Egypt, as well as the PLO & Jordan
A ceasefire was signed after Nasser died of a heart attack
in September 1970, no land decisions were made
(In 1973 the Yom Kippur War would cause Israel to give the
Sinai back to Egypt.)
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“As you know, we have not been able to realize all our
dreams during the last 17 years because of a variety of
problems: the occupation, the 1967 aggression, etc. My
dream above all is the development of the country,
electricity in the villages and work for everybody. I have no
personal dream. I have no personal life. There is nothing
personal about me.”