The Yom Kippur War
October 1973
Détente
Cold War Politics
Inter Arab Arab rivalries and tensions
Palestinian Problem
Tensions caused by Fatah and its
expulsion from Jordan
Israel security
Background to the Yom Kippur
War
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War of Attrition
Khartoum Summit : 3 No’s
Premier Golda Meir’s policies
UN resolution 242 : ‘occupied territories’
Sadat’s Foreign Policy
US role in the Middle East
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BumWL
G_v1b4
War of Attrition
• 1968=1970
• Low level conflict with the aim to get back
the Suez and Israel not willing to negotiate
w/o guarantees of peace.
• Undeclared war of attrition between both
sides amidst tensions caused by Fatah and
PFLP
Conflict with PLO
• Jordan who was increasingly frustrated by
PLO and PFLP actions decided to evict
PLO
• 17th September, PLO supported by Syrian
army
• US and Israel intervened in Jordan’s
support
• Egypt stepped into make peace between
Jordan and Arafat
Black September
• Fatah group re-group and name themselves
Black September in memory of the pitched
battles with Jordanian forces
• Face –saving formula worked out with
Arafat and King Hussein
• Nasser dies on the 28th of September.
• To the end, he created contradictions:
privately wanted to work with Israel yet
belligerent public policy!
Anwar Sadat: Nasser’s successor
• Former Speaker of the Parliament and then
Vice-President of Egypt
• Not taken seriously: “gray donkey”
• He was alternately belligerent and
conciliatory and sent confusing messages to
the US
• Wasn’t taken seriously as he was depending
on USSR for arms but USA to have UN 242
implemented to regain Suez
US role in the Middle East
• As early as June 1967, President Johnson
set out his 5 goals
• The removal of threats against any nation in the
region
• Justice for the ‘refugees’
• Freedom of navigation
• End to the Arms Race
• Respect for politcal independence and
territorial integrity of all states in the area.
UN Resolution 242
• Came in the background of 3 NO’s of Khartoum
Summit
• Belligerence of Arab nations but Egypt and
Jordan were willing to negotiate to a return to prewar borders
• Arab bargaining position was weak
• Israelis not willing to negotiate: talk of Eretz Israel
• 242 Introduced by GB, was watered down to its
present form
• Therefore 242 a compromise in every way
Failure of Gunnar Jarring
mission
• A UN sponsored mission led by Swede
Gunnar Jarring to negotiate return of
territories.
• Negotiated peace to be based on 242
• Lasted till 1971, achieved no tangible gains
• UN had lost credibility over withdrawal of
UNEF
• Significance of 242: basis of all subsequent
peace moves
Palestinian Revival
• Role of Fatah and PFLP
• Munich, Dawson’s Field, Plane blown up in
mid-air
• Israel’s retaliation equally
spectacular….Raid on Beirut International
Airport
• Bombings and hijackings did much to
highlight the attention of the Palestinian
cause but did not achieve its aims
US role in the region
• In the aftermath of 6 Day war, US –Israel
ties closer
• For both Cold War leaders, key to success
in the wars would be air power and so both
hastily tried to rebuild air force of their
client states
• US policy actively supported by the very
powerful AIPAC lobby
• AIPAC?
AIPAC
• Powerful lobby that would donate money
for Presidential campaigns.
• This group would make resources available
to Presidential candidates based on their
stance on Israel
• By 1969, the AIPAC had supported the
candidate opposing the new President
Nixon
• Nixon wanted to move away from Vietnam
US: Role of Nixon
• Wanted to deal with Middle East problem
as Jarring mission was not working
• Golda Meir refused to make compromises
while Egypt and Syria were being re-armed
• Golda Meir the last of the uncompromising
group of Zionists who had played a pivotal
role in the creation of Israel
US: Roger’s Plan
• Background: Jordan willing to negotiate for
peace
• Sec. of State William Rogers began to
work on a peace deal based on 1967 prewar borders
• USSR convinced of this deal
• Announced in Dec 1969
• Almost total withdrawal from all territories
except Latrun Salient
Roger’s Plan
• Worrying to the Israelis
• Reference to Palestinians rather than
refugees
• Jerusalem should be a divided city
accessible to both Israel and Jordan
• Israelis found it unacceptable and with
AIPAC support began to ‘change the
situation on the ground’
Failure of Roger’s Plan
• Never repudiated
• US policy statement about how to interpret
UN 242
• Kissinger, the US National Security advisor
was concerned about such a divisive plan
could work
HW: PPT’s 6-8 minutes long.
• Work in pairs to create power points( 4-5
slides) :
• Joint Egypt Syria plans of attack. How was it
done? How was it carried out?
• Success or failure: the situation on the ground:
Actual attack on Israel. What happened?
• Role of other Arab states in the Yom Kippur War?
• Role of the USSR and USA in the Yom Kippur
War
• Kissinger’s ‘step by step’ diplomacy
• Overall results of the War
PPTS
• All power points to be uploaded to
Wikispaces by Thursday night(11th Nov.)
so that Mrs Saha can edit and create for you
lot a comprehensive PPT of the Yom
Kippur War.
• Monday 15th : Paper 1 style test
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Suez War
6 Day War
Palestinian Revival
Yom Kippur War