By: Simon and Sonia
ROLE OF ARAB STATES DURING
THE YOM KIPPUR WAR
Role of Jordan
 One of the most ambiguous roles
 They were “secret friends” with Israel
 Hussein clearly understood the outcome of a
direct confrontation with Israel
 King Hussein of Jordan reluctance to open a
Jordanian front
 However, there was personal warning of
Egyptian-Syrian assault from King Hussein of
Jordan.
During the Actual War
 Jordanian army who arrived in the area
without knowing exactly where the front line
was.
 Jordan did send actual force to the Syrian side
of the to show his concern for Arab solidarity,
but he kept his own front with Israel
completely quiet during the war.
 Thus Israel's Army and Air Force was able to
concentrate on the direct Syrian and Egyptian
threats.
Syria’s Role
 Egypt and Syria were the initial planners in
the attack
 Syria also desired a return of the land lost in
the Six-Day War.
 Hafiz al-Assad, the leader of Syria, had a
different view. He had little interest in
negotiation and felt the retaking of the Golan
Heights would be a purely military option.
Arab Oil Crisis
 On October 16, 1973, OPEC announced a
decision to raise the posted price of oil by
70%, to $5.11 a barrel.
 The following day, oil ministers agreed to the
embargo, a cut in production by five percent,
and continued to cut oil supply until their
demands were met
Arab Oil Crisis
 October 19, US President Richard Nixon requested
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Congress $2.2 billion in emergency aid to Israel.
In turn Libya announced it would embargo all oil
shipments to the United States.
Total embargo on oil deliveries to the United States
as a “principal hostile country”.
Though United States was the initial target of the
embargo, it was later expanded to other regions.
Price increases were also imposed.
Arab oil producers had also linked the end of the
embargo with successful US efforts to create peace
in the Middle East
Egyptian Role pre-war
 Nasser died in 1970, to be replaced by his
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successor Anwar Sadat
Egyptians had been demoralized and their
economy was crumbling
Sadat decided that the only option available
was to go to war with Israel.
Soviet Union declined to assist the Egyptians
Egypt now in the favor of the US
Egyptian Role
 Main attack came from that of Egypt, whose
army amassed more than 100,000 troops
 Israel had only 400 soldiers guarding the bridge
which gave the Egyptians access to the Sinai
 The Egyptians attacked on Yom Kippur which
was one of Israel’s holiest days
 It seemed to the Israeli’s that they would be
beaten but they managed to hold off both fronts
of the attacks which came through the Sinai and
Golan Heights.
Egyptian Role
 Egyptian army was no match for the trained
Israeli troops however, and was beaten back
after reinforcements had arrived
 The Egyptians also attempted to aid Syria by
counterattacking the Israeli’s when Syria was
in trouble
 Egyptians were eventually also pushed back
into their own country and the fighting went
as far as 60 km away from Cairo.
Iraq’s Role
 Syrians and Egyptians had tried to request help
from Iraq, however, Iraq refused to be a part of
the initial offensive
 Iraq sided with Syria and Egypt and first sent aid
when the initial offensive had started to fail.
 Iraq sent in their own division of around 30,000
men into the Golan Heights which attacked the
southern flank of the Israeli army
 On the 23rd of October when Syria announced
their acceptance to the ceasefire, the Iraqi’s
called their soldiers home who withdrew from
the border of Syria and Israel.
 FINITO