UNIT – III

ARAB-ISRAELI WARS, 1967 & 1993

a) Causes
b) Main events
c) Role of Airpower (operation focus: https://youtu.be/sB8aLlVz_8k )
d) Lessons learnt

Watch the video before you study: https://youtu.be/hHqJ6pgdE-c

CAUSES OF ARAB-ISRAELI WAR-1967

THE SUMMARY OF THE CONFLICT

 The Six-Day War, also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between
June 5th and June 10th, 1967 by Israel and neighboring states of Egypt, Syria, and
Jordan.
 After a period of high tension and open Egyptian propaganda of "pushing Jews to
the sea" led by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, the war began on June
5th with Israel's ferocious pre-emptive strike (first strike) against Egyptian
airfields.
 The outcome was a decisive victory for Israel. Israel gained control of the Gaza Strip
and the Sinai Peninsula (from Egypt), the West Bank and East Jerusalem (from
Jordan), and the Golan Heights (from Syria).
 For the first time in Israeli history since 1948, the Jews were able to enter and pray at
the Western Wall where Jordanians in the late 1960s installed public lavatories.
CAUSES OF THE WAR:
 The six-day war was brought on by political unrest and military combat after Israel’s
establishment.
 The invasion was in response to territorial disputes that arose after Israel’s
establishment.
 It was ignited by a series of border disputes between Israel and the Arab
countries.
 The First Arab-Israeli War, which was sparked by Israel’s establishment in 1948,
served as the war’s catalyst.
 This exacerbated the Palestinian refugee dilemma brought on by the armed war.
 Following the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian President Gamal
Abdel Nasser, more conflict broke out in 1956 under the name of the Suez Crisis.
 Therefore, it is possible to view the Six-Day War as a logical progression of the
ongoing geopolitical split in the Middle East.
 Finally in 1967, Israeli settlements had been raided by Palestinian guerillas with
support from Syria.
 Naturally, the Israeli Army had responded in a furious manner and Israeli troops were
moving toward the Syrian border.
 The reports prompted the Egyptian President to intervene in favor of his Syrian ally,
even though they were ultimately shown to be untrue.
 Egyptian President dispatched soldiers into the Sinai to accomplish this goal,
driving out a United Nations peacekeeping force stationed there.
 The Straits of Tiran, which connected the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba and was
a crucial maritime route for Israel, were cut off for Israeli shipping.
 The international community pleaded with both parties to refrain from beginning a
fight.
 They also requested to reopen the Straits of Tiran in order to defuse tensions
between the Israelis and the Arabs.
 It did not significantly alter Egyptian President Nassar’s current course.
 Without any other option, Israel’s leaders decided to launch their own preemptive
strike in response to the rising Arab build-up.
FIGHTING FRONTS OF THE WAR

 On June 5, 1967, the Israeli Defence Force organized a significant aircraft assault on
Egypt.
 About 200 aircraft took out from Israeli airfields and descended against Egypt
from the north, completely surprising the Egyptian army is called (Operation
Focus)
 Nearly 90% of the Egyptian air force was destroyed on the ground during the
subsequent attack.
 Similar missions were carried out with similar outcomes against Jordan’s and Syria’s
air forces.
 The Israeli air force had gained complete control of the Middle Eastern airspace
by the end of June 5.
 The ground war started on June 5 the same day after the aerial victory was
secured.
 The Israeli army poured through the Egyptian border into the Sinai Peninsula
(REFER MAP) and the Gaza Strip with the assistance of the air force.
 Despite a vigorous defence put up by the Egyptian Army, the combat in the Sinai
proved to be disastrous for Egypt.
 Egyptian forces inflicted many casualties upon them leaving their position untenable
and they were forced to evacuate.
 An artillery barrage by the Jordanians against Israeli positions in Jerusalem signaled
the start of the attack against them.
 Following false rumors of an Egyptian victory, the Jordanians started the
bombardment.
 On June 7, the Israelis launched a counterattack that resulted in the conquest of the
West Bank and East Jerusalem.
 Israeli soldiers commemorated it by praying at the Wailing Wall, one of Judaism’s
holiest locations.
 Finally, during the Six-Day War, Israeli became offensive against the Syrian-held
Golan Heights on the northeastern border of Israel.
 This attack by Israeli forces on the Golan Heights marked the end of the Six-Day War.
  Israeli forces and tanks converged on the Golan Heights starting on June 9, supported
by aircraft support.
 And on June 10, 1967, the Israeli army captured the Golan Heights.

SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES OF THE SIX-DAY WAR OF 1967

 The Arab countries were shocked by how quickly and simply Israel had won the war.
 Israel was in a celebratory mood after capturing the Golan Heights from Syria, the
West Bank, and East Jerusalem from Jordan, as well as the Gaza Strip from Egypt.
 Now Jews could freely pray at the sacred place of the western wall, the conquest of
East Jerusalem was symbolic in nature.
 However, the Israeli Defense Force was overconfident after the Six-Day War, which
would be fatal during the Yom-Kippur War that would break out in 1973.
 The Six-Day War’s success only served to stoke new Arab-Israeli wars.
 The Arab governments agreed to “No peace, No recognition, and No negotiations
with Israel“ in the Khartoum Resolution, which was enacted in August 1967.
 About a million Palestinian Arabs were brought under direct Israeli administration
through the settlement of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
 A growing refugee problem that has persisted to this day was exacerbated by
thousands more people fleeing in the years that followed.

CONCLUSION

A number of international conferences have been held on UN forums to discuss the

conflict’s violence. Dealing with historical rights, security concerns, and Palestinian human
rights has caused division in the modern world. The western world, led by the USA, has
always supported Israel’s claims in the region, while the Arab world has supported the
Palestinian cause. As a result, the struggle continues to influence modern history in the form
of continuous geopolitical conflicts like the one between the United States and Iran, the
country that leads the Muslim world.

EASY NOTES:

THE WAR TIMELINE JUNE 5TH AND 6TH

(OPERATION FOCUS) https://youtu.be/sB8aLlVz_8k

 Early in the morning, the Israeli Air Force launches a series of raids against
Egyptian airfields, attacking 19 bases and destroying aircraft.
 The strikes eliminate 85% of the Egyptian air force. The Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi
air forces attack oil refineries in Haifa Bay and an airfield in Megiddo.
 By evening, Jordan's air force is wiped out, the Syrians lose two-thirds of their total
air strength, and the Iraqi air force loses several planes.
 After two days, Israel has destroyed 400 enemy aircraft, 94% of them on the
ground. Israel loses 26 aircraft in action.
 During this time, Jordanian forces lob thousands of shells into Jewish West
Jerusalem, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing 20 people.

JUNE 7TH

 After successful advances against the Jordanians in and around Jerusalem, and after
24 hours of internal debate and diplomatic outreach, the Israelis take over the Old
City of Jerusalem.
 Before entering the city, Israel PM, Levi Eshkol sends a letter to King Hussein
proposing that Jordan halt its attacks on Israeli territory, agree to a ceasefire, and
begin peace talks.
 There is no response from Jordan.

JUNE 9TH

 Israel begins ground operations against Syrian, hoping to secure its north-eastern
border after nearly two decades of Syrian attacks on the Galilee
JUNE 10TH

 The war ends with Israeli forces in control of the Sinai Peninsula up to the Suez
Canal, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights.

JUNE 19TH

 Israel offers Egypt and Syria return of the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights for a
peace settlement to be negotiated directly.
 In the Golan, Israel offers to withdraw to the international border, not including
territory conquered by Syria in the offer was transmitted through the United States,
but turned down. Egypt and Syria refuse to negotiate with Israel

JUNE 27TH

 Israel officially annexes East Jerusalem. Because of the numerous holy sites in the
Old City, Israel pointedly decides to respect the sensitive nature of these sacred
places, ceding civilian authority over the Temple Mount to the Islamic Wakf authority.
 That day, the Knesset passes the Protection of Holy Places Law, stating: "The Holy
Places shall be protected from desecration and any other violation and from anything
likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the different religions to the
places sacred to them or their feelings with regard to those places."

SEPTEMBER 1ST NOVEMBER 22ND

The following year:

 Eight Arab heads of state attend an Arab League summit in Khartoum, Sudan, passing
the "Khartoum Resolutions," also known as The Three No's:
 No to peace with Israel
 No to recognition of Israel
 No to negotiations with Israel

NOVEMBER 22ND

 The United Nations Security Council passes Resolution 242, calling for the
"withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent
conflict in exchange for Arab acceptance of Israel”.

THE FOLLOWING YEAR:

  In the year following the Six-Day war, the PLO solidified its position in the West
Bank and Gaza.
 Between September and December of 1968, the PLO launched 61 terrorist attacks
against Israel, mostly against civilian targets, such as factories, movie theaters and
private homes.

HOW THE CONFLICTS RESOLVED:

 Israel had a stronger, better-equipped, and well-trained army of soldiers full of battle
morale and a sense of purpose which led to serious loses on lives and equipment of
the Jordanian, Egyptian, and Syrian army.
 Those loses, confusion between soldiers, and general inability of Arab military leaders
significantly weakened their army which eased Israel's progress in capturing the Gaza
Strip, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights.
 By June 10th, Israel had completed its final offensive in the Golan Heights, and
ceasefire was signed the day after. Factors described above led to the complete defeat
of the Arab armies.

LESSONS LEARNED:

 Israel demonstrated that it was able and willing to initiate strategic strikes in order to
protect its territory and defeat its enemy.
 Egypt and Syria learned tactical lessons and launched an attack in 1973 (The Yom
Kippur War) in, fortunately, an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim their lost territory.
 The Arab-Israeli conflict was/is/will be one of the issues that affect the whole world,
and for many observers it seems to be an unresolvable until Arab states recognize the
independence and sovereignty but most importantly the existence of Israel and the
fundamental right of Jewish people to their holy land itself.
 ARAB-ISRAELI WAR-1993

ATTHIPATI AH KANUM

Double click to open the project: