Six-Day War

Six-Day War
source
Conflict	Six-Day War
Partof	the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Cold War
Date	5–10 June 1967
Place	Middle East
Result	Israeli victory
Territory	Israel captures the Golan Heights, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula.

Six-Day War. The Six-Day War was a brief but decisive armed conflict fought from 5 to 10 June 1967 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. The war resulted in a swift and overwhelming Israeli victory, fundamentally reshaping the political and territorial landscape of the Middle East. Israel's capture of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights created a new status quo with profound and lasting consequences.

Background

Tensions escalated dramatically in May 1967 following a series of provocative actions by Egypt under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser ordered the expulsion of the United Nations Emergency Force from the Sinai Peninsula and imposed a naval blockade on the Strait of Tiran, effectively closing Israel's access to the Red Sea. This blockade was viewed by Israel as a casus belli. Concurrently, Syria intensified artillery bombardments from the Golan Heights, and Jordan signed a mutual defense pact with Egypt. The formation of a unified Arab military command and bellicose rhetoric from leaders in Cairo, Damascus, and Amman created a widespread perception in Israel of an imminent existential threat, leading to a pre-emptive strike.

Course of the war

The conflict began on 5 June with Operation Focus, a massive Israeli air assault that destroyed the majority of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground, achieving near-total air superiority. Israeli ground forces, led by generals like Moshe Dayan and Yitzhak Rabin, then rapidly advanced into the Sinai Peninsula, defeating the Egyptian Army in battles at Abu Ageila and reaching the Suez Canal. In the central front, after Jordan rejected an Israeli plea for neutrality and attacked West Jerusalem, the Israel Defense Forces captured the entire West Bank, including the historic Old City of Jerusalem. The final phase saw fierce fighting on the northern front, where Israeli units stormed the formidable Syrian fortifications on the Golan Heights, securing the plateau by 10 June.

Aftermath

The war concluded with a series of ceasefire agreements brokered by the United Nations Security Council. Israel now controlled territories more than three times its original size. The immediate human cost was significant, with thousands of casualties among Arab armies and hundreds for Israel. The war created a new demographic reality, placing large Palestinian populations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under Israeli military administration. The Khartoum Resolution, issued by the Arab League in September 1967, famously declared "no peace, no recognition, no negotiation" with Israel. In response, Israel began establishing settlements in the newly captured territories, particularly in East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Legacy and significance

The war's legacy is deeply entrenched in the ongoing Arab–Israeli conflict. The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories became the central issue, leading to the rise of the Palestine Liberation Organization and later the First Intifada and Second Intifada. The capture of East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount held immense religious and national significance for Israelis and Jews worldwide. Militarily, the success of Israel's pre-emptive doctrine and combined arms operations was studied globally. The war also set the stage for the subsequent Yom Kippur War in 1973, as Egypt and Syria sought to regain their lost territories.

International reactions and diplomacy

The global response was sharply divided along Cold War lines. The United States, while initially cautioning Israel, ultimately provided diplomatic support. The Soviet Union, which had supplied arms and intelligence to the Arab states, severed diplomatic relations with Israel and led efforts in the UN Security Council to condemn its actions. The council adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 in November 1967, which called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and mutual recognition of sovereignty, becoming a cornerstone of all future peace efforts, including the Camp David Accords and the Oslo Accords. The war significantly increased the geopolitical influence of both the U.S. and the USSR in the region.

Category:Arab–Israeli conflict Category:Wars involving Israel Category:1967 in Asia Category:20th-century conflicts