Six-day War of 1967 Flashcards
What was set up in 1964
Palestinian Liberation Organisation
What did Nasser do in 1964 and what was its outcome?
Invited the leaders of the Arab states to a conference
First time that it was claimed in an official document that their ultimate aim was the destruction of Israel
What were the aims of the PLO?
To untie all Palestinians and win back the land which they had lost in 1948
What type of organisation was the PLO?
An umbrella organisation for various Palestinian groups
Name one of the groups under the PLO
Fatah - carried out its first raid on Israel in 1965
What did the governments of Lebanon and Jordan try to do to the PLO?
Restrict PLO activities because they were afraid of Israeli reprisals
How did the Syrians respond to the PLO?
Keen to support PLO and encouraged Fatah raids against Israel and supplied men and arms
What happened in Syria in February 1966?
New radical and aggressive government came into power which demanded a revolutionary struggle against Israel
What was signed in November 1966?
Defence agreement between Egypt and Syria so that if one state was attacked, the other would come to its defence
What happened a week after the Egyptian-Syria pact?
Mine exploded on the Jordan/Israel frontier, killing 3 Israel soldiers
How did the Israelis retaliate to the mine explosion?
Massive attack in the Jordanian village of Samu - 15 Jordanian soldiers and 3 civilians were killed along with 100
What happened on the 7th April 1967?
Israeli tractor ploughing land in de-militarised zone - fighting ensued
What did Israel issue against Syria in May 1967?
Issued several threats to act against Syria unless it stopped supporting attacks from the PLO
What happened on the 12th May 1967?
Israeli general threatened to occupy the Syrian capital and overthrow the Syrian government
What happened on the 13th May 1967?
Soviets lied and warned the Egyptian government that Israel was moving its armed forces to the border with Syria and was planning to attack. Nasser also knew it was untrue
How many steps did Nasser take and why?
3 steps to deter Israel and impress the Arab republic
What was the first step that Nasser took on 15th May 1967?
Moved 100,000 Egyptian troops into Sinai Peninsula to alarm Israelis
What was the second step that Nasser took in May 1967?
Asked UN commander to remove its troops from Egyptian soil to prove Egypt was completely independent
What was the third step that Nasser took on the 22nd May?
Closed Straits of Tiran, which led to the Gulf of Aqaba, to Israeli shipping. This denied access to the port of Eilat
What happened on the 24th May 1967?
Syrian defence minister challenged the Israelis
What was the Israeli response to Nasser’s actions?
Many feared a repeat of 1948
They also wanted to make sure they had US support
What did Nasser demand from Israel?
Demanded that Israel should allow the Palestinian refugees to return to Israel and that Israel should give up the land taken in 1948-9 war
What was the view of king Hussein in Jordan?
Hussein wanted to avoid war and remain neutral if fighting broke out. But half of population of Jordan was Palestinian and newspapers and demonstrations demanded revenge for what had happened
What did king Hussein do on 30th May 1967?
Signed a mutual defence treaty with Egypt and a force of Egyptian commandos were flown to Jordan
What happened on the 31st May?
Second Israeli delegation went to Washington DC - they wanted the US gov to take action to open the Straits of Tiran. Americans suggested Israel should take action on their own
What happened on the 1st June 1967?
New Israeli government was formed and 3 days later the Israeli cabinet decided to go to war
What happened on the 5th June?
Israeli air force took of and attacked Arab planes on the ground. Within 4 hours the Israelis had destroyed the air forces of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The war lasted for 6 days
Name 5 reasons for Israeli victory
Arabs had lost 15,000 men and Israelis had lost fewer than 1000
Arabs had larger armies but their air forces were destroyed
Arabs had modern Soviet missiles and other weapons but the Israelis had French fighter planes and tanks. Israelis had most advanced US electronic equipment which enabled them to intercept Arab communications
Israelis were highly skilled and well trained
Israelis believed they were fighting for their nations survival
What land did Israeli gain from the Six-day war?
West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and the Golan Heights and became occupied territories
Name 3 ways the buffer zones helped Israel?
Villages in north Israel were safe from Syrian artillery bow the Israel controlled Golan Heights
Military fortifications were built on banks of River Jordan while the land on the West Bank was controlled by Israel
Sinai desert formed a huge buffer between Israel and the Egyptian army
West did the Israeli government order army to do with buffer zones after the war?
Confiscate Arab land and build Jewish settlements to make them more secure
What did the government do to Jerusalem after the war?
Annexed East Jerusalem which violated international law
What were the 3 main oil producing states?
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya
What did the 3 main oil producing Arab states?
Agreed to pay £135 million annually Egypt and Jordan as compensation for their losses in the war
What did the Soviet Union decide to do after the war?
Replace the weapons which its allies, Egypt and Syria had lost
At a conference in August 1967 what did Arab leaders agree on?
No peace with Israel
No recognition of the state
What was passed in November 1967?
UN security council passed Resolution 242
What did Resolution 242 call for?
Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict
Respect for the right of every state in the area ‘to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries, free from threats and acts of force.’
Who accepted 242 resolution?
Egypt and Jordan and then eventually Israel
