The origins, course and impact of the October war 1973 Flashcards
Was there a peace treaty at the end of the six-day war?
No.
What Arab land do the Israel remain firmly in control of?
West Bank and Gaza
Eygpt’s sinai peninsula
Syria’s Golan heights
How many Palestinian refugees were living under Israeli military occupation?
Over a million Palestinians
What does Nasser seek to do following the Six-Day War?
Nasser sought to re-equip and reorganise his armed force
Who received military support from the USSR and what did they receive?
Eygpt and Syria in the shape of weapons/ military advisors
With the Soviet support, what does Nasser do?
Nasser embarks on an aerial bombardement on Israeli positions on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal
What was Nasser’s strategy?
Limited but prolonged war to bring an Israeli withdrawal
How do the Israeli’s respond?
With aerial attacks that destroy Eygpt’s air-defence system
How were the Israelis able to destroy Eygpt’s air-defence system?
Since 1968, they had been supplied with advanced fighter jets by the USA
What was the Israeli view on sinai?
They were determined to keep Sinai
What happened over the next two years between the countries involved?
There were many clashes, both sides lost men and weapons but neither side made progress in what was a war of attrition
What happens in September 1970?
Nasser dies and is succeeded by his vice-president Sadat
What does Sadat realise about the fighting?
Sadat realises that the fighting was draining Eygpt of money and morale and peace was needed so they could clear the canal and rebuild Eygpt’s cities
What was the overriding objectives set by Sadat going into the war?
To regain Sinai, the land lost in 1967
What does Sadat promise the people in 1971?
That the year “would not end without the conflict with Israel having been settled”
What was Sadat prepared to do?
To recognise the state of Israel in order to regain the lost land
What does Sadat do in 1971? and how do Israel respond?
Puts forward a plan for limited Israel withdrawal from the Canal, so it could be reopened for international shipping, yet the Israelis were unwilling to discuss it
What do the US do in response to Israels refusal to discuss the reopening of the canal?
They condone Israel’s intransigence, believing a strong Israel would deter the Arab states from war
What does Sadat realise regarding the US?
Only the US could force Israel to enter peace discussions
Why were the US more involved in middle eastern politics?
More and more US oil was coming from the Arab states
How does Sadat try to get the US to use its influence with the Israeli’s?
Sacked the members of his government who were anti-American
What does Sadat continue to do in the lead up to the Yom Kippur war?
Secure aircraft and arms from the Soviet
Why was a successful attack over the Canal unlikely?
The Eygptian’s never got the right type of equipment from the USSR
What does Sadat do in 1972?
Expel all 15’000 Soviet advisors
What was the reaction to this?
It was a popular move as Soviet interference in Eygptian affairs had been resented
How did this affect US attitudes? Why?
Made little difference as due to the upcoming election, Nixon didn’t want to seem pro Arab so as to secure the Jewish vote
How did Israel attempt to keep Sinai?
Israel built many fortifications on their side of the Canal
In terms of power, influence and relations with the Arab states what did Sadat realise about the US?
That the US “held 99 per cent of the cards in the Middle East” and that they wanted peace and friendship with the Arab states
What did Sadat hope to persuade the US to do in regards to the Israelis?
Sadat hoped he could persuade the US government to use its influence with the Israeli’s
Why were the Israel determined to keep the land they took in the war?
Due to the actions of the Arab countries at a conference in August 1967 where they declared “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiation with it”
What were Arab states left to do following the Six Day war?
Decide how to regain the territory it had lost
Why did Nasser want to inflict heavy casualties?
To exhaust them physiologically and economically
In the war of attrition leading up to the six-day war what does Nasser fail to do?
Receive the support he had hoped for from other Arab states whilst failing to dislodge Israelis
Throughout the war what happened to the Egyptian cities?
They were pulverised by Israeli guns and planes
What does Sadat realsie the US want with Arab countries?
That the US wanted peace and friendship with the Arab states
What prevented the US from recognising the Egyptian reforms?
- America was preoccupied with the Vietnam War
- The 6 million US jews in the US would oppose any attempts by the US government to ‘bully’ the Israelis
How does 1971 end?
As it began with ‘no peace, no war’
Why does Sadat expel the Spviet military advisors?
They couldn’t exert any leverage over the Israelis
What does Sadat decide in 1972 about the stalemate?
The stalemate could only be broken by wa
How would the war lead to an Israeli withdrawal?
It would provoke an international crisis which would compel the superpowers to intervene, stop the fighting and place pressure on the Israeli’s to withdraw from the territory it had captured in 1967
Leading up to the Yom Kippur war what does Nasser know about his forces?
The army had improved especially with Soviet aid
What did his forces need to force the Israelis out of Sinai?
He needed further support from abroad in order to force the Israelis out of Sinai
Who did Sadat have support from?
Sadat had:
- Financial support from the oil-rich Saudi Arabia
- Syrian Leader - President Assad - was a close ally
Who was the Syrian Leader?
President Assad
What did Sadat and Assad know about their lost territories?
They had to act quickly if they wanted to recover the lands lost in 1967
Why did Syrai and Egypt have to act quickly to recover their lands?
As Israel had increasing control of these areas, building new settlements and keeping many troops there.
What was the bare minimum which they would have to achieve?
- Egypt would need to cross the canal and take the East bank
- Syria would have to capture part of the Golan heights
What do Eygptian and Syrian leaders do in secret?
Prepare for war
What type of opinion do the Israelis have on the Arab armies?
A low opinion
What do Egypt and Syria do on the 6th October?
They attack
When do Egypt and Syria attack?
On the 6th October
What was the 6th October for the Isralis?
It was Yom Kippur
What is Yom Kippur?
The holiest day of the Jewish year
What was the benefit of attacking on Yom Kippur?
Many Israeli soldiers were on leave and as a result the IDF would be outnumbered 12 to one
How many Egyptian men and tanks crossed the canal in the first 24 hours?
90,000 Egyptian men and 850 tanks
What do the Egyptian force accomplish in the 24 hours?
They break through Israeli fortifications and destroy 300 Israeli tanks
What happens between Syria and Israel at the start of the war?
500 Syrian tanks overwhelmed Israeli forces on the Golan Heights
How did the Arabs limit the Israeli’s air force response?
The Arabs used shoulder-fired Soviet surface-to-air missiles
How many days did it take the Israeli army to become mobilised
Three days
What had the Israeli army accomplsihed by the 12th October?
They had pushed the Syrians back
What had the Israeli army accomplsihed on the 15th October?
They exploited a gap in the Egyptian forces to thrust across the canal and cut of the Eygptian third army
What made the Israeli military recovery possible?
A massive airlift of thousands of tons of the most advanced weaponry from the US arriving on the 14th October
How did the USSR respond to the US airlift?
They sent arms to Egypt and Syria
When do the US & USSR support a joint UN resolution?
When the Israelis had crossed the Suez Canal and were just 80 km from Cairo
What would the US and USSR backed UN resolution call for?
An immediate ceasefire
When was the resolution meant to start?
22 October
What was the result of the UN resolution breaking down?
A direct clash between the superpowers
How come a Nuclear war was nearly started as a result of the resolution breaking down?
As the USSR would threaten to counter the Israeli threat to Cairo. This alarmed the US and for a time they were put on nuclear alert
Why did the Soviets back down?
As both sides wanted to avoid direct confrontation
What do the US and the USSR agree to?
The formation of the UN Emergency force
When did the fighting end and what happened a few days later to secure peace?
The fighting ended on 24 October, a few days later UN troops were sent to enforce the ceasefire
How can it be seen as a military victory for the Israelis?
- As their tactics and weapons were proven to be superior
- When the war ended they were only 80km from Cairo and 30km from Damascus
What was differnet to previous wars for the Israelis?
They had incurred far more losses in men and weaponry
What myth had been destroyed as a result of the war?
The myth of Israeli invincibility had been destroyed
How many Israeli troops died in the war?
3,000 Israeli troops
How many Syrian and Egyptian troops were wounded in the war?
8,500 Syrian and Egyptian troops
How many Israeli troops were wounded in the war?
8,000 Israelis
How many Syrian and Egyptian troops were wounded in the war?
20,000 Syrians
What had the Arabs overcome and as a result what was restored?
The Arabs had overcome the humiliation of the six-day war and restored Arab pride and honour
What did the Arabs receieve from the international community?
Far more respect
What did Sadat acheive from the war? (2)
Sadat achieved his goals of:
- Breaking the stalemate
- Forcing a change in US policy as the US was now far friendlier towards the Arab states wanting to establish themselves as the region’s superpower
When did oil become a key figure in the Arab-Israeli conflict?
From the late ’60s
Throughout the six-day war what caused oil shortages?
As the closure of the Suez Canal, oil tankers were forced to take a much longer route around South Africa and Europe
Who became the main financier of the PLO and the most outspoken critic of Israel?
Saudi Arabia
What do the Arab Arab oil ministers do during the Yom Kippur war when the Arabs were struggling?
The Arab oil ministers imposed a 17% price increase on the sale of oil and when Nixon approved a $2.2 billion arms package for Israel the Arab states would impose a complete embargo on the sale of oil to the US and the Netherlands
Why do the Arabs reduce their output by 25%?
As there was no end to the Israeli occupatioin sight
What was the result of the reduced output of oil?
Oil’s prices quadrupled and the US, Europe and Japan were hardest hit with prices rises and sales having to be rationed
Why were there shortages in the US, Europe and Japan?
As they were reliant on the Middle East for 75% of their oil
How long did the emabrgo last for?
Until the US persuaded the Israelis to withdraw their military forces from the canal alongside the sale of the US’s most advanced military equipment to the Saudis
How did the Arabs impress the international community?
With their unity of purpose as they forced the international community to take them seriously
