Six Day War and Israeli power. Six Day War

THE Six Day War it was the shortest war that ever existed among the Arab-Israeli conflicts. Occurred in June 1967, it was a surprise action carried out by the armed forces of Israel against Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

Also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War, the Six Day War was shrouded in an escalation of violence seen between some countries in the Middle East. After the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, two wars involving Israel had been fought, resulting in an expansion of Israeli territory, as stipulated by the UN in this same year.

THE Palestine question, the struggle of the Palestinians for the reoccupation of the territories in which they lived until 1948, and from which they were expelled during the First Arab-Israeli War, had already become a serious social problem in the region. In the 1950s, exiled Palestinians founded the al Fatah, a political-military group with the objective of retaking the Palestinian territories and fighting the State of Israel. The main leader of Al Fatah (which means armed struggle) was

Yasser Arafat. The group's main characteristic was anti-Zionism and the anti-imperialist struggle, in addition to its intention to form a secular Palestinian state in the Middle East. From Al Fatah, the Palestine Liberation Organization (OLP).

Al Fatah's struggle against Israel was mainly characterized by terrorist attacks against targets in Israeli territories, which resulted in the use of the immense Israeli military power against the Palestinian population and the neighboring Arab countries that supported the cause. In addition, Syria started to support Al Fatah's military actions, increasing tension with Israel.

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The Israeli state attacked Jordan with its Air Force in April 1967. In response, Egypt withdrew UN troops from the country, being replaced by Egyptian army garrisons. Another measure taken by Egypt was the closure of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Port of Eilat to the Israelis. A mutual cooperation agreement between Egypt, Jordan and Syria was signed in May 1967.

In June 1967, the Israeli Armed Forces carried out a massive attack on the three countries. In six days, the armies of Syria, Egypt and Jordan were defeated, demonstrating the immense superiority of the Israeli military force over that of its neighbors.

Zion Gate, Jerusalem, Studded with Bullets Used During the Six-Day War

With the victory, the State of Israel incorporated into its territory Gaza, a Sinai Peninsula, at Golan Heights and the West Bank, including part of the city of Jerusalem. As a result, the number of Palestinian refugees has increased even more, as more than 1.6 million people have been expelled.

The UN intervened in the conflict by achieving a ceasefire. However, Israel did not accept the return of the occupied territories of neighboring countries. This unilateral stance resulted years later in a new conflict, the Yom Kippur War, when Egypt and Syria simultaneously attacked Israel to retake the occupied lands.

By Me. Tales Pinto

Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:

PINTO, Tales dos Santos. "Six-Day War and Israeli Power"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/guerra-dos-seis-dias-poder-israelense.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.