Conquest: The Six-Day War
Who started it?
12/20/20245 دقيقة قراءة
The Six-Day War, fought in June 1967, remains one of the most significant conflicts in Middle Eastern history. It was a short yet intense struggle involving Israel and its neighbouring Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The problem is, that the official narrative as to the start of the war isn't the same as what actually happened. Surprised? Let's look at the facts.
Understanding this pivotal moment can help shed light on the ongoing regional conflict.
By the mid-1960s, tensions were building between Israel and most of it's neighbours, Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser saw Israel as a major threat to peace in the region and refused to acknowledge it as a sovereign state. He was openly critical of both Israel's treatment of Palestinians, its territorial aspirations and its acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Under the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson (sworn in, just hours after the assassination of JFK), military aid to Israel had increased dramatically. In the years leading up to the war, Israel had amassed hundreds of M48 tanks and over 50 Skyhawk attack aircraft. This visible militarisation was one of Nasser's concerns.
On May 13, 1967, the Soviet Union Was provided with intelligence that Israel was intending to attack Syria. This was passed to President Nasser who began considering how to assist Syria.
On May 16, Nasser officially requested the withdrawal of UNEF from the Sinai Peninsula in Eastern Egypt. He understood well that in any conflict between the two countries, one of Israel's first moves would be an attempt to seize control of the Suez Canal.
Nasser's rationale was that since the UN Peacekeepers were present in an observational role, they offered zero defence against potential Israeli seizure of the Suez Canal. With Cairo being only 2 hours drive from Suez, the whole country was under threat.
On May 18th, the UN Secretary General announced his compliance with the request and began the process of removing UN soldiers which would take around one month. As these men left their defensive positions, they were steadily replaced by Egyptian soldiers.
At this point, tensions were now high as diplomats flew between Egypt and Russia, and rhetoric flew between Egypt and Israel.
On May 24, Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, a small bottleneck that gives Israel direct access to the Indian Ocean. Contrary to popular belief, Egypt didn't close the Suez Canal to any shipping until after the invasion of Sinai. This was Nasser's mistake, and he made it for several reasons - pressure from Syria, who were concerned they would be attacked, a show of Arab solidarity and a demonstration of strength to deter Israeli PM Levi Eshkol from waging war. This broke the 1957 agreement that had concluded the Suez Crisis.
On the morning of 5 June 1967, as the UNEF was in the process of leaving the zone, Israel launched a series of airstrikes against Egyptian airfields. Egypt was entirely unprepared and 98% of its air-force was destroyed within hours. Simultaneously, Israeli ground forces invaded the Sinai Peninsula, shelling Egyptian positions and using aircraft to drop napalm on the retreating forces.
On the afternoon of the same day, Israel began offensive operations in Gaza, and when Jordanian forces (who had a defence pact with Egypt) began artillery fire against Israeli military positions, Israel invaded the West Bank.
That evening, Israel bombed the Syrian air-force with similar results. Within days, they had taken control of Sinai, the West Bank and the Golan Heights in Syria.
The war was concluded on June 10, 1967. In less than a week, Israel had tripled in size, and its success had changed the whole region. Ultimately, Sinai would return to Egypt but Israel maintained their conquered territories in Palestine and Syria, (and has continued to expand them) despite these seizures being in dispute of International Law.
Just as the causes of the 1948 Arab/Israeli War are often portrayed incorrectly, so it is in this instance. The Six-Day War is presented as a(nother) historic moment when peaceful Israel faced its own destruction at the hands of multiple hostile attackers, David vs Goliath.
This is a fabrication created after the war used to justify conquest and aggression.
Some say that the Israel's attack was merely preemptive and Israel was only getting the first hit in before the inevitable attack of Arab forces. It isn't true. Neither Egypt or Syria has plans for invasion and dialogue was far from exhausted at the time hostilities commenced. In their own words..
“The thesis according to which the danger of genocide hung over us in 1967, and according to which Israel was fighting for her very physical survival.. was nothing but a bluff which was born and bred after the war.”
General Mattityahu Peled, IDF Chief of Logistical Command
March 1972
“This whole story about the threat of extermination was totally contrived,
and then elaborated upon to justify the annexation of new Arab territories.”
Mordechai Bentov, member of the wartime government and co-signer of the Israeli Declaration of Independence
April 1971
“The Egyptian army concentrations in the Sinai approaches did not prove that Nasser was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him.”
Menachem Begin Israeli PM (and former terrorist)
August 1982
International Law does not allow the acquisition of territory through conquest. In 1973, Egypt and Sinai attempted to recapture their legal territories in the Yom Kippur War. The end result was a peace treaty in 1979 where Egypt would regain Sinai in exchange for recognition of Israel as a sovereign nation.
The Syrian Golan Heights and Palestinian West Bank have remained under illegal occupation since 1967. While the Golan Heights is more of a tactical advantage, populated by small towns and farming communities, the Palestinians suffer under severe restrictions.
