a. k. a. The June War Cameron Fish, Joe Cullen, Andrei Enache Period 5 The Six-Day War a. k. a. The June War Cameron Fish, Joe Cullen, Andrei Enache Period 5

Timeline 13 May 1967 - Nasser receives a false Soviet report of Israel's troop mobilization and intent to invade Syria, prompting him to send troops into Sinai on 14 May to reassure Syria and to intimidate Israel. He also requested the withdrawal of UN troops from Sinai. 22 May - Nasser closes the Straits of Tiran. Israel interprets this as an act of war and begins to mobilize. 5 June - Israel unexpectedly strikes, bombing Arab air bases. 385 Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian planes were destroyed. Arab troops strike back immediately, engaging Israel in a land war. 8 June - After a loss of 12,000 soldiers, Egypt agrees to a cease-fire. Israel now controlled Jordan's West Bank, Egypt's Sinai and Gaza Strip, and Syria's Golan Heights.

Arab Points of Contention Egypt Egypt had a pact with Syria. Nasser, believing that the Israelis were about to attack Syria, wanted to show the Syrians they had his support. Nasser wanted to prove to the surrounding Arab nations that Egypt could take care of itself militarily. This motivated his request for UNEF withdrawal. "The Arab countries kept on saying that we were allowing Israeli ships to go through Eilat, and that Eilat was the main port for Israeli exports. The attack against us - in Jordanian and Saudi propaganda - was fierce, and showed us that we had to do something to stop the Israeli ships going through the straits." - Egyptian Minister of War Shams Badran

Arab Points of Contention Syria Border tensions with Israel had been rising. In August 1966, they fought near the Sea of Galilee. In April 1967, they engaged in an air battle over Syria. Syria was tired of these attacks, and felt that war was inevitable. Also, with the false Soviet report, Syria felt compelled to prepare for war. Jordan On 13 November Israel raided several West Bank villages, killing three Jordanian civilians, with another 54 injured. A school, a hospital, and 140 houses were damaged. Like Syria, Jordan was tired of Israeli aggression.

Israeli Points of Contention The Israelis' main incentive was to stop the invasion attempts that had taken place on their borders Between 1966 and 1967, Israel's borders had seen repeated Arab terrorist and Syrian military activity In May of 1967, Israeli officials began to publicly threaten military action against Syria if Syria didn't stop invading on Israel Israel was getting increasingly more aggravated with Nasser stationing his troops in the Sinai Peninsula

Israeli Points of Contention Israel had made a strong point of defending the Straits of Tiran as an international waterway They had conflicts with the Arabs, who believed that passage through it should be regulated Israel emphasized declarations made in 1957, stating that any attempt to close the waterway would be considered an act or justification of war Upon Jordan and Egypt signing a defense pact on May 10, Israel responded by forming a National Unity Government on June 1. They made the official decision to go to war on June 4.

Key Players of the AI-C Levi Eshkol served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office. "on May 14 Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol declared that a serious confrontation with syria was inevitable if the attacks continued" Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. Although his status as "leader of the Arabs" was badly damaged by the Israeli victory over the Arab armies in the Six-Day War, as well as Egypt's failure to win the subsequent War of Attrition against Israel, many in the general Arab population still view Nasser as a symbol of Arab dignity and freedom. "The pressure on nasser to help the Syrians was mounting rapidly. On May 16, Nasser proclaimed a state of emergency for Syrian- Egyptian armed forces and took measures to work out a joint Syrian-Egyptian defense agreement"

Key Battles The Israeli Armed Forces won pretty easily, mainly due to the air forces they had available. Biggest Battle (the first): Operation Focus - was the opening air strike by Israel at the start of the Six-Day War in 1967. - at 07:45 on June 5, 1967, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) under Maj. Gen.Mordechai Hod launched a massive air strike that destroyed the majority of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground. - the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, with about 450 aircraft, were destroyed. There were three fronts: Egyptian - cease-fire called on 8th Israeli Armed Forces conquered: - Gaza Strip - Sinai Peninsula (until the Suez Canal) Jordanian - cease-fire called on 7th - West Bank Syrian - Fighting begun after the defeat of Egypt and Jordan (June 9th)

Outcome of the conflict Casualties: 777 Israelis dead 15,000 Egyptians dead 2,500 Syrians dead 8,000 Jordanians dead Israel gained these territories: Gaza West Bank Sinai Peninsula Diplomatic relations between the United States of America and Israel improved considerably.

Sources and group members The Arab-Israeli Conflict by Kirsten E. Schulze Why Nations Go to War by John Stoessinger Group Members: Cameron Fish - Timeline, Arab Points of Contention Joe Cullen - Israeli Points of Contention, Source Page Andrei Enache - Key Players, Key Battles, Outcome