Summary:
Analysis of the long- and short-term causes of the third Arab-Israeli War, also known as the "Six Day War," which began with Israel's attack on Egypt, Jordan, and Syria on 5 June 1967.
June-5th-1967 saw the breakout of the Six-Day-War . Long and short term causes of this war were of extreme complexity which this essay will seek to analyze.
Long-term causes of the Six Day War predate back to 1948. Firstly, Arab-Israeli enmity persisted since Israel's creation (14/05/1948) by the UN-Partition-Plan (29/11/1947). Jewish-Israel was carved into Palestine against the will of its Arab-residents due to religious and political reasons. Further, Arab-Israeli border tensions increased due to the 1948-49 wars . Israel's invasion of more Palestinian land as reprisals to Palestinian-terrorist and Arab-Nations' resulted in more Palestinian-refugees . Further, with Arabian-governments' continual refusals of Israel's existence, Israel refused to return Palestinian land, consequentially, relations worsened.
Secondly, the rise of Nasser in 1956 further escalated Arab-Israeli conflict. Nasser led the Arab-Nations and sought for Pan-Arabism in Middle-East, directly inferring the elimination of the incongruous Jewish Israel in the preponderantly Arabic region.
Thirdly, the 1956-Suez-Crisis had directed long-term causes for the Six-Day-War. Arab-Nations continuously suffered military humiliation from wars against Israel . Nasser secured a political victory in the Suez-War, but was militarily overwhelmed. Thus, Nasser's second round thinking to take-revenge-on Israel encouraged the 1967 war. Furthermore, the Suez Crisis saw the emergence of cold war politics in the Arab-Israeli Conflict via the Eisenhower doctrine. Both superpowers, USA and USSR received their respective clients, Israel and Arab-Nations, and subsequently provided them with arms. Thus an Arab-Israeli arms race saw higher escalation conflict.
In 1966-67, Short-term causes of the Six-Day-War left no room for Arab-Israeli diplomatic-maneuvering. Firstly, Syrian-Israeli border tensions peaked as militant leftist-Bathists-government rose in Syria on 23/02/1966, consequentially PLO-terrorist attacks on Israel increased. Furthermore, Syrian-Israeli air-clashes on August-1966 and April 1967 further magnified Arab-Israeli tension.
Secondly, a false-Soviet-Intelligence-Report on 13/05/1967 suggested to Nasser, a planned Israeli invasion of Syria. Bound by the Egypt-Syria mutual defense pact of November-1966, Nasser mobilized his army in preparation for war.
Thirdly, Arab criticism on Nasser's cowardice urged Nasser's command of the UNEF troops' removal from Sinai Peninsula on May-18th. Subsequently Sinai military-posts were filled by the Arab-Army, and furthermore took-over Sharm-al-Sheikh on May-21st, a last UNEF post. These military aggressions further increased war-tensions.
Further, aftermath of the Suez-Crisis also supplied a main short-term cause for the Six-Day-War. 1958 saw an Arab-Israeli agreement which stated future closing of Tiran Straits as an act of War. Thus when Nasser once again closed the Straits on May-22nd, Israel assumed Arab declaration of aggression and prepared for War.
In the final days prior to June-5th's breakout of War, United-States had boosted Israeli-military-confidence. US promise to help Israel with UN, to obstruct Soviet-Military-Aid to Arab-Nations during war, and to provide military-assurance with its Mediterranean-fleet were final short-term causes for the pre-empted Israeli attack on the Arab-Nations in the Six-Day-War as Israel saw the inevitability of the war.
The Six-Day-War was the outcome of complex and insolvable Arab-Israeli situations built by increased border tensions, cold-war politics thrust upon the situation, and thus the layering and entanglement of the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948.
This is the complete article, containing 493 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
