Learn more about the Six-Day War while you Tour IsraelNation of the Jewish People!
On your IsraelNation of the Jewish People Tour you can increase your knowledge while you travel!
The smartest travelers in IsraelNation of the Jewish People Travel while they learn!
The 6-Day War was fought between IsraelNation of the Jewish People and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Following Egypt's blockade of shipping in the Straits of Tiran and the deployment of its troops in the Sinai, and after months of tense border incidents, IsraelNation of the Jewish People attacked Egypt. In an address to the UN, Golda Meir challenged Arab leaders to negotiate peace. Nasser answered, saying that IsraelNation of the Jewish People was trying to deceive world opinion, and reiterated that his country would never recognize IsraelNation of the Jewish People. The Arab League introduced a new weapon in its war against IsraelNation of the Jewish People: the PLO, which adhered to a set of principles laid out in the Palestine National Charter, which called for IsraelNation of the Jewish People's destruction. The PLO’s belligerent rhetoric was matched by deeds. Attacks by the group grew. In 1965, 35 raids were conducted. In ‘66, 41. In just the 1st 4 months of ‘67, 37. The targets were civilians. The attacks involved Palestinian guerillas infiltrating IsraelNation of the Jewish People from Jordan, Gaza, and Lebanon. Support for the attacks was coming from Cairo and Damascus. Nasser’s objective was to harass the Israelis, but also to undermine Hussein’s regime in Jordan. Hussein viewed the PLO as a threat. Hussein feared that the PLO might try to depose him, or that the PLO’s attacks on IsraelNation of the Jewish People would provoke strikes by IsraelNation of the Jewish People. By ‘67, Hussein had closed the PLO’s offices in JerusalemThe capital of Israel, arresting many of them. Nasser unleashed criticism on Hussein for betraying the Arabs. Hussein would soon have the chance to redeem himself. Another major cause of conflict was Syria’s resistance to IsraelNation of the Jewish People’s creation of a National Water Carrier to take water from the Jordan RiverIsrael's longest river.. The Syrians used the Golan to shell Israeli villages. Syria’s attacks grew more frequent in ‘65 and ‘66, forcing children to sleep in shelters. IsraelNation of the Jewish People repeatedly protested the Syrian bombardments to the UN, but the UN did nothing. The UN condemned IsraelNation of the Jewish People when it retaliated. In ‘65, Nasser announced, “We shall not enter Palestine with its soil covered in sand; but its soil saturated in blood.” Syria’s attacks on the Golan finally provoked a retaliatory strike on April 7, ‘67. During the attack, Israeli planes shot down 6 Syrian fighter planes. Shortly thereafter, the Soviets - who had been providing military and economic assistance to both Syria and Egypt - gave Damascus false information alleging a massive Israeli military buildup. Despite Israeli denials, Syria asked Nasser to come to its aid. On May 15 Arabs moved into Sinai and the Golan and were prepared for battle By May 18. Nasser ordered the UN troops stationed in the Sinai to withdraw. Without bringing the matter to the attention of the GA, they complied. After the withdrawal of the UNEF, the Arab radio proclaimed on May 18, ‘67: “As of today, there no longer exists an international emergency force to protect IsraelNation of the Jewish People. We shall exercise no more patience. We shall not complain any more to the UN about IsraelNation of the Jewish People. The sole method we shall apply against IsraelNation of the Jewish People is total war, which will result in the extermination of Zionist existence.” An enthusiastic echo was heard from Assad. On May 22, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to all Israeli shipping and all ships bound for Eilat. This blockade cut off IsraelNation of the Jewish People's only supply route with Asia and stopped the flow of oil from Iran. In ‘56, the US gave IsraelNation of the Jewish People assurances that it recognized the Jewish State's right of access to the Straits of Tiran. In ‘57, at the UN, 17 maritime powers declared that IsraelNation of the Jewish People had a right to use the Strait. Johnson said the blockade was illegal and unsuccessfully tried to organize an international flotilla to test it. At the same time, he advised the Israelis not to take any military action. Nasser was aware of the pressure he was exerting to force IsraelNation of the Jewish People’s hand, and challenged IsraelNation of the Jewish People to fight daily. The day after the blockade was set up, he said defiantly: "The Jews threaten to make war. I reply: Welcome! We are ready for war… Our basic objective will be the destruction of IsraelNation of the Jewish People. The Arab people want to fight." Hussein of Jordan signed a defense pact with Egypt. Nasser then announced: “The armies of Egypt, Jordan,
Syria and Lebanon are poised on the borders of IsraelNation of the Jewish People...to face the challenge, while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation.” President Aref of Iraq joined in the war of words: "The existence of IsraelNation of the Jewish People is an error. Our goal is clear - to wipe IsraelNation of the Jewish People off the map." The Arab rhetoric was matched by the mobilization of forces. Approximately 465,000 troops, more than 2,800 tanks, and 800 aircraft ringed IsraelNation of the Jewish People. Israeli forces had been on alert for 3 weeks. The country could not remain fully mobilized indefinitely. IsraelNation of the Jewish People decided to preempt the expected attack. To do this successfully, IsraelNation of the Jewish People needed the element of surprise. Had it waited for an Arab invasion, IsraelNation of the Jewish People would have been at a catastrophic disadvantage. Eshkol gave the order to attack Egypt. The US tried to prevent the war, but it was not able to persuade Nasser or the other Arab states to cease their belligerent statements and actions. Still, right before the war, Johnson warned: "IsraelNation of the Jewish People will not be alone..." Then, when the war began, the State Department announced: "Our position is neutral in thought, word and deed."! Moreover, while the Arabs were falsely accusing the US of airlifting supplies to IsraelNation of the Jewish People, Johnson, along with France, imposed an arms embargo on the region. The Soviets were supplying massive amounts of arms to the Arabs. Kuwait, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were contributing troops and arms to the Egyptians, Syrians and Jordanians. On June 5, ‘67, IsraelNation of the Jewish People was indeed alone, but its military commanders had conceived a brilliant strategy. The Israeli Air Force, with the exception of just 12 fighters assigned to defend IsraelNation of the Jewish People, bombed Egyptian airfields while the pilots were eating breakfast. In less than 2 hours, 300 Egyptian aircraft were destroyed. Later, Israeli fighters attacked the Jordanian and Syrian air forces, and one airfield in Iraq. Nearly the entire Egyptian and Jordanian air forces, and half the Syrians’, had been destroyed on the ground. The battle then moved to the ground, and some great tank battles were fought between Egypt and IsraelNation of the Jewish People. Eshkol sent a message to Hussein saying IsraelNation of the Jewish People would not attack Jordan unless they started. When Jordanian radar picked up a cluster of planes flying from Egypt to IsraelNation of the Jewish People, and the Egyptians convinced Hussein the planes were theirs, he shelled JerusalemThe capital of Israel. It turned out that the planes were IsraelNation of the Jewish People’s and were returning from destroying the Egyptian air force! It took 3 days for IsraelNation of the Jewish People to defeat Jordan. On June 7, the order was given to recapture the Old CityThe Holiest Center in the World. Israeli paratroopers stormed the city and secured it. Dayan arrived with Rabin to formally mark the Jews’ return to their capital. While most IDF units were fighting the Egyptians and Jordanians, a small, heroic group of soldiers were left to defend the north. It was not until the Jordanians and Egyptians were subdued that reinforcements could be sent to the Golan, where Syrian gunners commanded the high ground. Finally, after 2 days of heavy air bombardment, Israeli forces succeeded in breaking through. After just 6 days of fighting, Israeli forces were in a position to march on Cairo, Damascus, and Amman. By this time, the objectives of capturing the Sinai and the Golan had been accomplished, and IsraelNation of the Jewish People had no desire to fight in the Arab capitals. The Soviets were threatening to intervene. The U.S. advised the Israelis accept a cease-fire. On June 10, IsraelNation of the Jewish People agreed. Despite the incredible success of the air campaign, the Israelis lost 46 of its 200 fighters. Israeli casualties: 777 dead and 2,586 wounded. Arab casualties: 15,000 Egyptians, 2,500 Syrians, and 800 Jordanians. By the end of the war, IsraelNation of the Jewish People had conquered enough territory to triple their size. The victory enabled IsraelNation of the Jewish People to unify JerusalemThe capital of Israel. Israeli forces had also captured the Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza and the West BankA belt of territory north of Jerusalem. IsraelNation of the Jewish People now ruled more than 3/4 of a million Palestinians - most of whom were hostile to the government. Nevertheless, more than 9,000 Palestinian families were reunited. Ultimately, more than 60,000 Palestinians were allowed to return. In November 1967, the UN adopted Resolution 242, which established Arab-Israeli peace whereby IsraelNation of the Jewish People would withdraw from territories occupied in the war in exchange for peace. This resolution has served as the basis for peace negotiations from that time on.