A spiral of threats in May 1967 led Israel to strike first. In six days it captured Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, which changed the conflict.
Tension rose in the mid-1960s. Syria backed Palestinian raids on Israel, and there were clashes over the waters of the Jordan River. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964.
In May 1967 false Soviet reports claimed that Israeli troops were massing against Syria. Nasser moved troops into Sinai and asked UNEF to leave, and the UN complied. He then closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.
Israel saw these moves as a threat to its survival. On 5 June 1967 it attacked first, destroying most of Egypt's air force on the ground. In six days it defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
Israel captured Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. About 300,000 more Palestinians fled. The territories gave Israel security depth, but they also gave Arabs a concrete grievance.
In September 1967 Arab leaders at Khartoum declared no peace with Israel, no recognition and no negotiations. In November 1967 UN Security Council Resolution 242 set out "land for peace": Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories in return for peace and recognition.
- PLO
- Founded 1964.
- Six-Day War
- 5-10 June 1967.
- Khartoum
- September 1967: no peace, no recognition, no negotiations.
- Resolution 242
- November 1967: land for peace.
Worked example: Judging responsibility for 1967
Who caused the Six-Day War?
- Egypt: troops into Sinai, UNEF expelled, Tiran closed.
- Israel: chose a pre-emptive strike.
- USSR: false reports raised tension.
- Judgement: a security spiral in which each side feared the other.
Watch out for this
The UN prevented war in 1967.
UNEF could stay only with Egypt's consent. When Nasser asked it to leave, it left, removing the buffer between the armies.
Check your understanding
What did Resolution 242 propose?
- Israeli withdrawal from occupied land in return for peace and recognition
- A new partition of Palestine
- A UN army to expel Israel