| THE SIX-DAY WAR |
| The Six-Day War broke out on June 5, 1967, following weeks of tension and build up of Egyptian forces on the Sinai Peninsula. The tension started on May 15, 1967 when it was known that the Egyptians had concentrated a large number of troops on the Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptian navy blockaded the Straits of Tiran, located at the end of the Gulf of Eilat, on the night of May 22, 1967, preventing the passage of any Israeli ship. Then, to increase the Israeli’s worry, on May 30, 1967 Jordan joined the Egyptian-Syrian military alliance and placed its army on both sides of the Jordan River under Egyptian command. Iraq also followed, vowing reinforcements. Despite extreme diplomatic negotiations, war was inevitable. The Israeli’s, looking at possibly fronts on all sides, decided to attack first. The Israeli’s deployed their airforce at 8:45 in the morning, destroying 309 of 340 Egyptian aircraft that were unable to even get off the ground. The Israeli’s quickly followed this by sending forces into the Gaza Strip, and found and encountered the Egyptian forces, walking away with a complete victory. The Israeli’s still had to worry about their eastern and northern borders. Egyptian president Gamal Nasser had convinced King Hussein of Jordan to attack the Israeli’s, telling them they had nothing but success. The Israeli’s tried their hardest to convince their point, but Hussein attacked, and was dealt a surprise. At 11 am, the Jordanians attacked Jerusalem, and the Israeli Air Force, now finished with the Egyptians, began their attack on the Jordanians. Also, at midnight the Israeli’s attacked the city, and by morning they had encircled the city and nearly destroyed the Jordanian Air Force, both attacks with minimal casualties. By the second day the Israeli’s had run up the Egyptian plane total to 416, which included more than 2/3 of the Syrian Air Force. By the third day, the Jews had pushed the Egyptians back to the Suez Canal, and had controlled the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, the first time the Jews controlled that half in over 2000 years. The Israeli’s signed a cease-fire with the Egyptians and the Jordanians, and then began their advance on the entrenched Syrian forces. After sending armored divisions ahead, the power shifted to the Israeli favor and by 6:30, the Israeli’s had signed a cease-fire with the Syrians. The state of war continued until 1979, when the Peace Accords were signed at Camp David. The tensions still continue today, but not on such an organized level. |