POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN
ISRAEL
SPRING 2020
Session 5
Maya Hadar
IRE215
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§ The Sinai war/ Suez Crisis
§ The Suez canal
§ The crisis and its results
§ The Six Days War (1967)
§ Events leading to the war
§ The war and its aftermath
§ The Yom Kippur War (1973)
§ What is ‘Yom Kippur’?
§ The war and its aftermath
§ Operation “Peace for Galilee”
(1982)
§ Buildup, goals, results
On The Agenda For Today2
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Egypt
§ Past occupation => Ottoman Empire, Great Britain
§ Independence under King Farouq (1936-1952)
§ 1952: Army Officers’ Coup Revolutionary Command Council under Gamal
Abdel Nasser (-1970)
§ Foreign Policies:
§ Pan Arab Empire from Atlantic to Persian Gulf
§ Supporting the Palestinian Cause
§ Domestic Policies:
§ Economic Development + Military
Rearmament
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Egypt
§ Problem => Annual flood of
the mighty river Nile +
irrigation during drought
§ Solution => Building a dam
§ First Aswan dam (500
miles south of Cairo), 1902
§ Solved the irrigation
problem but could not hold
back the annual flood
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Egypt
§ 1950s => Egyptian leader Nasser envisioned
building a new dam across the Nile, large enough to
end flooding + bring electric power to every corner
of Egypt (project High Dam)
§ Was promised financial support from the US and GB
§ July 1956 => US + GB retract the offer after
learning of a secret Egyptian arms agreement with
the USSR
§ Nasser nationalized the British & French-owned Suez
Canal (intended to use tolls to pay for his High Dam
project) => Precipitated the Suez Canal Crisis
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The Suez Canal
§ Built by Ferdinand de Lesseps (French)
using Egyptian forced labour
§ Opened to traffic in 1869
§ 192km, connects the Mediterranean to
the Red Sea and Indian Ocean
§ High strategic importance!
§ 300m (984ft) wide at its narrowest
point (suitable for big ships)
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§ By 1955, approximately two-thirds of Europe's oil passed
through the canal
§ Closed in 1967 due to the Six Day War, reopened in 1975
§ About 7.5% of world sea
trade is carried via the
canal => Economic
importance
The Suez Canal8
§ 1954 => Britain promises Egypt it will leave the
Suez canal (and military base) in 20 months
§ Nasser promises freedom of navigation and
permit re-entry of British forces in case of an
armed attack against Arab states
§ June 13, 1956 => Britain hands control of the
canal over to Egypt
§ 2 weeks later => Nasser nationalizes the Suez
Canal Company
§ No Israeli ships allowed through
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis9
§ October 29, 1956 => Joint
military operation was successful
§ The Suez Canal occupied, Israel
conquers the Sinai
§ The US was caught off guard by
attacks
§ GB, France + Israel hatch a plan to retake control over the canal (Nationalization
of the canal threatens their oil supply)
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis10
§ USSR threatens Nuclear War
§ USA + UN demand a cease fire and the full
withdrawal of Britain, France + Israel from the
canal
§ UN troops are called in to keep the peace
§ 1957 => The Canal was left in Egyptian hands
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis11
Egypt
§ Nasser asserts independence
from Britain
§ Arab Self Determination & Unity
(Pan Arabism)
§ Funds insurgents in other
countries
§ Invest in expending its military
§ Housing Palestinian Guerillas
Israel
§ War of Independence in 1948
§ Surrounded by enemies
§ Supported by the USA
§ Strong army, military success in
1948
Recap: States involved => Egypt, Israel, France, GB the US, the USSR
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis12
Recap: States involved => Egypt, Israel, France, GB the US, the USSR
France: wants to …
§ Protect its North African Empire
(Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia)
§ Re-establish dominance in
International Relations
§ ’Punish’ Nasser for support of
Algerian insurgency
Great Britain: wants to …
§ Keep control/Multinational control
over of Suez Canal
§ Overthrow Nasser
§ Maintain the Baghdad Pact
The Baghdad Pact (1955-1979) was a defensive
organization of Turkey, Iraq, GB, Pakistan & Iran. Aimed
at promoting shared political, military, economic goals
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis13
Recap: States involved => Egypt, Israel, France, GB the US, the USSR
USA: wants to … USSR: wants to …
Contain Communism Promote Communism
Promote Capitalism
and democracy
Prevent Capitalism
Protect oil Shipping
lines
Assist Post Colonial States
$70 million in aid to
build Aswan dam on
the Nile
The Czech arms deal
(1955: supply military
arms in return for cotton
+ rice)
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis14
Results =>
§ Military Victory for Israel (+allies)
§ Egypt gets Suez Canal
§ Israel gains land: the Sinai region from Egypt
§ UN troops move into Sinai (along Egypt/Israel border)
§ Political victory for Nasser
§ Political defeat for France and GB
§ Brings the Middle East into the Cold War
§ Straits of Tiran now open to Israeli shipping (Israeli
ships are allowed back through)
The Sinai War/Suez Canal Crisis15
§ 1960 => Soviet loans + proceeds
from Suez Canal tolls allowed
Nasser to begin work on the Aswan
High Dam
§ 57 million cubic yards of earth &
rock used to build the dam (16 times
that of the Great Pyramid at Giza)
What About the Dam??
§ July 21, 1970 => Project was completed
§ Nasser died of a heart attack a month later, before the dam was formally
dedicated (1971)
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The Six Day War (1956)
§ Main combatants => Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan
§ Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait contributed troops & arms to the Arab belligerent
§ Took place during the cold war
§ The international community
+ great powers were
interested in the conflict, did
what they could to influence
events in the region
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Events Leading to Six-day War
§ Jan-April 1967 => 63 Arab attacks (Syrian tank
fire, mines, over 200 mortar shells, Palestinian terror
attacks) heighten anxiety in Israel => Israeli
military response
§ May 13 => After fourteen attacks, Israeli PM
Eshkol warns Syria of retaliation
§ May 14 => USSR delivers false information about a
pending Israeli attack of Syria to Anwar al-Sadat,
speaker of the Egyptian National Assembly and to Syria
The Six Day War (1956)
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Events Leading to Six-day War
§ Why? to ensure Arab alliance with the Soviet
superpower
§ May 14 => Egypt mobilizes thousands of troops in +
around the Suez Canal. Nasser finds no Israeli
buildup, but continues massing troops
§ May 16 => Egypt moves into Sinai, demands UN
peacekeepers’ withdrawal
§ May 17 => Egyptian reconnaissance mission over
Dimona (Israeli nuclear reactor)
§ Israel fears destruction of the reactor
The Six Day War (1956)
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Events Leading to Six-day War
§ Israel will suffer mass casualties if Egyptian air force strikes first
§ Yet, if Israel will move pre-emptively, it may provoke the Soviet Union into joining in
a war against Israel
§ May 18 => Secretary General Thant agrees to Egyptian demand to remove
UNEF (Quickly + without bringing the issue to the UN)
§ May 19 => with UNEF gone, Egypt continues troop buildup in the Gaza Strip
and Sinai (est. 80k men + 550 tanks)
§ May 22 => Egypt closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, cuts off Israel
from shipping route to Asia + halts the flow of oil from Israel’s primary supplier
The Six Day War (1956)
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Events Leading to Six-day War
=> ‘casus belli’ according to international law
§ May 23 => US President Johnson calls the blockade illegal and disastrous for
peace, but warns Israel not to attack first
§ US needs 2 more weeks to gain international support for the Regatta Plan, an
international convoy of ships to open the Straits of Tiran
§ Subsequent UN discussions on opening the Straits prove useless
§ May 24- June 4 => Six Arab countries deploy more than 230k troops close to
Israel's boundary lines
The Six Day War (1956)
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Events Leading to Six-day War
§ Israel calls up its reservists and launches a
desperate diplomatic campaign to win
international support to end the Egyptian blockade
of the Straits of Tiran
§ US unable to get international support for the
Regatta Plan
§ May 27 => Nasser cancels Realizing that Israel is
apparently aware of their war plans, Nasser cancels
‘Operation Dawn’, planned Egyptian attack on Israel
The Six Day War (1956)
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The Six Day War (1956)
Events Leading to Six-day War
§ May 30 => Jordan & Egypt sign mutual defense pact
§ (Egypt already has an alliance with Syria)
§ May 31-June 4 => More threatening statements
from Arab leaders are broadcast, including that of
President Abdur Rahman Aref of Iraq:
“The existence of Israel is an error which must be
rectified. This is our opportunity to wipe out the
ignominy which has been with us since 1948. Our goal
is clear - to wipe Israel off the map” 24
§ June 5 => Israel launched a pre-emptive
strike against the Egyptian army and air force
§ The Six-Day War involved three distinct
battlefronts (Jordan, Egypt, Syria)
§ Egypt’s air force was quickly crippled + Israel
conquered Gaza and the Sinai peninsula
(from Egypt) in four days
§ Following false reports of Egyptian success,
Jordan attacks from the eastern portion of
Jerusalem and the West Bank
The Six Day War (1956)
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§ After three days => Israeli forces defeated the Jordanians and gained
control of all of Jerusalem + the West Bank (the historical heartland of the
Jewish people known to Israelis as Judea and Samaria)
§ First day of the war=> Syrian air
force attacked
§ Fifth day => The battle over the
(Syrian) Golan Heights; Israel
wins, and the war terminated the
following day
The Six Day War (1956)
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Post Six Day War
§ The results of the war affect the geopolitics of the region to this day
§ Israeli Military Victory + Territory gain
n The Sinai Peninsula and Gaza from Egypt
n The Golan Heights from Syria
n The West Bank from Jordan
n East Jerusalem from Jordan
§ Many Palestinians lose faith in the ability of Arab countries to recapture their
land, turn to terrorism and to the PLO as their representative
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Israel before & after the Six Day War
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§ Important milestone for Israel => Gained
control over east Jerusalem, the old city + the
Western Wall: holiest site
§ “For some two thousand years the Temple Mount was forbidden
to the Jews. Until you came — you, the paratroopers — and
returned it to the bosom of the nation. The Western Wall, for
which every heart beats, is ours once again ... Endless words of
longing have expressed the deep yearning for Jerusalem that
beats within the Jewish heart… You have been given the great
privilege of completing the circle, of returning to the nation its
capital and its holy center...Jerusalem is yours forever.”
– Commander Gur to his brigade upon recapture of Jerusalem’s Old City and holy sites
Post Six Day War29
30
§ Having escaped feared annihilation + won a seemingly miraculous victory,
Israel's leaders vowed:
§ Not to return to the vulnerable armistice borders of 1948 + a divided Jerusalem
§ To be "unbelievably generous in working out peace terms" (Foreign Minister Eban)
§ Israel's belief that the war had come to an end and peace would prevail
along the borders was quickly dispelled => Three weeks later: incident along
the Suez Canal
§ Israel offers to return most territory (not Jerusalem) in exchange for peace
§ Late June through July => The Soviet Union initiated a massive resupply of
arms to Egypt and Syria
Post Six Day War31
§ July 15 => Five Arab leaders agreed on the ‘necessary effective steps to
eliminate the consequences of imperialist Israeli aggression on the Arab homeland”
§ Egypt tried to convince the world that they had been victimized by Israel
§ July 23 => Nasser: 'We shall never surrender and shall not accept any peace that
means surrender’
§ August 29- Sep 1st => 13 Arab leaders meet
at Khartoum (Sudan), pledge to continue their
struggle against Israel
§ Issue the “3 No’s”/Khartoum Declaration: No
recognition of Israel, No negotiations with
Israel, No peace with Israel
Post Six Day War32
§ 'maintenance of the rights of the Palestinian people in their nation'
§ October 21 => Egyptian missile boat sunk the Israeli destroyer ‘Eilat’, killing
47 people
§ Nov 25 => UN Resolution 242: ‘land for
peace’ paradigm
§ Required Israel and its Arab neighbors to
conclude peace treaties in exchange for
Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory
§ Used as a centerpiece in future negotiations
(the Oslo Accords, the "Road Map" peace
plan)
Post Six Day War33
§ November + December => Arab states repeatedly refuse to negotiate with
Israel (attempts made by the Swedish ambassador to the Soviet Union + UN
Secretary General’s Special Envoy)
§ The "three No's of Khartoum" held for a dozen years, until Egypt signed a
peace treaty with Israel
§ The other 20 member states expelled it from the Arab League
§ Israeli Overconfidence => Military ability believed to be superior
Post Six Day War34
§ Initial Peace efforts (following UN resolution 242) proved unsuccessful =>
§ The Jarring initiatives (1967-1971)
§ The Rogers Plan (1969)
§ October 6, 1973 => Egyptian & Syrian forces attacked Israeli forces in
Sinai and the Golan Heights to regain territory they had lost during the
1967 war (aka Yom Kippur War)
Post Six Day War35
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Yom Kippur
§ Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year for
religious Jews
§ Literally means “Day of Atonement”, based on the
verse: “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify
you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before
G-d” (Leviticus 16:30)
§ Celebrated on the 10th day of Tishrei (first month
in the Jewish calendar)
§ Lasts for about 26h (from sunset until nightfall the
next day)
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§ Proceeds ‘Rosh Hashanah’ (Jewish New Years’)
§ Like Shabbat (Saturday/the day of rest), no
work is allowed on Yom Kippur
§ Jews “afflict their souls”
§ Abstain from food and drink
§ Do not wash or apply lotions/creams
§ Do not wear leather footwear
§ Day of prayer in synagogues => Pray for
forgiveness
Yom Kippur
Bad deeds Good deeds
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Biblical Origin =>
§ Several months after the people of Israel left
Egypt, they sinned by worshipping a golden
calf
§ Moses ascended Mount Sinai and prayed to
God to forgive them
§ After 80 days, full Divine favor was obtained,
and Moses came down the mountain (on the
10th of Tishrei) - Day of Atonement - Yom
Kippur
Yom Kippur39
Yom Kippur War (1973)
Aka ‘October 1973 War’
§ Lasts 3 weeks
§ New Egyptian president Anwar Sadat ( + Syria)
planed a war against Israel
§ Wanted the Sinai peninsula back, Syria wanted
the Golan Heights back (1967)
§ Soviets Supplied Egyptians with modern weapons
(missiles)
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Yom Kippur War (1973)
Aka ‘October 1973 War’
§ Israeli leadership ignores military intelligence/no intelligence => Surprise
attack of Egypt & Syria on Yom Kippur (Holiest day of Jewish calendar)
§ Israel is pretty much shut down as many Jews are in Temple, Fasting
§ Israel caught off guard
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Beginning of the war =>
§ Egypt & Syria secured victories in the Sinai +
Golan
§ Israeli positions in the eastern Golan Heights fell to
the advancing Syrian army
§ Israeli troops had to withdraw from many positions
in the southern sector of the Golan Heights due to a
lack of tanks and manpower
§ Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal and
overran the Israeli military's extensive fortifications,
forcing the Israelis back
Yom Kippur War (1973)42
Israel Counter-Attacks =>
§ Within 3 days, Israel was able to contain the threat on both fronts
§ Change tactics, biggest Tank Battle Ever
§ On the fourth day: US sent a full-scale airlift of military equipment
§ Restock Israeli forces
§ Enabled Israel to launch an offensive that retook most of its territorial losses,
even gained some ground against both the Egyptians and Syrians
§ As the war progressed, Israel was winning and the Israeli army moved
towards the Egyptian capital (Cairo)
Yom Kippur War (1973)43
The End of the War =>
§ October 22 => UN called for a ceasefire; Israel didn’t stop fighting
§ October 25 + 26 => The USSR threatens to send troops to Egypt (to
support the Egyptian army) unless Israel stops
§ US/Nixon raise alert level
§ Threatened to send US forces if the Soviets get involved
§ Pressured Israel into obeying the cease-fire (Fearing escalation into global
conflict)
§ Israel accepts a cease-fire and retreat its soldiers from Egypt
Yom Kippur War (1973)44
Results
§ Israel Gains Territory
§ Sadat wins major
political victory
§ Showed they could fight
+ regained half of
Sinai
§ Sets the stage for the
Egyptian/Israeli peace
talks: Camp David
Accords
Post Yom Kippur War45
§ US re-examined its policy in the Middle East: Settlement of
the Arab-Israeli conflict became a top priority
§ Henry Kissinger (US Secretary of State) embarked on a
negotiation mission: "shuttle diplomacy”, led to
disengagement agreements signed between Israel and
Egypt (1974, 1975) + a similar agreement between Israel
and Syria (1994)
Results
§ UN troops sent to Sinai to watch over the border
§ In response to US airlift, oil embargo against the US, organized by the Arab
members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Post Yom Kippur War46
Operation “Peace for Galilee”
§ Operation “Peace for Galilee” (1982), Aka the (first)
Lebanon War
§ Tension along Israel's northern border increased
during the 1970's and early 1980's => Frequent firing
of rockets & terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian
targets
§ The PLO created an informal state-within-a-state in
Lebanon (after being forced out of Jordan in 1970)
The Palestine Liberation Organization (est. 1964) was the embodiment of the Palestinian national movement. It is
an umbrella organization, comprised of numerous organizations of the resistance movement (political parties,
popular organizations, independent persons). The legitimate representative of the Palestinian people
47
§ A ceasefire with Palestinian terrorists in Lebanon (declared in July 1981) was
broken
§ Continuous shooting of missiles against Israeli targets in Israel
§ The threat to the northern settlements in Israel became unbearable
§ Last straw: 3 June 1982 => The Palestinian Abu Nidal organization (aka
Fatah Revolutionary Council, part of the PLO) shot and seriously wounded
Israel's ambassador to the UK
§ 6 June 1982 => the IDF launched a military operation in Lebanon
§ Full-scale invasion of Lebanon meant to remove military threats from northern
Israel
Operation “Peace for Galilee”48
Operation “Peace for Galilee” (1982)
Goals =>
§ Destroying PLO's forces + based in southern
Lebanon (on Israel’s border)
§ End Syrian presence & influence in southern
Lebanon
§ Assist in forming a more friendly government in
Lebanon that would be able to sign a peace
treaty with Israel
§ Only partially Succeeded
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During the operation
§ Israel reaches Beirut (capital) within a week
§ IAF’s major achievement => the destruction of
the Syrian air force within a matter of hours
(25 Syrian planes were shot down): Syrian air
defense was effectively nonexistent
§ End of June => Enlargement of the operation
§ Israel captured most of southern Lebanon +
besieged PLO and Syrian forces
Operation “Peace for Galilee” (1982)50
Results
§ The PLO leadership & its forces were expelled from
Lebanon (Tunisia became the new PLO
headquarters)
§ Yet, other terrorist organizations (e.g. the newly
formed Shi'ite organization, Hezballah, an Iranian
proxy) continued to attack Israel from southern
Lebanon
Operation “Peace for Galilee” (1982)
Hizballah (the “Party of God”) is a a Lebanon-based Shia terrorist group, advocates Shia
empowerment globally. Formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon
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§ September 14, 1982 => Lebanese President Gemayel was assassinated, civil
war in Lebanon
§ May 17, 1983 => A (Us brokered) peace agreement was signed between
Israel and Lebanon but wasn’t ratified by the Lebanese government
§ The Christian government of fragmented Lebanon was too weak to prevail
§ Daily ambushes against Israeli forces increased + increase in casualties
§ 1,216 IDF soldiers killed between 5 June 1982 and 31 May 1985
§ Shift in national consensus => First time in the history of Israel that the
justification & conduct of war was debated
Post Operation “Peace for Galilee”52
§ ‘A War of Choice’, a term coined by Prime Minister Begin- unlike
previous wars which were perceived as dire necessities
§ The failure of Operation Peace of Galilee to achieve its
objective + new national coalition government (1984) =>
decision to withdraw from Lebanon
Post Operation “Peace for Galilee”
§ 1985 => IDF forces pulled back to a
security zone in southern Lebanon (narrow
strip of territory adjacent to Israel's border)
to protect Israeli towns & villages in the
Galilee
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Post Operation “Peace for Galilee”
§ May 2000 => IDF forces withdrew completely from Lebanon
§ Nominal force was left behind to help the citizens of south Lebanon patrol the
Security Zone)
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Next Session...
§ Israeli Democracy and Political System
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Questions? Feel free to email the lecturer =>
hadar@fss.muni.cz
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