Analysis of the Six Day War

Analysis of the Six-Day War June 5 1967 Israel delivers a stunning opening blow in the Six-Day war. Within a few hours, the Israeli airstrike devastated the Egyptian air force. Fighting on three different fronts against the combined might of three Arab armies; Israel would win a war within six days. Research on the causes of the Six-Day war, and the military tactics can help one understand how Israel achieved this astonishing victory, and how the results of this war affect Israel today. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was introduced by the Arab League in 1963. Yassar Arafat was the leader of the largest faction of PLO, known as the Fatah. Each faction adhered to a set of principles, which called for Israel’s destruction, given by the Palestine National Charter. In 1965, 35 raids were conducted against Israel. In 1966, the number increased to 41. In just the first four months of 1967, 37 attacks were launched. The targets were always civilians (Bard). The main objective was to harass the Israelis, but a secondary objective was to undermine King Hussein’s rule in Jordan. King Hussein viewed the PLO as a direct and indirect threat to his power; he feared that they might try to depose him. Because of his fears, Hussein had the PLO offices in Jerusalem closed, arrested members of the PLO, and withdrew recognition of the organization, thereby betraying the Arab cause. A major cause of conflict between Syria and Israel was Syria’s objection to Israel’s decision to take water from the Jordan River to supply the country with the creation of a National Water Carrier. The Syrian army used the Golan Heights to shell Israeli farms and villages, forcing citizens to sleep in bomb shelters. These attacks finally provoked a retaliatory strike on April 7, 1967. During the attack, Israeli planes shot down six Syrian fighter planes. On May 15th, Egyptian soldiers began to move into Sinai Desert near the Israeli border, and on May 18th, the Syrian soldiers stationed