Table of Contents
Introduction
It is undeniably true that the Middle East region has for a long time suffered more conflict and rivalry than any other region in the world. In particular, the 1948 Arab-Israel was one of the most hostile and bloody battles that were intrigued by the declaration of Israel’s independence. The six-day war was triggered by some intraregional and international factors intertwining to create a situation that is complex which catalyzed the war. The main consequence of the war is that it resulted in the victory of Israel. However, it also had substantial impacts on the regional politics as well as the international relations which are still evident to date. This paper seeks to look into the reasons for the war and its consequences. It will also examine some of the mistakes that were done by the Arabian countries in 1967 as well as how Israel handled these mistakes according to Sun Tzu’s book ‘the art of war.’
Causes and consequences of the war
One of the central factors that triggered the war was the status of the international waterways leading to Israel. The waterways had their roots in the region. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Straits of Tiran and the Suez Canal which were destined for Israel were blockaded by Egypt. These restrictions harmed the Jewish state and were considered a violation of the 1949 armistice resolution that was signed between Israel and Egypt under the Constantinople Convention of 1888. Later in 1956, France, Israel and the United Kingdom invaded and then withdrew from the Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. By 1967, the UN troops had gone, and the old threats, as well as the blockades, reappeared which aggravated the drift to war to its climax.
The second cause was the forging of what seemed to be Pan-Arab nationalism, and its main target is Israel. The third factor was during 1967 when Israel realized about the plot of being hatched against it by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan and they, therefore, decided to initiate an attack against them.
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The consequences of the war
The main consequence was the victory of Israel enabling them to gain control over the territories of the west bank and Gaza strip which were previously under the control of Jordan and Egypt. They also managed to take control of Golan Heights, Peninsula, and Sinai. The war also resulted to the inception of the up-gradation of the technological stature and military apparatus of Israel mainly for purposes of its defense.
Mistakes done
The current relationship between Israel and the Arab world, there is a patchwork of hostility, limited cooperation, tense peace, calm, and violence. The Arabs did manage their relationship with Israel atrociously through the worst of it all was the ongoing situation with the Palestinians. There were two historical mistakes that as done by the Arabs during their interactions with the Israel. The first major mistake took centuries and took place well before Israel’s declaration of Independence in 1948. It entailed not considering the Jews as equals. During this period, the Jewish shared with other non-Muslims that status of dhimmis. These were the non-Muslims that had to pay protection money and follow different debating laws to be tolerated in Muslim controlled regions. It required that the damaged houses of worship were not to be repaired and no new houses of worship were to be built. They were required to behave humbly when the Muslims were around. In their liturgical practice, the Jews had to honor the supremacy of Islam. Another requirement was also for them to differentiate themselves from the Muslims by their clothing and by eschewing symbols of honor. They were also locked out of the authoritative position in the Muslim government. On March 1944, when the Nazis have massacred six million Jews and before the declaration of the Israel independence, Ha Amin of Jerusalem declared on radio Berlin that the Arabs should arise as a unit and fight for their sacred rights. They were to kill the Jews in any place they found them as that pleased their history religion and God. This was their original mistake. The second mistake was the worst. It was not accepting the United Nations partition plan of 1947. The United Nations resolution 181 gave the legal foundation for the Arab state and the Jewish state to start sharing what was previously the British-controlled mandatory Palestine. This largely contributed to the Arab-Israel war that took place in 1967.
Conclusion
From the paper above it is evident that the 1967 war was intense and it led to the loss of a lot of lives. There were a lot of causes that led to the war. The causes were brought about because of a clash of interest. One community felt that they were oppressed by the other and they had to stand out and fight for their rights. These led to the loss of lives and damage to infrastructure. The Arabs made past mistakes that could have helped minimize the effects of the war.
- Citino, Robert M. “Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm: The Evolution of Operational Warfare.” (2004).
- Tzu, Sun. The art of war. Shambhala Publications, 2005.