Israel at War: 1967 | 5 Minute Videos

few events in modern history were as dramatic as the sixday war of June 1967 the war between Israel and four Arab Nations Egypt Syria Jordan and Iraq among other things it changed the nature of the Middle East and the Israeli Palestinian conflict transferred control of the West Bank from Jordan to Israel and Unleashed Islamic extremism the origins of the war were complex they began with the rise of pan arabism Which sought to unite the countries Syria Iraq and Jordan created by the Europeans after World War I and into a single Arab State the question was who would lead that state in their efforts to claim that role Arab rulers tried to outd do one another in attacking Israel foremost among them was Gamal Abdul Nasser the charismatic leader of the most powerful Arab country Egypt to establish his leadership on May 16th 1967 Nasser evicted the UN peacekeepers who served as a buffer between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai desert and the Gaza Strip which was then under Egyptian control Nasser marched his army into the sin and threatened to drive the Jews into the sea he blockaded The Straits of Tran at the entrance to the Red Sea choking off Israel's vital Southern Port of elot he made a military alliance with Syria and Iraq he placed the Jordanian Army under Egyptian command by the first week of June 1967 Israel was surrounded on its Southern border the army of Egypt on its eastern border the armies of Jordan and Iraq on its northern border the army of Syria and on its western border the Mediterranean Sea and to make matters worse Israel faced these threats virtually alone it had a tenuous relationship with Europe and friendly ties with the United States but not a strategic Alliance the Israeli Defense Forces the IDF fought with French arms not American Arms and of course the Soviets were antagonistic having fully backed Nasser the situation was life and death the normally fractious political parties of the Jewish State formed a national Unity government with the da Levy ashol as prime minister and the fame one eyy General mosha Dian as defense minister the existential question of the moment for Israel's politicians and Generals was this should Israel wait for the inevitable attack and react or should it strike preemptively and if it did what if that attack should fail after much arguing and agonizing Israel's leaders chose to attack at 745 on the morning of June 5th Israel launched one of the largest air strikes in military history the Egyptians were caught completely by surprise in a matter of hours Israeli planes wiped out three4 of Egypt's Air Force most of it on the ground this gave Israel command of the Skies a major tactical Advantage then Israeli Ground Forces rushed into the Sinai their goal was to neutralize the Egyptian threat and by doing so hopefully dissuade other Arab states from joining the frey Israel repeatedly urged Jordan's King Hussein to stay out of it it didn't work in a matter of hours Israel was fighting a three front War Jordanian forces fired thousands of artillery shells into West Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv area and attacked Israeli positions along the eastern border Syria 2 rained thousands of shells down unto Israeli towns and villages in the Galilee Israel responded as if the nation's life depended on it it did in the Open Spaces of the Sinai desert Israeli Jets pulverized Egyptian forces from above while Israeli ground troops and tanks sent the Egyptians reeling back toward the Suez Canal meanwhile in the tight quarters of Jerusalem Israeli power Troopers Advanced into the eastern half of the city by the third day of the war the Jordanian and Egyptian armies were in full Retreat Israeli soldiers conquered all the siai up to the Suz Canal responding to the Palestinian attack from Gaza the IDF captured the strip as well most dramatically on the morning of June 7th Israeli power Troopers realized a 2,000-year-old Jewish dream of reuniting East and West Jerusalem and liberating The Old City the Temple Mount is in our hands Commander Molag Gore reported as his troops danced in front of the Western Wall only the Syrian front remained with Syrian artillery still pounding Israel's North though fearful the Soviets would enter the war in defend defense of their Ally mosha Diane determined that the opportunity of securing The High Ground of Israel's northern border the Golan Heights could not be missed advancing under Furious Syrian fire Israeli forces achieve their objective in six Earth shaking days it was all over Israel had defeated multiple Arab armies convincing American leaders to Ally with the Jewish State and provide it with arms the world was stunned a country of merely 2 and A2 million people had defeated an Arab world of over 100 million a country 8 miles wide at its narrowest point before the war had quadrupled the territory under its control but many challenges loomed not the least of which was what to do with over a million Palestinians now under Israeli Authority that question would preoccupy Israeli political diplomatic and Military thinking for many decades to come and still does to this day I'm Michael Laurin author of six days of War for Prager University thank you for watching this video to keep prageru videos free please consider making a tax deductible donation