Egypt and the Arab-Israeli conflict Wars between states.
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Transcript of Egypt and the Arab-Israeli conflict Wars between states.
The Basic Situation
• Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip and shared a long border with Israel
• Jordan integrated the West Bank into itself
• Syria shared a short but poorly defined border with Israel
• Egypt is the “hegemonic” regional power threatened (in different ways) by Israel, Syria, and Saudi Arabia
1952 Revolution
• LAND REFORM IN SEPTEMBER 1952 AND ARMY’S PROMISE TO LIQUIDATE FEUDALISM AND COLONIALISM
• COLLAPSE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MONARCHY AND CLOSEST ALLY OF BRITAIN IN THE REGION
Nasser Searches for independence
• 1954 – Nasser at Bandung
• 1955 – Czech arms deal; rejection of the Baghdad Pact
• 1956 – Nationalization of Suez Canal
1956 War
• October 29 – Israel invades Sinai
• November 5 – Anglo-French invasion
• December 22 – Anglo-French withdrawal
• Nasser wins a dramatic political victory despite military defeat
Republicanism victorious
• February 1958 – creation of United Arab Republic
• July 1958 – the Iraqi revolution
• July 1961 – Egypt moves further toward socialism
And the turning point
• September 1961 – Syria withdraws from UAR
• 1962-1967 – the “Arab Cold War”
• 1962 – the republican coup in Yemen and “Nasser’s Vietnam”
The Problem for Nasser
• Challenges to his leadership– Fatah incursions into Israel– Syrian claims to revolutionary leadership– The domestic threat of the Muslim Brothers– Saudi opposition to Arab nationalism
• Islamic or Arab solidarity?• Oil as a factor in international politics
Throwing the Dice - 1967
• May 14 1967 – Egyptian troops into Sinai
• May 16 – Request for UNEF to leave
• May 21 – Closure of Straits of Tiran to Israeli-bound shipping
• May 30 – King Husayn of Jordan signs a joint defense pact
War
• Israeli war strategy makes waiting impossible
• Fighting broke out with Israeli attacks on Egyptian air bases, obliterating the airforce
• With no air cover the Egyptian ground forces—mainly conscripts—were destroyed
• Within 6 days Israel had occupied Sinai, the West Bank, and Golan
Outcome
• Egypt now had renewed foreign occupation
• Jordan had lost its most populous and productive region
• Israel emerged as the regional strategic power
• Israel now controlled all of the territory of Mandatory Palestine
Collapse of the Arab states
• Nasser briefly resigns
• A new leader emerges in Damascus
• The Khartoum declaration– No negotiation– No withdrawal without recognition of
Palestinians– Resolution of Egyptian-Saudi conflicts on
Saudi terms
Space for the PLO
• The military defeat of the Arab states opens the door to the PLO
• Strengthens Palestinian resolve not to trust the Arab states
• The Palestinian issue becomes a more important symbol for Arab states even as they realize how dangerous it is