June 6, 2017

Fifty years ago this week, Israel and the Arab countries of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria fought a brutal war that lasted just six days. From June 5 to June 10, 1967, Israel defeated the combined forces of the other nations and preserved the young nation’s existence. The Six-Day War, also known as the June War or the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, was a crucial moment in the history of the Middle East. Far from settling rival national and religious issues, the war created further divisions between the region’s people and led to later conflict and tensions that continue today, 50 years after the last shot was fired.

The Arab-Israeli conflict erupted into war in June 1967. Israeli tanks, shown here, along with other Israeli air and ground forces, defeated the forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Credit: AP Photo

Israel and the region’s surrounding Arab nations have been at odds—and often in open conflict—ever since Israel was established in 1948. In 1967, tensions and border skirmishes in Syria, Israel’s neighbor to the northeast, led to an air battle between Israeli and Syrian warplanes. Egypt, pledging support for Syria, sent thousands of troops into the Sinai Peninsula southwest of Israel. Egypt also cut off the important Israeli port of Elat from the Red Sea. Syrian troops then massed on the Israeli border, and Jordan (southeast of Israel) joined the Egyptian-Syrian alliance. Arab leaders—most notably Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser—called for Israel’s destruction. Some 330,000 Arab troops surrounded Israel, along with about 2,000 tanks and 600 warplanes. Israel’s forces included about 250,000 troops, 1,000 tanks, and 250 warplanes. The Israelis were outnumbered, but they were better equipped, trained, and coordinated. After failed diplomatic efforts, Israel struck before the Arab forces could attack.

Early on June 5, 1967, Israeli warplanes struck several Egyptian air bases. The attack destroyed hundreds of Egyptian planes. At the same time, Israeli tanks and infantry smashed into Gaza and the Sinai, routing Egyptian ground forces. By June 7, Israel had taken the Sinai.

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In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel faced the combined armies of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. The fighting took place from June 5 to June 10 and ended in a decisive Israeli victory. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Late in the morning on June 5, Jordanian artillery and warplanes struck positions in northern Israel, including Tel Aviv and west Jerusalem. Israel responded with air strikes that wiped out the Jordanian air force. That afternoon, Israeli troops began battling Jordanian forces in and around Jerusalem. Israeli warplanes destroyed Jordan’s reinforcement convoys. By the morning of June 7, only pockets of Jordanian troops remained in Jerusalem. Israeli forces then entered and gained control of Jerusalem’s walled Old City. By nightfall on June 7, Israel had taken the West Bank.

Syrian artillery and warplanes attacked Israeli targets along the Syrian border on June 5. Later that day, Israeli warplanes destroyed most of the Syrian air force. After fighting in the Sinai and the West Bank ended, Israel turned its attention to Syria’s heavily defended Golan Heights. Early on June 9, Israeli warplanes battered Syrian troops entrenched on the heights. By noon, Israeli ground forces had entered Syria. Fierce battles erupted all along the border, but Israeli troops soon controlled the Golan Heights. A cease-fire on June 10 ended the Six-Day War.

About 800 Israelis died in the Six-Day War, and another 2,400 were wounded. Combined Arab casualties (people killed, wounded, missing, or captured) were about 50,000, including more than 14,000 dead.

In November 1967, the United Nations called for Israel to withdraw from territories it gained in the war. In return, the Arab countries were to recognize and accept the nation of Israel’s right to exist. Israel, however, refused to give up the captured territories, and the Arab countries renewed their opposition to Israel.

Egypt and Syria again attacked Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War (also called the Ramadan War, the October War, or the Arab-Israeli War of 1973). This larger conflict ended in a stalemate. The Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in 1979. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 but maintains control of its borders. Israel still occupies the Golan Heights and parts of the West Bank.

October 25, 2013

At least 22 people—primarily babies and toddlers—are now believed to have contracted polio in Syria, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported this week. The polio outbreak is the first in Syria in at least 14 years. Before the civil war in Syria began in 2011, an estimated 95 percent of Syrian children were vaccinated against polio. The war, however, has crippled public health systems; fully half of the country’s hospitals have been destroyed or are so severely damaged as to be inoperable. According to UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) estimates, at least a half a million Syrian children, all under age 5, have not been immunized and are at risk of polio.

Some 5 million Syrians have been displaced by the civil war and generally live in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. Desperately short of food and medicine, many are living hand-to-mouth in parks, vacant buildings, or in cramped quarters with relatives. At least 2 million Syrian have left the country, and people continue to flood across borders in an uncontrolled manner. UNICEF spokesperson Simon Ingram points out that this exodus “increases the possibilities and means by which the [polio] virus can spread.” WHO has also reported increases in cases of hepatitis A, measles, and typhoid in refugee camps in Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey.

An infant receives a polio vaccination as part of a UNICEF immunization program. Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Conditions in Syria recently led to an outbreak of polio there, as well. (AP/Wide World)

In 1988, WHO launched an immunization campaign that has largely eradicated polio in developed countries. However, the disease remains endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. A Taliban ban on vaccination in Afghanistan and Pakistan threatens to derail the dramatic progress made toward wiping out polio. The Taliban denounces vaccination as a Western plot to sterilize Muslims.

Additional World Book articles:

• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Syria 2012 (a Back in Time article)
• Jordan 2012 Ia Back in Time article)
• Turkey 2012 (a Back in Time article)
• Fighting a Persistent Foe (a special report)
• Syria: The Roots of a Rebellion (a special report)

Nov. 14, 2011

The Arab League on November 12 moved to suspend Syria on the grounds that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had defied an agreement with the League to stop the violent repression of pro-democracy demonstrators in that country. The Arab League is an organization of 22 Middle Eastern and African countries where Arabic is the main spoken language. The League threatened political and economic sanctions if Assad failed to comply. The agreement called for Assad’s government to halt the violence directed toward civilians, to withdraw all its security forces from civilian areas, and to release political prisoners, which are believed to number in the tens of thousands. An estimated 3,800 people have been killed in Syria since mid-March, when Assad’s forces began a violent crackdown on antigovernment protesters.

King Abdullah II     AP Photo

On November 14, Jordan’s King Abdullah II became the first Arab leader to openly call on Assad to leave office. In a BBC interview, Abdullah declared, “If Bashar [al-Assad] had an interest in his country he would step down.” The king went on to say that if he were in Assad’s position, he would make sure “whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo (the existing state of affairs).”

Additional World Book articles:

• Middle East