Question

Explain the causes of the Six Days War of 1976 between Arab and Israel.

Answer 1

1. The main cause was the increasing conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours since the country’s founding in 1948.
2. Israel transferred Jordan River water to the Negev Desert in a controversial strategy. Arabs were furious and threatened to redirect the flow into Galilee Lake. Israeli bombs hit Syria in 1965 and 1966. They immediately began diverting river water from Israel.
3. The PLO and Fatah Movements began their activities against Israel, which escalated tensions. Most of these tensions originated in the West Bank and Golan Heights. Israel believed war might eliminate these movements.
4. At the same time, in 1966, the Bath Party, a strong anti-Israel group, took power in Syria. During the Cold War, both Egypt and Syria were able to get weapons from the Soviet Union.
5. Nasser was likewise furious with Israel as president. Using his own troops, he demanded that UN peacekeepers leave the Sinai Desert. Aqaba Gulf was blocked. Egypt also closed the Mediterranean. An Israeli army response followed. Syria, Jordan, and Egypt joined Crush Israel. Israel promptly deployed Arab allies and shot down two Egyptian planes. They soon conquered Sinai, Gaza, and the Golan Heights from Egypt and Syria. Weapons were pointed against Damascus within six days. The 1967 Six-Day War is named for this.