Six Day War

The Six Day War had its origins in disputes between Israel and Egypt over the rights of
Israeli shipping to pass through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

What do we know about the Suez Canal? It is a human-made waterway that connects the
Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, making it the shortest maritime route to Asia from
Europe and it controls two thirds of the oil used by Europe.

The Suez Crisis began on October 29, 1956, when Israeli armed forces pushed into Egypt
toward the Suez Canal. In July of that year, the president nationalized the canal. The
Israelis were joined by the French and British forces, which damaged their relationships
with the United States and nearly brought the Soviet Union into the conflict.

In the end, Egypt emerged victorious, and the British, French and Israeli governments
withdrew their troops in late 1956 and early 1957.

After the end of the 1956 war, the first formal United Nations peacekeeping mission (the
United Nations Emergency Force, or UNEF) was stationed in Sinai to maintain the cease-
fire between Egypt and Israel. Despite the rescue of Suez, Nasser and Egypt felt
humiliated by the defeat to Israel in the war and the agreement to post foreign forces on
Egyptian land.

According to Ben Mor’s analysis on Nasser’s case, Nasser wanted to undo the
humiliations of 1956 and reestablish Egyptian leadership in the Arab world, particularly
with regard to Israel, but without engaging Israel in a war. Toward these goals, Nasser
undertook a series of steps in May 1967, steps that showed strong resolve and reflected
the preferences of the Egyptians.
 1. Nasser ordered the Egyptian army into the Sinai Peninsula
2. He ordered UNEF to withdraw from the Sinai
3. He ordered the blockading of the Straits of Tiran

The Straits of Tiran run nearly parallel to the Gulf of Suez at the end of the Sinai Peninsula,
where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Red Sea. By closing the Tiran Straits, Israel was
essentially shut off from direct access to the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aqaba. On May 30,
Nasser signed a defense agreement with Jordan.

Nasser assumed that Israel was content with the status quo and would not initiate war
with Egypt. Nasser could make a move and await the Israelis’ reaction. His strategy was
supremely rational: Nasser would calculate his moves based on the feedback from the
environment, allowing Egypt to achieve relative gains against Israel without engaging
Israel in war. However, Israel had stated previously that any closing or attempted closing
of the Straits of Tiran would be an act of war, hence, it provoked Israel into launching a
preemptive war against Egypt on June 6, beginning the Six-Day War.

The result was not what Nasser had hoped for or expected. The 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict
altered the Middle East geography in ways that are still being fought over today. During
the battle, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan all lost land to Israel (including the Old City of
Jerusalem, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank). Egypt was unable to assert Arab
leadership, and Nasser sought to resign from the president as a result.