Arab–Israeli Wars

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Series of wars and territorial conflicts between Israel and various Arab states in the Middle East since the founding of the state of Israel in May 1948. These include the war of 1948–49; the 1956 Suez War between Israel and Egypt; the Six-Day War of 1967, in which Israel captured territory from Syria and Jordan; the October War of 1973; and the 1982–85 war between Israel and Lebanon. In the times between the wars tension has remained high in the area, and has resulted in skirmishes and terrorist activity taking place on both sides.

First Arab–Israeli War
(1948–1949) As soon as the independent state of Israel was proclaimed on 14 May 1948, it was invaded by combined Arab forces and full-scale war broke out, which ended finally with Israeli victory and a series of armistices. Israel retained the western part of Jerusalem, Galilee, and the Negev, and went on to annex territory until it controlled 75% of what had been Palestine under British mandate. The Arab states subsequently imposed an economic boycott on Israel and continued to make raids across the border, which eventually prompted an Israeli attack on the Egyptian garrison in the Gaza Strip in February 1955. The war also produced a flood of Arab refugees from Israel and the war areas.

Second Arab–Israeli War
(29 October–5 November 1956) After Egypt had taken control of the Suez Canal and blockaded the Straits of Tiran, causing the Suez Crisis, Israel, with British and French support, invaded and captured Sinai and the Gaza Strip. Under heavy US pressure, and after the entry of a United Nations (UN) force in 1957, Israel finally withdrew its forces.

Third Arab–Israeli War, the Six-Day War
(5–10 June 1967) In the events leading up to the war of 1967, Egypt (then the United Arab Republic) blockaded the Straits of Tiran, and introduced troops into Sinai. Israel launched a pre-emptive attack on three fronts (against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria) on 5 June 1967 and within six days its armed forces achieved a victory that resulted in the capture of the Golan Heights from Syria; the eastern half of Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan; and, in the south, the Gaza Strip and Sinai peninsula as far as the Suez Canal from Egypt. This victory earned only a limited degree of peace, although the occupied territories – which doubled the area under Israel's control – greatly enhanced the Israelis' feelings of security.

Fourth Arab–Israeli War, the October War or Yom Kippur War
(6–24 October 1973) This war was so called because the Israeli forces were taken by surprise on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), a Jewish holy day. In recognition of their failures since 1948 Egypt and Syria chose to start the war on the day when the Israelis would be at their most vulnerable, as the whole country effectively shuts down for the 24 hours of Yom Kippur. It started with the crossing of the Suez Canal by Egyptian forces, who made initial gains, though, in the face of Israeli counter-attacks, there was some later loss of ground by the Syrians in the north. The war had 19,000 casualties, and also led to a shift of certain sectors of international opinion against Israel.

Fifth Arab–Israeli War
(6 June 1982–1984) From 1978 the presence of Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon led to Arab raids on Israel and Israeli retaliation, and on 6 June 1982 Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Lebanon. By 14 June Beirut was encircled, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Syrian forces were evacuated (mainly to Syria) 21–31 August. In December 1982 multinational peace-keeping forces were sent in to keep the warring factions in Beirut apart. In February 1984 there was a unilateral withdrawal of the multinational forces. However, Israel maintained a ‘security zone’ in southern Lebanon, and supported the South Lebanese Army militia as a buffer against Palestinian and Hezbollah guerrilla incursions.

Events in the 1990s
In July 1993, following the killing of seven Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon, Israel launched a week-long attack on the area. In July 1994, Israel and Jordan sign a declaration ending the 46-year-old ‘state of war’ between them. In April 1996, after Hezbollah guerrillas fired rockets into northern Israel from south Lebanon, Israel launched a seventeen-day attack on the country, known as the ‘Grapes of Wrath’. In May 2000, Israeli troops were withdrawn from south Lebanon, and were replaced by Lebanese and UN forces. However, negotiations with Syria regarding the Golan Heights failed to reach agreement. Intensive negotiations to push forward the Israel–Palestine peace process, hosted by US president Bill Clinton at Camp David, collapsed at the beginning of 2001.

Blue represents the Caribbean Sea. Yellow stands for the golden beaches. Effective date: 10 July 1973. >>