According to the authors and their sources, the soviet union gambled during the six day war, and intended to launch an attack on israel. At the time of the sixday war, the earlier foundation of israel, the resulting palestinian refugee issue, and israels participation in the invasion of. The soviet union and the june 1967 six day war is distributed by stanford university press. Why did the soviet union spark war in 1967 between israel and the arab states by falsely informing syria and egypt that israel was massing troops on the syrian border. The sixday war and the golan heights hoover institution. Controversies relating to the six day war wikipedia. On the first day of war, over 90% of egyptian aircraft were destroyed and egyptian units in. Years before the war broke out wolfgang lotz had penetrated the highest levels of the egyptian military and political establishments to obtain vital information on egypts defense and contingency plans. The soviet union and the june 1967 six day war wilson center. For almost a decade, the suez canal became the front line between the israeli and egyptian armies.
Neither israel nor its arab neighbors wanted or expected a fight in june 1967. The soviet union and the outbreak of the june 1967 sixday war. Directly opposing the thesis of the recently published foxbats over. The soviet military threat in the 1967 sixday war by isabella ginor new evidence reveals that during the 1967 sixday war the soviet union set in motion military operations to assist egypt and especially syria, first in seeking to overcome israel and then in response to israels preemptive attack. In addition to assessing soviet involvement in the june 1967 arabisraeli six day war, this book covers the ussrs relations with syria and egypt, soviet aims, u. Gromyko and egyptian vicepresident anwar sadat, may 1967, in russiya. Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. It was later estimated that some 20,000 arabs and 800 israelis had died in. On june 10, 1967, a united nationsbrokered ceasefire took effect and the sixday war came to an abrupt end. There were a number of factors that led to the stunning israeli victory in june 1967.
One of the great enigmas of the modern middle east is why, forty years ago next week, the sixday war took place. The sixday war and israeli selfdefense by john quigley. Now june 5, 1967, the morning eshkol orders israeli bombers into action and theyre successful, soviet premier kosygin dials the hotline right into the white house and demands to talk to president johnson, rosenberg. Fifty years ago, war broke out between israel and its neighbours. All that changed in june 1967, when god unleashed a miracle of biblical proportions in the form of the sixday war. It was later estimated that some 20,000 arabs and 800 israelis had died in just 2. Pdf the six day war 1967 sinai download full pdf book. Withdrawal of the united nations emergency force leading to the sixday war of june 1967. Add to this the fact that our friends in the soviet union warned the parliamentary. Based on newly available archival sources, the soviet union and the june 1967 six day war answers this controversial question more fully than ever before. In the arab world, it is known as the june war, or simply as the setback.
The six day war did the soviet union want to attack. Was the six day war a defensive war, or was it an israeli act of aggression to expand its territory. While israel faced the combined might of arab countries, it was the soviet union casting a giant shadow over the war. The soviet union and the outbreak of the june 1967 sixday. Moscows policy record in the middle eiast is mixad. The sixday war was fought between israel and egypt, jordan, and syria in june 1967.
Forty years after the events of the six day war, a book by isabella ginor and gideon remez shed new light on the matter. Dubious conspiracy theory of the 1967 war diplomatic. It also argues that the soviet union and syria acted deliberately to incite. The six day war in soviet moscow june 1967 marked the beginning of my lengthy and arduous path to israel. The six day war began with a largescale surprise air strike by israel on egypt and ended with a major victory by israel. The soviet union played a crucial role in arming the arab states and instigating the sixday war. On the afternoon of october 6, israel was attacked simultaneously on two fronts by egypt and syria.
Israel had foreseen an attack and wanted the war on arab soil, instead of their own. The soviet union and the june 1967 six day war and moshe shemesh, arab politics, palestinian nationalism, and the six day war. Cold war history that have been produced in the past decade based largely on documentary evidence from former soviet. Morozov, boris the outbreak of the june 1967 war in light of soviet documentation roi, yaacov morozov, boris the soviet union and the june 1967 six day war stanford stanford university press 2008 morris, benny righteous victims. In israel and the west it is called the six day war.
What the sixday war tells us about the cold war in 1967, israel launched a preemptive attack on egypt. President johnson and prime minister kosygin had a second meeting in glassboro, new jersey, the day after the soviet premier had made a. See galia golan, the soviet union and the outbreak of the june 1967 sixday war,journal of cold war studies8, no. Johnson and premier alexei kosygin, respectivelyfor the purpose of discussing soviet union united states relations in glassboro, new jersey. Rethinking the six day war university of pennsylvania. There were many more like them, who remain unknown and anonymous. Initially supportive of israel at the time of its founding, by the early 1950s the soviets no longer regarded the zionist state as useful for extending their influence into the middle east. The soviet union and the june 1967 six day war by yaacov. Soviet policy and the 1967 arabisraeli war memorandum to recipients the course of events befwe, during, and after the arabismeli war of 1967 pvides a apse srrcdy of the dilemmas and dangers which raise when the soviet union seeks to implement its basic middle fist strategy of support for the arab mtionalist movements.
The soviet union and its eastern european allies had withdrawn from participation three days earlier as a protest against the sixday war. The conflict lasted just six days but its effect would last. The soviet union and the june 1967 six day war edited by. The six day war of june 1967 transformed the political and physical. Record of the conversation between foreign minister a. Now june 5, 1967, the morning eshkol orders israeli bombers into. The six day war in soviet moscow the jerusalem post. Analyses of the 1967 arabisraeli war differ on the causes of the war and the. On june 5, 1967, before nassar had a chance to command his troops to attack, israel attacked egypt.
The soviet unions transfer of false information to egypt about alleged israeli troop concentrations facing syria in may 1967 is still considered a major factor in the outbreak of the june 1967 mideast war. Despite the passage of time, the role played by the kremlin, in the events which led to this armed conflict and during the war. What the sixday war tells us about the cold war history. A number of controversies have arisen out of the causes and conduct of the war, namely. The combatants in 1967 israel, egypt, jordan and syria, as well as iraq and other arab states were for the most part the same as those who fought in the first arabisraeli war of 1948, in which israel fought off an invasion by arab countries. In addition to assessing soviet involvement in the june 1967 arabisraeli six day war, this book covers the ussrs relations with syria and egypt, soviet aims. The war and its outcome had significant implications for the future of the middle east, and its repercussions echo to this day. Ten years later, egypt shut down the canal following the sixday war june 1967. Thirtysix years have passed since the june 1967 war between the state of israel and its arab neighbors. These potential steps included a naval landing, airborne. Why did the soviet union spark war in 1967 between israel and the arab states by falsely informing syria and egypt that israel was massing troops on the syrian. The six day war was fought between june 5 and june 10, 1967, by israel and the neighboring states of egypt known then as the united arab republic uar, jordan, and syria. The origins of the sixday war, which was fought between june 5 and june 10, 1967, by israel and the neighboring states of egypt known then as the united arab republic, uar, jordan, and syria, include both longstanding and immediate issues. Miracles of the sixday war discover first fruits of zion.
With the element of surprise to their advantage, egyptian forces successfully crossed the suez canal with greater ease than expected, suffering only a. The glassboro summit conference, usually just called the glassboro summit, was the 2325 june 1967 meeting of the heads of government of the united states and the soviet unionpresident lyndon b. Fiftytwo years ago, israel vanquished its arab opponents in the sixday war, waged from june 510, 1967. This article shows that for two years prior to the june 1967 six day mideast war, soviet egyptian relations had begun to fray because the soviet union wanted to loosen its ties with radical regimes in the third world, including gamal abdel nassers egypt. Israeli victory led to its occupation of the west bank, gaza strip, sinai peninsula, and golan heights. The previous arabisraeli war, the sixday war 1967, was followed by years of sporadic fighting, which developed into a fullscale war in 1973. This was different in 1967 as israel succeeded in securing a yellowlight from washington to proceed with its plan for preemptive action. Soviet motivations and expectations, however, remain a topic of dispute.