The Middle East

1. The Middle East From the Suez War to Yom Kippur

2. The Suez War: 1956 • 23 July 1956, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser deposed King Farouk of Egypt and became leader of Egypt • He was a nationalist • He requested American aid for the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River • American aid was at granted but later refused when it was discovered that Egypt had obtained arms from the USSR • Nasser then turned to USSR for economic assistance • Developed a relationship that would last until 1972 (when USSR was expelled) • 26 July 1956, Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal • The Canal was a critical trade link with the Far East

3. Britain and France devised a plan w/ Israel to go to war w/ Egypt • Israel was to launch a pre-emptive strike on Egypt • Britain and France would intervene “restoring order” The purpose • To regain control of the canal and ensure that Egypt could not threaten Israel

4. The Plan in Action • 29 October 1956, Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula • The next day, Britain and France bombed military targets in Egypt • 5 November, Br and Fr followed w/ paratroopers and an amphibious force • Br and Fr were unsuccessful in their bid to regain the canal and the heavy damage the canal suffered closed it to navigation for some time

5. Americans take the matter to the UN • Why did the Americans do this? • USA wanted to strike a balance Israel and the Arabs (they wanted to aid Israel and at the same time maintain access to Arab oil) • didn’t want Br and Fr to re-establish themselves in the region

6. UN Takes Action • The UN called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of all foreign forces from the area. • They also sent a peacekeeping force to maintain an international presence in the area • This was the first time peacekeepers were used in a conflict.

7. Significance and results of the crisis • Resulted in the eclipse of British and French influence in the Middle East. • Although Israel had scored a dramatic military victory, they were forced to withdraw from Egyptian territory by the threat of American economic sanctions • Nasser had emerged as a hero to the Arab world • The withdrawal of Israeli forces and the presence of the UN emergency force did provide 10 years of relative stability in the area but more fighting was to come.

8. The Six-Day War • May 1967, President Nasser requested the withdrawal of the UN emergency force that had patrolled the Egyptian side of the truce line since the Arab-Israeli War in 1956 Nasser takes action • Nasser mobilized Egyptian forces • blocked the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping • announced that he intended to promote the full restoration of an Arab Palestine • Syria, Jordan, and Iraq joined Egypt in mobilization and Arab oil-producing countries threatened to cut off supplies to any country that supported Israel

9. Israel responds • 5 June 1967, the Israeli air force launched a pre-emptive strike against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan • The Egyptian air force was destroyed and Syrian and Jordanian troops were decimated • Within six days, the Israelis occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River, and the Golan Heights in Syria • Israel now occupied three times as much territory as it had before • in the process had significantly improved its defensive and strategic position

10. The Aftermath of the Six-Day War • The war served to heighten tension between the Arabs and the Israelis • Guerrilla warfare was used more frequently • Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other paramilitary organizations carried out small-scale military operations against Israeli targets • Israel responded with massive retaliation on Arab villages and guerrilla bases • Attempts by the UN to negotiate a settlement between Arabs and Israelis were unsuccessful • In 1970, the USA increased the sale of Arms to Israel • Most Arab states aligned themselves solidly against Israel • Arabs also discovered the diplomatic power of an oil embargo • Securing an oil supply was an important consideration for Western Europe

11. The Yom Kippur War: 1973 • Anwar Sadat (replaced Nasser after 1970) organized an attack on Israel which coincided with the Yom Kippur religious holiday in Israel • Egypt, Syria, and Iraq attacked Israel • Arab states made a significant advance • USA sent massive aid to Israel • Israel repelled the attacks and in the end the frontiers were basically unchanged • After this war the Western powers began to push for a settlement in the Middle East • During the Yom Kippur War OPEC raised the price of crude oil by 70% • In the next four years the price of quadrupled • The world faced a serious economic crisis as a result of this because the industrialized world had been accustomed to very cheap oil prices

12. The Camp David Accords • USA’s Carter administration orchestrated the accord between Egypt and Israel • USA pledged economic support to both Egypt and Israel • S3 billion in military assistance would be sent to Israel and $1.5 billion to Egypt • $500 million worth of economic assistance would go to Egypt • The accord was followed by a peace treaty signed by Israel and Egypt on 26 March 1979. • This treaty officially ended the state of war between the two nations The Accord required: • Israel to withdraw from the Sinai and Egypt would regain sovereignty in the Sinai • Diplomatic relations between the two nations • The nations would live in peace with other