The conflict between Egypt and Israel was brewing long before the events of June 1967. This time was the turning point in the history of Israel. The six-day war lasted from June 5 to 10 and brought unexpected results to both sides.
Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser prepared for military action in advance. On May 22, he issued a decree to close all shipping lanes for Israeli ships, violating more than one international agreement. In response to such steps under international law, Israel could launch hostilities, but did not. Such silence was perceived by Egypt as a manifestation of weakness and strengthened his faith in his own superiority. The ensuing six-day war was inevitable.
From that moment, the statements of President Gamal Abdelem Nasser sounded threats against the Israelis and promises to erase their state from the world map. The threats were reinforced by the signing of an alliance with states bordering Israel. An army was formed in Jordan.
The atmosphere was heating up and sowing panic among the civilian population of Israel. The government, represented by Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, could not reassure and inspire people. All men from 18 to 55 were called up for military service. The war in Israel promised to be short.
The Israeli government did not wait for direct military action by the Arabs and was the first to strike at the enemy. On June 5, 1967, the Israeli air force destroyed all of Egypt's military aircraft and seriously damaged Syrian aircraft. At the request of the Israeli Prime Minister, UN representatives turned to the King of Jordan with a request not to enter the war and were refused.
Full-scale hostilities began. The loss of air force dealt Nasser a big blow to pride. Israeli intelligence services were able to record a conversation between Nasser and King Hussein, in which they discussed what should be said to the public that American and English participated in the hostilities along with Israeli aircraft. After such a statement, all Arab countries broke off diplomatic relations with the United States. A week later, King Hussein apologized for the lie. This is probably due to the fact that the recording of the conversation was made public.
Israeli troops acted swiftly. They quickly took possession of the Sinai Peninsula, Judea and Samaria. The hardest battle was for the Golan Heights. However, by June 10, Israel had taken possession of them.
The six-day war claimed the lives of 679 Jews. For a small country, the losses were huge. Despite this, the entire Jewish world rejoiced.
New borders were identified that increased the territory of Israel by almost four times. Despite a resounding victory, the main task of Israel was to establish peace. He was ready to return part of the conquered territories in exchange for the signing of a peace agreement so that the war would soon end. Israel was committed to peace.
Nevertheless, the Arab countries did not go for it and relations between the countries only worsened. A few months later, the leaders of the Arab countries met and declared a categorical no peace with the Jews and the refusal to recognize their state.
The six-day war affected not only the life of the Jewish state itself, but also representatives of this people living in other countries. The heroism and courage of the soldiers shown during the war filled the hearts of all Jews with pride and joy. American Jews sent huge amounts of money before, during, and after the war to support the army and civilians. Citizens of different countries began to join the ranks of the members of the Jewish organization United Jewish Appeal. The number of young participants has especially increased.
The descendants of the Jews, who had already begun to forget about their roots, began to increasingly come to Israel.