The Yom Kippur War 1973 The Yom Kippur War of 1973, the most recent ‘full’ war in Middle East history, is so-called because it began on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the holiest day of prayer and fasting in the Jewish calendar. The Yom Kippur War started with a surprise Arab attack on Israel on Saturday 6th October 1973. On this day, Egyptian and Syrian military forces launched an attack knowing that the military of Israel would be participating […]
The Suez War of 1956, fought to put an end to terrorist incursions into Israel and to remove the Egyptian blockade of Eilat, marked the final transformation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) into a professional army capable of large-scale operations. A battle plan for the operation was adopted in early October 1956, but was revised following Israel's secret agreement with Britain and France. Under this agreement, Israel would transfer the focus of action as close to the Suez Canal […]
The year 1967 began with confident predictions that it would not bring war. Egyptian President Nasser, it was argued in Israel, had learned the lesson of 1956 and would not start a war unless he was ready. In any case, his relations with Jordan were notoriously bad and a coalition between Nasser and King Hussein was out of the question. In quick succession, events gave the lie to these predictions. A clash in the air, in which Syria – Russia's […]
On May 31, 2010, six ships calling themselves the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” attempted to break the Gaza Strip blockade imposed by Israel to prevent the flow of terrorist weapons into the region. Organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), the flotilla contained humanitarian aid, medical supplies, construction materials, and — according to the organizers — “peaceful activists.” Israeli authorities requested to board and inspect the ships and deliver […]
Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2006, which followed Israel’s total evacuation one year before, Israel has maintained a naval blockade of the coastal territory under the legal position that the Strip is ruled by a hostile power. There can be no question that Hamas rules Gaza as the Islamist movement is hostile to the very existence of the State of Israel and has repeatedly bombed civilian targets in Israel with weapons that have been smuggled into Gaza […]
In the late 1970s, Israel's northern cities have been under constant threat of Palestinian terror attacks from Lebanon. While Israel has long sought a peaceful northern border, Lebanon's position as a haven for terrorist groups has made this objective impossible. Israeli strikes and commando raids were unable to stem the growth of this PLO organized terror groups. As the situation in the Galilee became intolerable with frequent attacks forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes or to spend large […]
Israel understandably feels imperilled by the misnamed “Arab Spring – as the country's three-decade peace treaty with Egypt is under assault and its closest regional ally, Jordan, is withering from domestic protests. The breakdown in political authority has flooded Israel's borders with a slew of dangerous weapons, from Libyan missiles in Gaza to Syrian Scuds in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Iranian nuclear program progresses unabated. Individually, each of these developments is cause for great concern; taken together, Israelis see the […]
When the State of Israel was established on May 15th, 1948, it was not recognized by all Arab and Islamic states. In the wake of the Six-Day War in June 1967, to put additional diplomatic and military pressure on Israel, Arab oil-producing countries threatened to impose an oil embargo on countries with international relations with Israel. As a result, many African and Asian countries broke ties with Israel. On 1 September 1967, the eight members of the Arab League issued […]