1949 - 1967
As a result of Israel's victory in its 1948
War of Independence, any Arabs caught on the wrong side of the
ceasefire line were unable to return to their homes in what became Israel.
Likewise, any Jews on the West Bank or in Gaza were exiled from their property
and homes to Israel. Today's Palestinian refugees are the descendants of those
who left, the responsibility for their exodus being a matter of dispute between
the Israeli and the Palestinian side. Over
700,000 Jews emigrated to Israel between 1948 and 1952, with approximately
285,000 of them from Arab countries .
In 1956, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, and
blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba, in contravention of the Constantinople
Convention of 1888. Many argued that this was also a violation of
the 1949 Armistice Agreements. On
July 26, 1956, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal Company, and closed the canal to
Israeli shipping.
Israel responded on October 29, 1956, by invading the Sinai Peninsula with British and French support.
During the Suez Canal Crisis, Israel captured the Gaza
Strip and Sinai Peninsula. The United States and the United
Nations soon pressured it into a ceasefire.
Israel agreed to withdraw from Egyptian territory. Egypt agreed to freedom of
navigation in the region and the demilitarization of the Sinai. The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was created
and deployed to oversee the demilitarization. The
UNEF was only deployed on the Egyptian side of the border, as Israel refused to
allow them on its territory. Most
of Egyptian Jews were expelled, following the Suez crisis.
The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was first established in 1964,
under a charter including a commitment to "[t]he liberation of Palestine [which]
will destroy the Zionist and imperialist presence..." (PLO Charter, Article 22,
1968).
On May 19, 1967, Egypt expelled UNEF observersK, and
deployed 100,000 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. It
again closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping,
returning the region to the way it was in 1956 when Israel was blockaded.
On May 30, 1967, Jordan signed a mutual defense pact with Egypt. Egypt
mobilized Sinai units, crossing UN lines (after having expelled the UN border
monitors) and mobilized and massed on Israel's southern border. On June 5,
Israel launched an attack on Egypt. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed most of the Egyptian Air Force in a surprise attack, then
turned east to destroy the Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi air forces. This
strike was the crucial element in Israel's victory in the Six-Day
War. At
the war's end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip,
the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, Shebaa farms, and the Golan Heights. The results
of the war affect the geopolitics of the region to this day.
War of Independence, any Arabs caught on the wrong side of the
ceasefire line were unable to return to their homes in what became Israel.
Likewise, any Jews on the West Bank or in Gaza were exiled from their property
and homes to Israel. Today's Palestinian refugees are the descendants of those
who left, the responsibility for their exodus being a matter of dispute between
the Israeli and the Palestinian side. Over
700,000 Jews emigrated to Israel between 1948 and 1952, with approximately
285,000 of them from Arab countries .
In 1956, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, and
blockaded the Gulf of Aqaba, in contravention of the Constantinople
Convention of 1888. Many argued that this was also a violation of
the 1949 Armistice Agreements. On
July 26, 1956, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal Company, and closed the canal to
Israeli shipping.
Israel responded on October 29, 1956, by invading the Sinai Peninsula with British and French support.
During the Suez Canal Crisis, Israel captured the Gaza
Strip and Sinai Peninsula. The United States and the United
Nations soon pressured it into a ceasefire.
Israel agreed to withdraw from Egyptian territory. Egypt agreed to freedom of
navigation in the region and the demilitarization of the Sinai. The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was created
and deployed to oversee the demilitarization. The
UNEF was only deployed on the Egyptian side of the border, as Israel refused to
allow them on its territory. Most
of Egyptian Jews were expelled, following the Suez crisis.
The PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was first established in 1964,
under a charter including a commitment to "[t]he liberation of Palestine [which]
will destroy the Zionist and imperialist presence..." (PLO Charter, Article 22,
1968).
On May 19, 1967, Egypt expelled UNEF observersK, and
deployed 100,000 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. It
again closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping,
returning the region to the way it was in 1956 when Israel was blockaded.
On May 30, 1967, Jordan signed a mutual defense pact with Egypt. Egypt
mobilized Sinai units, crossing UN lines (after having expelled the UN border
monitors) and mobilized and massed on Israel's southern border. On June 5,
Israel launched an attack on Egypt. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed most of the Egyptian Air Force in a surprise attack, then
turned east to destroy the Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi air forces. This
strike was the crucial element in Israel's victory in the Six-Day
War. At
the war's end, Israel had gained control of the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip,
the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, Shebaa farms, and the Golan Heights. The results
of the war affect the geopolitics of the region to this day.