Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Jordanians held the Old City and
East Jerusalem. The city was to remain
divided, along what came to be known
as the Green Line, for almost 20 years.
THE ARAB-ISRAELI WARS AFTER 1949
After the violent birth of Israel, the
infant state sought to strengthen its
position by passing the Law of Return.
This extended to all Jews throughout
the world the right to live in Israel. The
first to heed the invitation were
communities of Jews from the Arab
world, followed by displaced Jews
from Europe. Those that followed
came from everywhere, from the
then-Soviet Union to South America.
Relations with the Arabs remained on
a war footing. In 1956, the Israeli army
swept into Sinai as part of the French
and British plan to seize the Suez Canal,
nationalized by Egypt's
President Nasser. On this
occasion, under pressure
from the United States and
the United Nations, they
were forced to retreat.
Eleven years later, in 1967,
Israeli tanks rolled into
Sinai once again. Alarmed
by a build-up of Egyptian
forces on the border, Israel
launched a pre-emptive
attack. Despite then fac-
ing the combined forces
of all its Arab neighbours,
in six days Israel's army
had taken the Golan
Heights from Syria, the
Gaza Strip and Sinai from
Egypt, and the West Bank
from Jordan. The Israelis
also captured the whole of Jerusalem.
In what amounted to a face-saving
exercise, on 6 October 1973, the Jewish
feast of Yom Kippur,
Y
Refugees crossing the border into Jordan in 1967
THE 1948 WAR
The Arab reaction to the creation of
Israel was swift. Lebanon, Syria, Iraq,
Jordan and Egypt launched a com-
bined attack with the avowed aim of
casting the new-born state into the sea.
Fighting continued until an armistice
was signed in December
1949. At the cease of hos-
tilities, the Israelis had
made great territorial
gains at the expense of
the Palestinians. Prior to
1948 the Jews owned less
than seven per cent of
Palestine but at the war's
end they occupied about
80 per cent. As a result,
some 500,000 to 750,000
Palestinians were made
refugees in neighbouring
Arab countries and in
camps in the Egyptian-
controlled Gaza Strip and
in the Jordanian-held ter-
ritories on the west bank
of the Jordan River.
One of the main objec-
tives of the opposing sides had been
the capture of Jerusalem. Neither side
had achieved this; the Israelis held
the modern quarters of West Jerusalem,
Pre-1967 poster, with the West
Bank shown as part of Jordan
Egypt and Syria
TIMELINE
1951
Assassination
of King Abdullah of
Jordan in Jerusalem
by Palestinian
extremists
6 October 1973
Yom Kippur War
Y
Hussein, crowned
king of Jordan in
May 1953
breaks out
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
5-11 June 1967
Six Day War results
in reunification of
Jerusalem under
the Israelis
14 May 1948
On the
declaration of the State
of Israel war breaks out
with the Arabs
1956
Suez crisis
1979
Camp
David peace
treaty signed
between Egypt
and Israel
Golda Meir,
Israeli prime
minister
1969-74
