The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Key Events and Turning Points
The War of Attrition (1968-1970)
Egypt engaged in a war of attrition against Israel across the Suez Canal. Despite Israel’s military victory, its triumph was marred by significant casualties. Israel’s air superiority led to bombing raids inside Egypt, aiming to humiliate President Nasser and cause his downfall. However, these attacks drew the USSR into the conflict, altering the Cold War equation.
The Jordanian Civil War (September 1970)
The August 1970 ceasefire alarmed the Palestinians, who feared exclusion from future negotiations. Arafat, head of the PLO, faced challenges from groups like the PFLP and PDFLP, who advocated for overthrowing conservative Arab regimes before attacking Israel. The PFLP and PDFLP attempted to overthrow King Hussein of Jordan, leading to the Jordanian Civil War in September 1970. Hussein’s forces crushed the Palestinian forces, narrowly avoiding a major Arab-Israeli crisis.
Lebanese Civil War (Linked to the Jordanian Civil War)
After losing the civil war, the PLO moved its command structure to Lebanon in 1971. This increased Lebanon’s involvement in the fight against Israel, contributing to the Lebanese Civil War in the mid-1970s. Additionally, Nasser’s death after negotiating a ceasefire led to his successor, Al Sadat, unsuccessfully seeking an Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai.
Yom Kippur War (1973)
Al Sadat expelled the Soviets in 1972, but US inaction contributed to the 1973 war. Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on Yom Kippur, simultaneously on the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Israel declared it would annex a large area of the Sinai, while Egyptian forces successfully crossed the Suez Canal. Syrian forces broke through to the Golan Heights. Israel turned to the US for help, while the Soviet Union resupplied Egypt and Syria. Israel disabled Egyptian air defenses, allowing its forces to cross the Suez Canal and surround the Egyptians. On the Golan front, Israeli troops repulsed the Syrians. The war created a modified territorial framework, and Henry Kissinger intervened to secure an Egyptian-Israeli ceasefire.
Jordan and the Rabat Declaration
Israel prioritized retaining the Golan Heights and the West Bank. Jordan’s King Hussein was excluded from the 1974 pullback agreements, which reaffirmed Jordanian claims to the area. In October 1974, the Arab heads of state met in Rabat, recognizing the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The Rabat Declaration declared that Hussein had no right to represent Palestinian interests, a landmark in Palestinian efforts for self-determination.