In 1948-1949, during a conflict that spanned less than eight months, the borders of what is now known as the State of Israel were established. This territory encompasses 77% of what was once referred to as Palestine. The newly formed Israeli military successfully repelled attacks from five Arabic nations: Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Iraq, and Lebanon.
The first Arab-Israeli conflict has different names depending on the viewpoint. Israelis often refer to it as their ‘War of Independence’, whereas in Arabic, it is commonly noted as the ‘War of Palestine’. A tragic consequence of this war was the displacement of over half of the Arab population from Palestine.
The majority of the displaced Palestinians sought sanctuary in the Gaza region, which was under the guardianship of the Egyptian military. Seeing this, the Israeli forces attempted to encircle the area by infiltrating Egyptian territory.
However, this move by the Israeli military was met with resistance from the United States, leading them to declare a ceasefire. This pivotal moment witnessed not only the onset of the ‘Gaza Strip’, but also constituted a harbinger for successful interventions in areas where the Israeli military appeared unable to unilaterally put an end to war situations.
The subsequent Arab-Israeli conflict, which unfolded in October and November of 1956, marked a departure from the past, as the Israeli military joined forces with France and the United Kingdom. Their objective was to bring down the reign of Colonel Nasser in Egypt, who had recently nationalized the Suez Canal.
However, the trilateral attack was brought to an abrupt halt by the US, who once again forced the aggressors to cease their hostilities. This was followed by Israel being coerced into withdrawing from the territories it had seized, including the Gaza Strip, by March 1957.
The third Arab-Israeli struggle erupted in June 1967 and is famously remembered as the ‘Six-Day War’, owing to the swift Israeli offensive. The Israeli military, in this short span of time, managed to occupy East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and the Golan Heights of Syria also fell under Israeli control. Yet again, the US was able to obtain a ceasefire from Israel before the Arab nations could suffer a defeat, an event which could have possibly elicited a response from the Soviet Union.
A similar turn of events was witnessed in October 1973, after 18 days of combat initiated by a joint Syrian-Egyptian offensive. Despite the change in initiators, the course of events followed a familiar pattern with the U.S. stepping in to mediate.
The post The Establishment and Evolution of the State of Israel: A Brief History appeared first on Real News Now.
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