Wars Part 1: 1948-1973
Note: Even to name this week’s newsletter is challenging. We are ostensibly talking about wars/violent conflicts/clashes//aggressions/incursions on the macro level. Some may see the 76 year history of Israel’s existence as an ongoing war, while others may see the following events as distinct conflicts. Some may call the periods in between peaceful, and others not. This newsletter provides an overview of formative violent moments in the history of Israel/Palestine, using widely used terminology from different perspectives. Even to describe the timeline of these events is impossible to do without bias, so we will rely heavily this week on sources that you can review. The information will likely prompt questions about self-defense, counter-insurgency, civilian versus military personnel, terrorism, and revolution. Please ask us!
1948 War of Independence/The Nakba
The 1948 War of Independence/The Nakba began in November 1947, when the UN voted to partition Mandatory Palestine into states for the Jews and the Palestinians. It began as a civil war between the Jews and Palestinians, within the boundaries of Mandatory Palestine. On May 14th 1948, the conflict expanded to a regional war between the newly established State of Israel and the surrounding Arab nations." Hostilities ended in 1949 with a series of armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon and Syria. The Israeli and Palestinian narratives of the 1948 war differ drastically, with Israel framing the events as a defensive war of independence and the Palestinians presenting them as a pre-meditated Israeli project of expansion and colonization.
Al Jazeera has compiled a comprehensive summary of the Nakba narrative and the Palestinian perspective.
You can listen here to a panel discussion: The Palestinian Nakba: What Happened in 1948 and Why It Still Matters.
The Israeli Embassies describe the war here; The Jewish Virtual Library summarizes the main events from the Israeli perspective here.
Here are some primary sources from this time period. For example, the New York Times issue from May 16th 1948 provides insight into the way the United States and other western nations viewed the events. You can also find a compilation of primary sources from a Palestinian perspective from the Institute for Palestine Studies.
Finally, Time Magazine has a piece here about the relevance of 1948 on today.
1956 Suez Crisis
In 1956, the Egyptian government, under Gamal Abdul Nasser, used its military to nationalize and exert complete control over the Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. This canal had been built and operated by the British. The UK, France, and Israel attacked Egypt in response, and the USSR threatened to get involved, but the US intervened, threatening sanctions if the three nations continued fighting Egypt. The crisis ended in 1956, and Egypt reopened the canal in 1957.
The History Channel gives a sweeping overview here. Here’s an analysis from the UK Imperial War Museum: Why Was the Suez Crisis So Important?
While some see the Suez Crisis as a defining moment for Israel as an emerging country, others point to it as a defining moment for Israel as an occupying power.
1967 Six-Day War/Al Naksa
Israel launched a preemptive strike on several Arab nations, setting off a six day regional conflict which resulted in massive territorial gains/conquests for Israel: the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and Golan Heights. The Arab world termed this war Al-Naksa - The Setback, as a result of this outcome. Israel’s capturing/conquest of East Jerusalem was especially impactful, as it includes the Old City of Jerusalem, which is the location of central holy sites for the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths.
1967 was a turning point in Israeli/Palestinian relations, marking the moment that over a million non-citizen Palestinians were placed under Israeli military control. To this day, when people use the word "occupation," they are mostly referring to the outcome and aftermath of this war.
A brief entry outline of the events of the Six Day War and its aftermath can be found in Encyclopedia Britannica.
A more detailed account of the backdrop leading up to the war, from the Israeli perspective, can be found here.
This article from Al Jazeera describes the events of the war from the perspective of the Arab world and the devastating effect it had on the Palestinian cause.
This article from The New Arab analyzes the war and its aftermath, depicting how it shaped dynamics between Israel and Palestinians to this day, granting Israel more leverage.
This article, from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, captures the exuberance of the Israeli narrative.
These events changed American Jewish life, as well.
1973 Yom Kippur/Ramadan War
On October 6th 1973, on the Jewish High Holy Day of Yom Kippur and during the Muslim holy period of Ramadan, Egypt and Syria launched a joint surprise attack on Israel. Syrian armored columns entered the Golan Heights in the north while, in the south, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal and entered the Sinai Peninsula. After an initial shock, Israel pushed back the Arab forces to beyond the pre-war boundaries. The war ended on October 25th with a United-Nations backed ceasefire and Israel withdrawing from pre-war Syrian and Egyptian territory. The border was not peaceful though, with skirmishes continuing into 1974.
Here is an overview from a Palestinian perspective, and a Israeli one. This historical overview comes from Time magazine. This interview with Boaz Atizili answers key questions about the war, then and now.
The Brookings Institute describes the impact of the war, 50 years later. Many have drawn parallels between the October 7th attacks and 1973, given how it took Israel completely by surprise.