Arab-Israeli Conflict 1967: Dynamic Between Regional and Superpower Politics
Allison Spiegel
999245945
NMC278H1-F
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November 27, 2012 Protection of Public Security, Sovereignty and Integrity: The dynamic between regional politics and superpower politics in the origins and outcome of the June 1967 war. The 1967 Arab-Israeli war, more commonly known as the Six Day War, was a watershed battle for Zionism. With the tensions of the Second World War still looming over the entire world, the Jewish population found themselves desperate to find a land that they could call their own. From the Jewish perspective, Palestine (considered holy land among the Jews) made the most sense as a place to establish a home, however a lot of animosity arose from the prospect on the Arab front. For one, Zionism as a movement was met with a strong opposition from the Arab population of the region, who saw themselves as the rightful occupiers of Palestine. The result was a clash between two peoples over one land, effectively causing the territory to split in two, ideologically, and resulting in a conflict that continues to this day. The animosity that developed was not, however, the sole result of creating a Jewish state in the region of Palestine; for the Arab population, the idea of the creation of a Jewish state at all was disconcerting. The rejection by the Arab states of Israel’s very right to exist has caused a significant amount of conflict in the Middle East . The objectives of Israel and Egypt during the conflict of 1967 was to preserve sovereignty, the Soviet Union and the United States sought to extend their influence within the region to gain strategic advantage in the Cold War. Within Israel, regional politics surrounded the stress of creating and defending a homeland for the Jews. The Holocaust intensified Zionism and the need for a Jewish state on an international scale, but also gave Israelis a misplaced feeling of vulnerability, as they felt that the country faced a threat of imminent
999245945
NMC278H1-F
-------------------------------------------------
November 27, 2012 Protection of Public Security, Sovereignty and Integrity: The dynamic between regional politics and superpower politics in the origins and outcome of the June 1967 war. The 1967 Arab-Israeli war, more commonly known as the Six Day War, was a watershed battle for Zionism. With the tensions of the Second World War still looming over the entire world, the Jewish population found themselves desperate to find a land that they could call their own. From the Jewish perspective, Palestine (considered holy land among the Jews) made the most sense as a place to establish a home, however a lot of animosity arose from the prospect on the Arab front. For one, Zionism as a movement was met with a strong opposition from the Arab population of the region, who saw themselves as the rightful occupiers of Palestine. The result was a clash between two peoples over one land, effectively causing the territory to split in two, ideologically, and resulting in a conflict that continues to this day. The animosity that developed was not, however, the sole result of creating a Jewish state in the region of Palestine; for the Arab population, the idea of the creation of a Jewish state at all was disconcerting. The rejection by the Arab states of Israel’s very right to exist has caused a significant amount of conflict in the Middle East . The objectives of Israel and Egypt during the conflict of 1967 was to preserve sovereignty, the Soviet Union and the United States sought to extend their influence within the region to gain strategic advantage in the Cold War. Within Israel, regional politics surrounded the stress of creating and defending a homeland for the Jews. The Holocaust intensified Zionism and the need for a Jewish state on an international scale, but also gave Israelis a misplaced feeling of vulnerability, as they felt that the country faced a threat of imminent
Cited: Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. [ 1 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. pg 3 [ 2 ] [ 5 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. pg 33. [ 12 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. pg 7. [ 16 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. gg 167. [ 21 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. pg 8. [ 27 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. pg 195. [ 30 ]. Louis, Wm. Roger, and Avi Shlaim, eds. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. pg 2.