JCC Six Day War: Israel SILTMUN IV
Chair: Brian Forcier Political Officer: Sam Bugaieski Vice Chair: Kelly Roemer
December 7nd, 2013
Lyons Township High School
La Grange, Illinois Dear Delegates, My name is Brian Forcier, and I will be serving as your chair for SILMUN IV. My political officer is Sam Bugaieski, and my Vice Chair is Kelly Roemer. I am a junior at Saint Ignatius, while Sam and Kelly attend Lyons Township. I enjoy studying history, politics, and current events. I have been in Model U.N. since I was a freshman.
My name is Sam Bugaieski, and I will be your PO in this year’s SILTMUN conference. I'm looking forward to seeing the interesting debate I'm sure you will all have when we start committee this December. I have been doing MUN for a little over a year now, and have taken part in a variety of conferences, both local and international. This is my first time participating as a leader in an event like this, and I can't wait to get a view of things from the perspective of the dais. I'm sure you will all do great when opening ceremonies end and the fun begins. I wish you all the best of luck in your research, and am excited to see the resolutions you come to early next year.
The way we have arranged this cabinet is to provide the greatest depth into the topic. However, this obstacle proved to be difficult, accounting for the length of the war. I have decided to choose these topics as they provide the greatest depth, even though they shift in time. The first topic takes place a few months after the war, while the second topic is during the war. This format allowed me to include the greatest possibility for heated and extended debate. Once the first topic is finished, then the second topic will shift in time, taking place during the war. In this cabinet, each one of you will have a chance to re-write history as your respective person sees fit. Since this is also a joint crises cabinet, each delegate should expect to handle a plethora of crises including the Egyptian Cabinet. The first topic will take place in October of 1967 after the Khartoum Resolution. The second topic will take place during the war on the Jordanian and Syrian fronts. Good luck to all in researching!
Sincerely, Brian Forcier, Chair Sam Bugaieski, Political Officer Kelly Roemer, Vice Chair
My email is [email protected] . Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have with committee or papers!
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Topic One: The Israeli Occupation of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula
The Jewish and Arab peoples have been fighting for thousands of years after territorial disputes arose over holy cities, such as Jerusalem, a city that carries symbolic meaning for both the Jewish Israelis and the Muslim Arabs. Understanding the more modern tensions that led to the Six Day War and the current occupation of the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip, one must review key events in Israel’s short history as a nation. Prior to 1948 and reflecting the colonialism present in many parts of the world, Britain occupied the current state of Israeli directly after the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War Two. After the Treaty of Versailles, Britain was granted rule over the region near the Mediterranean Sea, naming the region the British Mandate or Trans-Jordan region. In 1917, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour wrote the Balfour Declaration, a document expressing gratitude towards the Jewish people for their assistance to the British war effort in World War One (Sorko-Ram). More importantly, the declaration expressed favor for a national Jewish homeland. Furious, the Arabs protested to the British government. Caving under pressure and appeasing the Arabs, Winston Churchill, then the British Colonial Secretary, drafted the White Papers in 1922 (Sorko-Ram). These documents stipulated that seventy six percent of the eastern portion of the promised Jewish Homeland was to be restricted from future Jewish immigration and current Jewish inhabitants. The Arabs were not satisfied by the terms of the documents, and they continued to kill Jewish people.
The British again caved to Arab pressure and outrage by drafting a second White Paper in 1930 (Sorko-Ram). These documents limited Jewish immigration to anywhere in the Holy Land, citing the economic impact of Jews stealing Arab occupations. The Arab population still continued to riot and murder Jews. The British crown became frustrated with the continuous violence, and they created the Peel Commission. This royal commission of inquiry, headed by Lord Robert Peel, searched for a solution in 1936 to 1939 to end the violence between Israelis and Palestinians (Sorko-Ram). In 1937, the body issued a statement calling for the partition of an Arab state, Palestine, and a Jewish state, Israel. The commission also recommended two small buffer zones ruled by the British in Jaffa and Jerusalem. The Arabs rejected this recommendation,
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while the Jewish people were split on its benefit. Eventually, the recommendation was discarded due to the lack of compromise. Signaling the dissolution of colonial states in the Middle East, France granted independence to Lebanon in 1943 and Syria in 1946 (Sorko-Ram). Moreover, Britain granted independence to Iraq in 1932 and Jordan in 1946 (Sorko-Ram). However, Britain refused to grant Israel independence, tossing the question to the newly formed United Nations. Using the Balfour Declaration as legal precedence and despite great pressure from every Muslim nation, the United Nations, Britain abstaining, voted to make part of the remaining British Mandate a nation for Jews in the Middle East (Sorko-Ram).
The announced partition plan on November 27, 1947 cast a shadow over the Muslim world. Riots erupted between November 30 and February 1, causing the deaths of thousands of Arabs and Jews (“Israeli War of Independence: Background”). On January 9, 1948, 1,000 Arabs ransacked northern Palestinian communities (“Israeli War of Independence: Background”). Echoeing previous abandonment, the remaining British forces handed over defense responsibilities to the Arab irregulars. Palestinians from November 29 to April 1, 1948 disrupted all major road access and slaughtered many Israelis, while King Abdullah of Jordan expressed delight (“Israeli War of Independence: Background”). The United Nations Palestine Commission cited major concerns about Arab intentions in the region to the Security Council, but United Nations resolutions, 181 and 273, that called for a Zionist state continued to be in effect. From April 1- May 14, 1948, the Haganah, a Jewish resistance army launched offensives against the Arab invaders, capturing several cities (“Israeli War of Independence: Background”). On May 14, the nation of Israel was officially created through the United Nations resolutions 181 and 273. One day after Israel’s creation, Egyptian, Trans- Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi forces invaded Israel. The Israeli Defense Force (formerly the Haganah) held back invaders, while international pressure mounted against the invading Arab armies. The United Nations sensed the dire situation in the region, and it commissioned Count Folke Bernadotte to mediate a truce in the summer of 1948 (“Israeli War of Independence: Background”). Noticing the Israeli Defense Force gaining momentum, the five invading Arab armies signed individual peace settlements in 1949.
After two decades of Israeli appeals to negotiate with Arab nations, The Arab nations continued to foment animosity, aiding the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization. After its formation in 1964, the group launched 113 terrorist attacks against civilians in two years (“The Six Day War: Overview”). During 1965 and 1966, the Syrian army shelled the Golan Heights after Israel created the National Water Carrier (“The Six Day War: Overview”). The Security Council failed to act or even denounce the attack after a veto from the Soviet Union. Attacking a small Israeli rural community near the Golan Heights, Israel retaliated against Syria. Dramatizing the event, Syria called on
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Egypt to honor their mutual defense treaty, inching the nations towards another war. In the Middle of May 1967, Syrian and Egyptian forces massed on the Israel border as United Nation’s buffer forces, the United Nations Emergency Force, withdrew according to Egyptian requests. On May 22, 1967, Egypt blocked the Straights of Tiran, denying Israel access to any imported oil (“The Six Day War: Overview”). Seventeen international maritime powers denounced the blockade, but they failed to organize a flotilla against it. Meanwhile, President Nasser of Egypt, King Hussein of Jordan, and President Abdur Rahman Aref of Iraq taunted Israel to fight daily after the blockade, threatening Israel with annihilation (“The Six Day War: Overview”). Sensing immediate danger from mass war preparations, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol authorized on June 5, a pre-emptive strike against Egypt. Israel was isolated internationally, yet the Arabs nations received generous military aid from the Soviet Union. The same day, nearly the entire Israeli air force launched strikes against Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian air bases. Highly effective, nearly the entire Egyptian and Jordanian air force was destroyed, and half the Syrian air force was destroyed (“The Six Day War: Overview”). Intense tank battles in the Sinai Desert ensued, and Israeli paratroopers seized the city of Jerusalem after three days of fighting. After defending against Syrian forces near the Golan Heights, Israeli Defense Forces pushed back Syrian forces, and the Israeli Defense Forces neared the capitals of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt (“The Six Day War: Overview”). Bowing to international pressure from the Soviet Union who threatened to intervene and the United States Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Israeli forces halted their advance.
Israel accepted a cease fire on June 10, 1967, possessing a dramatically different nation. Almost 800 soldiers perished during the war, while Egyptian forces lost 15,000 troops, Syrian forces lost 2,500 troops, and Jordanian forces suffered 800 casualties. Israel’s new borders encompassed 26,000 square miles up from 8,000 (“The Six Day War: Overview”). Among Israel’s new territory acquisitions, The Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, the West Bank, the Sinai Peninsula, and the City of Jerusalem were captured (“The Six Day War: Overview”). Seven hundred fifty thousand Palestinians were kept under Israeli rule, while 60,000 Palestinians eventually returned. Moreover, 9,000 Palestinian families were re-united (“The Six Day War: Overview”). However, Arab nations seethed with defeat, and they firmly rejected Israel’s call for peace negotiations that would ensure the return of the occupied territories. On June 19, 1967, the Soviet Union submitted Resolution 519 that called for Israel to withdraw from its conquered territories without any peace negotiations; on July 4 this proposal was voted against (Isseroff). Meanwhile, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson devised a plan for peace in the Middle East with his speech on July 19, 1967 (“The Immediate Aftermath). He devised five principles, including a weapons filing program in the region and greater maritime rights respect (“The Immediate Aftermath”). These largely unenforced or non- enacted principles did little to alleviate animosity in the Middle East. Eight Arab heads of state attended from August 29 to September 1967 a conference in Khartoum, Sudan
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to discuss their stance on Israel (Isseroff). The attending heads of state resoundingly agreed on three no’s: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with Israel (Isseroff). Favorably for the West, the conference agreed to dismantle the oil embargo (Isseroff). Also, the conference decreed the end of Arab infighting in Yemen (Isseroff). Furthermore, some Palestinians are alleging abuse by Israeli forces in the conquered territories, such as creating curfews, demolishing houses, and closing schools, and community centers (“1967 War: Israeli Occupation). The belligerent stance of the Arab nations, international pressure, and allegations of abuse in the region creates an interesting challenge for the Israeli government.
Questions to consider:
• What should Israel do with its recently captured territory?
• Is Israel’s occupation legal according to international law?
• How should Israel deal respond to the Khartoum Resolution?
• Should Israel keep these strips of land as part of their historical right?
• How will Israeli forces deal with hostile Arab populations in the Gaza Strip and
Sinai Peninsula, and should these citizens be granted full Israeli citizenship?
• How will foreign allies respond to Israel’s recent acquisition of these two
territories?
• How should internally displaced persons and returning Arabs be handled?
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Topic 2: The Syrian and Jordanian Fronts
In 1967, Israel found itself in an undesirable position among its neighbors. Conflict as brewing along all of its borders, and hostilities were rising, all of which were directed at Israel. Tensions were high, and the contingent nations were ready, looking for the slightest excuse to declare full-fledged war on the standalone country. This came on June 5th, when Israel launched an air attack on the Arabs, destroying any measures of restraint being exercised by their foes. This marked the beginning a 6 day pandemonium, in which Israel stood solitary against the nations: Egypt, Syria and Jordan.
The Surprise Attack:
The Israeli air force was far superior to its enemies at the time. It consisted of over 400 aircrafts all ready for battle, most of which far outreached the technological capabilities than their foes. On the Morning of June 5th, 12 of these aircrafts left an Israeli base headed for Egypt, who was ill-prepared to handle such a conflict. (The Six Day War, Para. 4) The Egyptian aerial securities were lacking, and when coupled with the fact that their defense system was shut down to prevent its use by the rebels, the country was extremely vulnerable. When the Israeli forces hit Egypt, they wreaked havoc on the Egyptian air force. Both planes and runways were destroyed, and it is estimated that total casualties reached over one hundred. Similar attacks were carried out later that day on the other warring nations, putting Israel ahead in the battle to come.
The Jordanian Border:
There was a lot of confrontation going on the Israeli-Jordanian Front. Mine attacks by the Jordan government led to the outbreak of a skirmish as-Samu, a village in West Jordan. Israel dominated the fight, but the battle left 18 killed and over one hundred wounded. (Six-Day War, Para. 3) The UN Security council expressed great concern over the terror caused by this conflict, and saw Israel as the main perpetrator
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(as can be seen in United Nations Security Council Resolution 228). This Israel Israeli power play had a detrimental impact on its relations with the Jordanian government. After what had taken place in as-Samu, they believed it was a main goal of Israel’s to take control of the western front. Some have also theorized that this played a large role in the foundation of the pact between Jordan and Egypt.
The Syrian Border:
An original point of contention between Syria and Israel was the Jordan River. Syria deplored the tapping of the River by Israel, to the point where they constructed the Headwater Diversion Plan, to attempt to drive them from the area. Syria felt that Israel should not be occupying the predetermined demilitarized zone, no matter their intentions. For the two years preceding the war, much fighting ensued regarding this particular issue. In light of this, UN sided with Israel, and criticized the ferocious sieges made by the Jordan military. (Six Day War, Para 27) Violence escalated from shots being exchanged by those in the area, to shots being taken (by Syria) at near civilian towns; eventually this lead to all-out battle. Israel began air strikes on Syria near Damascus, but the UN intervened and called for a cease fire. The UN detested the clashing of the two nations, and blamed both states for the deteriorated conditions with which they were presented.
The Future:
After the initial strikes of the war were made, Israel found itself in a tough situation. Their surprise attacks on the French were being seen in two ways, either (as Israel viewed them) as preemptive measures taken to ensure the nations safety, or (as the Arabs and many others saw it) overly aggressive attempts to create conflict and harm their neighbors. The Israeli Cabinet met over the course of the battle to discuss further action. Interest was expressed in making attempts at strategic military positions, such as Latrun. More importantly, many thought it prudent to retake their beloved Old City of Jerusalem back from the Jordanians. (The Six Day War, Para. 1) There were many possible paths to take, each with its own set of positive and negative outcomes. That is where you are all left to decide what steps your country must take to preserve both its freedom, and its national integrity.
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Questions to consider:
• How should the UN’s complete disapproval of this war be considered when deciding future actions with regard to this topic? • What immediate actions must be taken to ensure Israel’s national security? • How big of a priority is it to recapture the holy city of Jerusalem? • How can the original disputes with the Arabs be tended to in order to keep conflicts like these from arising again in the future? • What has your member of this body done to express their position on the matter at hand? • Are there any non-military courses of action that can be taken from here?
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Excellent Resources:
• The Jewish Virtual Library • The Jerusalem Fund • Foundation for Middle East Peace • Maoz Israel Ministries
Bibliography
"1967 War: Israeli Occupation." The Jerusalem Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
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