2021 RBS MUNJAN 22. 23. 24 STUDY GUIDE EMERGENCY SESSION OF THE ARABIC STATES 2 Table of Contents 1. Message from the Chairs 2. Introduction to the Committee 3. Related Incidents/ Incidents that have directly impacted the 6 Day War 4. Timeline 5. What went wrong? 6. Country Profiles 7. Portfolios (Responsibilities/ Powers) 8. Details on the Operation of Committee (Documents, How crisis works, Awards) 9. Citations Emergency Session of the Arabic States 3 Message From The Chairs Esteemed Cabinet Members, 15th May 1967 The existence of Israel in our beloved Arabic peninsula has persisted too long. We welcome the Israeli aggression. We welcome the battle we have long awaited. The hour has come. Our suspicions on the Israeli conspirators against our great nations have now been confirmed by our Soviet allies. The Zionists’ audacity to deploy their brigades along the glorious Syrian frontier is an open invitation to war- the long awaited battle has come. Israel doesn’t stand a chance. While our victory is inevitable, we must not underestimate our enemies either. Amongst our cabinet are decorated war heroes, renowned generals, perhaps even the most powerful men in the Middle-East. However, our place in history, our legacy, so to speak, depends entirely on the days to come, on moments to come when we face the Arab world’s greatest enemy. What is expected of you, or rather what is undoubtedly required from you is an unwavering dedication to our cause. You must be quick to think, quick to protect, quick to strike. Every second we waste, the Israelis are gaining an upper hand. Every mistake we make, hundreds of thousands of brave Arabic lives are placed at risk. Do you want to share your homeland with the cruel Zionists that wreak havoc over our Peninsula? Do you want to risk your children’s lives by condoning the discourse they create? Do you want our Holy City of Jerusalem to still be under their wretched control? Do you not want to see their obnoxious flag burn to ashes? May Allah save us all, for we are all that stands between our great nations and a grim reality. Saharsha Dhan Tuladhar Shaleen Baral Deputy Secretary General Chair of Chair of Emergency Session of the Arabic States 4 Introduction to the committee takes us back to the 1960s to revisit (اا ااااااا) The Emergency Session of the Arabic States one of the most consequential conflicts which the middle east has ever witnessed: The Six- Day War, where bottled up tension from the First and Second Arab-Israeli War as well as other minor military engagements drove Israel and the belligerent forces of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon into war. On one hand we have Israel, a country with detailed battle plans, visionary commanders and responsive, well-armed troops while on the other hand we have a coalition of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, whose combined military and diplomatic might goes unmatched in the Middle East. However, being mindful of what actually occurred, delegates shouldn’t be quick to claim victory and are expected to deal with internal conflicts, stagnancy and betrayals in addition to the foe outside. Armed with the benefit of hindsight, and the unique ministerial portfolios with the authority to issue directives, the fate and future of millions of Arabians and the “new face” of the Arabic Peninsula are in the hands of the delegates of this committee. All in all, with the promise of not only dynamic debates but also jaw-dropping crisis updates and unexpected outcomes, delegates can rest assured that the Emergency Session of the will live up to the standards set over the years by RBSMUN’s iconic ااا ااااااا) Arabic States crisis committees. Emergency Session of the Arabic States 5 Related Wars/ Incidents that have directly impacted the 6 Day War Related wars a. 1948 Arab War In 1947, a vote in the United Nations had recommended the creation of a Jewish and Palestinian state in the land known then as the “British Mandate for Palestine”. The events of the holocaust had meant that the international community saw the creation of a Jewish state as being of great importance and voted in favor of it overwhelmingly but Arab countries of the Middle East were not as supportive, to say the least. They had openly threatened to destroy the “Zionist State” as soon as it would be formed. For them, the British Mandate belonged exclusively to the Arabs of the region and the creation of the Jewish State would mean a loss of land belonging, in their eyes, to them. The 1948 war is known by different names to different people. The Arabs call it “the Nakba” which translates to “catastrophe” in English. The Jews call the war many things but the themes that flow across the various names are that of independence, liberation, and sovereignty. This encapsulates what the war meant for the two parties, a sovereign Jewish state for the Jews and a catastrophe for the Arabs. The war of 1948 is a tricky one to deconstruct. As soon as the UN declaration of the partition of the British Mandate was passed a civil war of sorts had erupted. The British, who were technically in charge of the region under their mandate, took a hands-off approach as Jews and Palestinians clashed in the streets. Both groups of people had unofficial militaries that preceded the UN declaration and the creation of the states. The Jewish forces in particular called the “Haganah” were well organized and were able to drive Arab populations living in what was to soon be a new Jewish state as per the UN resolution out of the land that was soon to be theirs. On the 14th of May, 1948 the first Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion declared the formation of a Jewish state, Israel. The very next day the British Mandate was terminated Emergency Session of the Arabic States 6 and as the British left, the Arabs planned to move in. On the 15th of May, the surrounding Arab nations of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon invaded the day-year-old nation of Israel. The Arabs overwhelmed the Jewish state and were seemingly marching towards victory. The first month of the war swung the tide of the war definitely in favor of the Arabs. Around 2000 Jews had lost their lives in the first month of the war. On the 11th of June, the UN managed to broker a truce that was to last 28 days. This time was to be spent talking and trying to move towards a peaceful alternative but in reality, the 28 days were used planning out strategies, shipping in arms and ammunition, and preparing for the continuation of the war after the end of the truce by both sides. These 28 days proved vital for Israel as they were able to ship in not only arms but also bring in Jewish refugees from Europe which allowed them to bolster their military, the Israel Defense Force, or the IDF’s military strength. After the end of the truce, Israel launched an offensive called “Operation Danny”. The later phases of the plan failed but Israel was able to gain control of the roadways that joined Jerusalem and Tel Aviv which boosted Israeli morale. In the fall of 1948, the Israelis captured the Southern city of Be’er Sheva and dealt a major blow to the Egyptians, essentially gaining control of Southern Israel. With continuous efforts in the following months, Israel was able to push Egypt back enough that by February of 1949 the Egyptians withdrew from the war. The war eventually ended in March of 1949 and from the ruins of the war emerged a sovereign Jewish nation. Over 1% of the Jewish population lost their lives in the war including some holocaust survivors. On the Arab end, hundreds of thousands of Arabs were displaced from their homes, many lost their lives, and almost all were left without a safe place to call home. b. 1956 Suez Canal Crisis After the war of 1949, the Middle East grew unstable. With the Arab countries forming the Arab league fighting for a Palestinian state in the region, going as far as to create a representative body for the Palestinian people called the “All-Palestine government” and continuing their refusal to recognize Israel as a legitimate nation, hostilities were high. The Syrian government was actively commissioning terrorist attacks along the border and while no war was ongoing, peace was far from how one would describe the situation. The Suez Canal was a man-made waterway that connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Emergency Session of the Arabic States 7 Red Sea. This allowed Ships to move from Europe to the Middle East and Asia with much ease. Instead of having to take a trip around the whole of Africa, they could simply move across the Suez Canal. This made the canal of much significance and the country who could control it powerful. The waterway was initially controlled by the Egyptians and later partially by the British. The Anglo Egyptian treaty of 1936 allowed the British to station 100000 troops along the waterway but the changing sentiments amongst the people of Egypt overtime meant the British were no longer welcome in the country. Eventually, the people of Egypt grew even more hostile towards the West and amid the instability in 1952, a coup d’état in Egypt saw the rise of General Gamal Abdel Nassar, a man who had served in the war of 1948 and had a strict anti-West mindset and policies.