1968 Six-Day War

Written by an Egyptian Civillian

Despite Israel’s previous warnings of attack on the Arab states, our president, Nasser, decided to break the agreements we had with Israel, resulting in a terrible war. By the end of the 1967 the straight of Tiran was closed, Iraqi troops were sent to Jordan, the Egyptian-Jordan defense pact was signed, and the U.N. peacekeeping forces were withdrawn. These were all of the circumstances Israel named when stating their conditions for going to war with the Arab states. I was shocked that Nasser would ignore these threats but most people were not worried of Israel’s military accomplishments.

All of the Arab forces were prepared for what they thought would be a round of guerilla attacks along the border. Israel shocked their opponents, the world, and us when they launched a massive air attack on June fifth. This raid from the sky, led by the Israeli chief of staff, Itzhak Rabin destroyed more than 400 Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian aircraft on the ground. The demolition of these machines was devastating to us because it made up the bulk of our aircraft and we knew it would be a great barrier on the road to victory. The war ended with a cease fire after 6 days but the casualties were brutal, 800 Israeli dead, 11,500 Egyptians dead, 700 Syrians dead, 2000 Jordanian dead, 100 Iraqi dead, and thousands missing and wounded from both sides.

On June 9th Nasser surprised us all with his televised resignation. He blamed himself for the destruction the war had caused. Nasser took full responsibility admitting that the war was poor planned, poorly lead, and the over confidence of the Arab states lead to their downfall. I remember the crowds of angry Egyptians swarming the streets in protest just minutes after the announcement was made. I am sure that Nasser was surprised by the extreme loyalty of his people and this is what convinced him to return to office by the end of the day.