Causes and results of the Six Day War (1967) 

1. In Iraq a new government came to power which was influenced by the ideas of the Ba’ath party (resurrection)-they believed in Arab independence and unity and were left wing in outlook, wanting social reform and better treatment for ordinary people 

2. In Syria political upheavals brought the Ba’ath party to power. 

3. It supported El Fatah, the Palestinian Liberation Movement(guerrilla force) 

4. The Syrians began to bombard Jewish settlements 

5. In Egypt Colonel Nasser was immensely popular because of his leadership of the Arab world. 

6. Nasser tried to improve the conditions in Egypt- industrialised the country, built factories, Aswan Dam project etc. 

7. Nasser thought the time to be ripe for another attack on Israel 

8. The Russians encouraged Egypt and Syria and kept up a flow of anti-Israeli propaganda. 

9. Syria, Jordan and Lebanon also massed troops along their frontiers with Israel – contingents -Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Algeria 

Results : 

1. They launched a series of devastating air strikes which destroyed most of the Egyptian air force. 

2. Israeli troops captured the Gaza Strip and the whole of Sinai from Egypt, the rest of Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria. 

3. The Arabs had to accept a UN ceasefire order. 

4. Reasons for spectacular Israeli success: the slow and ponderous Arab troop build-up gave plenty of warnings to them, Israeli superiority in air and inadequate Arab preparations and communications 

5. It was a great success for the Israelis. 

6. Ignored the UN order to return the captured territory. 

7. It acted as a series of buffer zones between Israeli and the Arab states. 

8. New problem- a million of Arabs found themselves under Israeli rule who were living in the refugee camps. 

9. It was a humiliation for the Arab states particularly for Nasser who realized that the Arabs needed outside help in order to free Palestine.