The six-day war Coursework

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The six-day war Coursework

1)                Source ‘A’ contains evidence that the author blames Israel, at least in part, for the start of the six-day war.  He says, “Israel CLAIMS Arabs were threatening … to attack her” as if to say that he doesn’t believe the Israelis.  He also Displays the view that Israel had a lot to gain from a war.  He claims that war brought “millions of dollars into Israel”, “cured unemployment” and helped restore the general economy in Israel, hinting that she went to war for economic reasons.  He also blames the Arabs.  He acknowledges that Egypt closed the Gulf of Aqaba, which “[Egypt] knew Israel would regard as an act of war” He says that the Israelis had no choice; “[Israel] could not afford to let the Arabs strike first, she was too … vulnerable”                                                                                  In conclusion, it is fair to say that the author believes both countries are partly to blame for the war, because he gives a variety of reasons why each country could be blamed for starting it.  He does not just concentrate on one country’s part in the war.

2)                The cartoon is ambiguous.  One message is that the Arab forces are big and strong, and that they surround Israel.  The cartoonist probably got this idea from the previous ‘victories’ over Israel, for example the closure of the Gulf of Aqaba on the 22nd May.  The figures regarding the armies of the countries in the Middle East speak for themselves.  The Arabs had more than double everything that Israel had.  In some cases, however, it was triple the number, with Arab planes totalling 957, and Israeli planes a mere three hundred.  The old man, perspiring with fear, is how the Arabs viewed Israel at that time, partly because of the lack of weapons, and partly because Israel had seemingly let Egypt close the Gulf of Aqaba without fighting.  Another message is the depiction of Israel surrounded by Arab armies, all trying to force her into the sea.  This is an idea that the cartoonist got from the geographical position of Israel, (surrounded by Arabs and next to the Mediterranean sea) and the fact that Arab armies were advancing to the borders of Israel.  The cartoonist has also drawn an alternative to being pushed, in the form of a diving board.  This represents retreat as an option for Israel.  The cartoonist thought that Israel would leave the Middle East rather than fight the Arabs, who had military superiority.  The cartoonist, and other Arabs thought retreat likely when no reaction was seen from Israel when Un troops were moved from Sinai on the 16th May 1967 under instruction of Egypt.

In conclusion, the main message put across in the source is Arab superiority and strength in the Middle East.

3)                To a certain extent these cartoons do support the view that the countries in the Middle East didn’t cause the war.

The cartoon, source ‘C’, lays blame for the 1967 war on the USA and USSR because they poured money and weapons into the Middle East, making a war possible.  The USSR had supplied weapons and intelligence to Egypt.  They suggest that Israel was planning an air attack on Egypt and other Arab countries, forcing Nasser to plan an attack on Israel.  The USA was supplying weapons and money/loans to Israel.  The cartoon shows this by having both the USA and USSR stirring weapons into a cauldron labelled the Middle East.  The conflict between these superpowers in the ‘6 day war’ in all probability ties in with the cold war.  The cartoonist also suggests that the UN played a part in the war.  He shows U Thant standing in the background, making no attempt to prevent the escalating problems.

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Source ‘D’ lays most of the blame on U Thant because he ‘failed to stand up to Nasser… when he ordered UN forces out of Sham el Sheik.’  The source says that the departure of UN troops, who had acted as a buffer between Israel and Egypt from Sinai had speeded up the coming of a war.  Therefore, as U Thant did not resist Nasser’s orders, he brought war closer.

However, Middle East countries were to blame as well and both sources suggest this.  There was a situation in the Middle East, regardless of Western influence.  Source ‘C’ shows this. ...

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