nationalism

ˈnaʃ(ə)n(ə)lɪz(ə)m/

noun

1. 1.

   patriotic feeling, principles, or efforts.

   "an early consciousness of nationalism and pride"

   synonyms:

   patriotism, patriotic sentiment, allegiance/loyalty to one's country,loyalism, nationality;

jewish nationalism definition - Google Search. 2013. jewish nationalism definition - Google Search. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.google.co.za/search?q=jewish+nationalism+definition&espv=210&es_sm=93&ei=c6poUo6iHLCp7AaU4YEw&start=10&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=923&dpr=1&cad=cbv&sei=Qa9oUq6pOOyg7Ab07IAY#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=nationalism+definition. [Accessed 24 October 2013].

Was Jewish Nationalism in the Middle East proactive or reactive to the conflicts between Arab Nationalism and Jewish Nationalism from 1948 - 1973?

Jewish Nationalism contributed to the causes of the War of Independance, The Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. All of the wars resulted in a further unification and growth in Jewish Nationalism in the Middle East, therefore making Jewish Nationalism both a proactive and reactive movement.

Video Footage of the Yom Kippur War 1973. 

Source: YouTube. (2012). Yom Kippur war - Israel fights for her life and wins. [Online Video]. 02 May. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrlboylx9Jo. [Accessed: 08 October 2013]

The Yom Kippur war was the result of accumulative tension between Israel and it's Arab neighbors. The cause of this tension between the Arab countries and Israel, Egypt and Israel to be more specific originated from the 1967, Six day War, in which Egypt lost the Sinai peninsula and Gaza Strip, Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem and Syria lost the strategic Golan Heights. This attack on Israel was one of revenge and to gain back the land that was lost from the Six Day War. Now the question that  will be answered is whether Israel's response to the Yom Kippur attack was reactive or pro active in the context of Jewish nationalism.

It all started on the 6 October 1973 the day of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which is the day of Atonement in the jewish calendar. Many of the Israeli troops were on leave in order to celebrate their religious holiday. This was subsequently the day that the Egyptian forces attacked Israel, Egyptian troops managed to re-occupy the Sinai peninsula and the Syrian army the Golan Heights. After three days the Israeli army managed to mobilize their forces and stop Egypt in their tracks. The US came to Israel's aid, while the Soviets came to the aid of Syria and Egypt providing them with ammunition and weapons. Arab oil-producing countries then began to threaten to cut off supplies to countries that supported Israel.

The end of the war came after only three weeks of fighting when the UN and US  organized a cease fire between Israel and Egypt and Syria. This was the final major war between Israel and it's Arab neighbors.

Source: Ross, SR, 1996. Causes and Consequences of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 1st ed. USA : Raintree, Steck-Vaughn Company.

Egyptian forces crossing the Suez Canal 1973
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War

1967 Six Day War

THE SIX DAY WAR OF 1967

Visual Source: 

                                                                                                                                                        

      Unknown, (2009), The Six Day War [ONLINE]. Available                                                    at:http://trailofourvinylbook.blogspot.com/2009/03/israeli-army-songs.html [Accessed 20   October 13]. 

Map of the Six Day War Troop Movement:

Unknown, (2010), Map of Six Day War [ONLINE]. Available at: http://orthodox.exteen.com/20100310/kgb-cia-mossad [Accessed 20 October 13].

Causes of the war

Written secondary source by accredited author:

"The main cause of the Six Day War was a dramatic increase in tension between Israel and its Arab neighbours during the mid 1960s.

Terrorist activity against Israel also increased during the 1960s, especially following the formation of the PLO and Al Fatah. This heightened the already extreme tension between Israel and its neighbours. Most of this activity came from the Golan Heights and bases in the West Bank. Israel was determined to wipe these terrorists out and saw all-out war as an effective solution.One cause of this tension was Israel's policy of diverting water from the Jordan River down to the Negev Desert. This angered Arabs, who threatened to stem the flow of water into Lake Galilee. Syria had begun earthworks to divert water away from Israel but these were bombed by Israel in 1965 and 1966.
In 1966 the Ba'ath party gained control of Syria. Ba'ath was a very militant anti-Israel group. Due to accusations of hiding behind the UN, President Nasser of Egypt also took a more militant stance towards Israel.
Many historians consider that the economic problems the Israelis were having at the time were a major reason for wanting a war with the Arabs. A war would distract people's minds from unemployment and low growth and would also bring in foreign money to boost the economy.
As well as this, many Jews believed that the former Israeli government should have been harder on the Arabs in the previous conflict, the 1956 Suez War. David Ben-Gurion, a former Prime Minister believed that another war would secure Israel's borders against further Arab aggression."

Causes of the war - The Six Day War. 2013. Causes of the war - The Six Day War. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sixdaywar.orconhosting.net.nz/html/causes.htm. [Accessed 20 October 2013].                                                                                                                                                    

It can therefore be said that Jewish Nationalism was proactive as the tension between Jewish and Arab Nationalism was a key factor in the fuelling of the Six Day War of 1967, in combination with the survival instincts of the Israelis bringing them together in a time of attack.

Bibliography: Barkai, R. 2013. Jewish Nationalism Reactive and Proctive?. Interviewed by Jordan Barkai [radio] Camps Bay, 12 October 2013.

Results of the war

"As a result of its overwhelming airpower and military strength, Israel ended up gaining a surprising amount of territory in 1967. From Egypt, its generals pressed forward to take the Sinai Peninsula. From Syria, the Israelis took the strategic Golan Heights, from which artillery can reach Jerusalem or Damascus. And from Jordan, Israel took Jerusalem and the West Bank."

Results of the war - The Six Day War. 2013. Results of the war - The Six Day War. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sixdaywar.orconhosting.net.nz/html/results.htm. [Accessed 20 October 2013].

Israel won the war in a short six days, their victory leaving them as heroes due to such a quick successful conquer of the Arab states in comparison to the tiny country itself. The patriotic, proud Jewish Nationalism was further grown due to this victory. In addition unification of Jewish Nationalism grew through an increasingly spread hatred for the Arab states which they had just fought in the war, and of the Arabs now living in the newly Israeli territory. Therefore Jewish Nationalism in the Middle East was reactive to the Six Day War of 1967.

The 1948 War of Independence. Proactive or Reactive?

Brief Overview:

In May 1948, Israel was recognised as an independent state within the Middle East by the United Nations(UN). This enraged Arabs from multiple Arab nations and fuelled the surprise attack on Israel. Although Israel had been declared it's own state by the UN, this would mean nothing if they were defeated immediately after gaining independence. The Israelites fought bravely for a year, losing 6000 lives and in January 1949 the Arabs withdrew their forces and all but Iraq signed peace treaties. The war was over and the Israelites had won. 

Causes: Proactive or Reactive?

In a way one can see the cause or causes of the war to be proactive on the Israelites half. They wanted an independent state and this was fuelled by a strong sense of Jewish nationalism(zionism). They got an independent state from the UN and the Arabs didn't agree with this thus they attacked. The Israelites were overt and aggressive for example the Etzel were an underground jewish organisation fighting against the Arabs. They would plant bombs in Arab market places thus fuelling the ongoing war and increasing Jewish nationalism.

However the causes of the war were reactive in a sense because the Arabs attacked the Israelites and they fought back to protect their land they had recently gained independence of.

Impact of the War on Jewish Nationalism:

One way Jewish nationalism was heightened was as a reaction to persecution and anti-semitism after the war had been won. This was known as Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were kicked out of countries, only finding salvation in Israel. This gave many jews a common background and a sense of only being able to rely on people of the same religion thus strengthening zionism. 

In addition, Israelis managed to keep their state in tact and won even more territory. At the end of the war Israelis had control of 60% of Palestine.

Sources to provide further understanding:

This is a primary source showing the declaration of independence for the state of Israel.

In this visual source, the victory of the Israelis is emphasised. One can see that the victory united Jewish people and made Zionism stronger.

 This is a bias visual source as it only shows the jews in compromising positions such as attacking Arabs. There is no sign of Arabs attacking Jews.