The Six-Day War, fought between Israel and several Arab nations, ended in 1967.

With the armies of several Arab nations gathering at its borders and the Egyptian army blockading the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel launched its own offensive on June 5, 1967, thus beginning the Six-Day War which effectively changed the balance of power in the Middle East. Israel began with surprise bombings of airfields in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Jordan, crippling the air capabilities of these countries. With surprising speed, the Israeli military pushed to the Suez Canal and the left bank of the Jordan River in less than three days. By the end of the war, Israel had also seized the Gaza Strip from Egypt and Golan Heights from Syria, and had reached 12 miles into Syrian territory. At 6:30 p.m. Israeli time on this day in 1967, the brief war ended when both sides accepted a cease-fire called for by the United Nations Security Council. With the brief war, Israel had more than doubled the size of its territory, gained control over important waterways, united the two halves of Jerusalem and provided a protective buffer for its northern settlements. The Six-Day War dramatically demonstrated Israel’s unexpected military strength. It also placed over a million Palestinian Arabs under Israeli control, setting the stage for the emergence of the bloody territorial disputes that continue to greatly influence politics in the Middle East.

Xpeditions
In Alike and Different: The Middle East and the United States (3–5), students use maps to examine the similarities and differences between the Middle East and their own city, state and country.

Students learn basic facts about the Middle East by exploring maps of the region in The Middle East Region: Flags and Facts (K–2).

In What’s Your Territory (K–2), students consider how they, their parents and even their pets define and defend their personal spaces or territory. They also discuss the reasons that countries sometimes fight over territories.

Students can use the Map of Israel from the Xpeditions Atlas to visualize the territorial changes that took place in the Middle East as a result of the Six-Day War.

In Yours, Mine, and Ours: Determining Boundaries (9’12), students assume the roles of decision makers in a boundary dispute. They are asked to consider existing boundaries and other characteristics of an area to reach a consensus on whether an area should be divided or remain a single political entity.

Jerusalem has long been a point of contention between Israel and its neighbors. In Culture Goggles: Same Holy Land, Different Holidays (K–2), students visit the Culture Goggles exhibit in National Geographic’s Xpedition Hall, where they can select a religion to see how a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim might view the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel.