Six-Day War 1967: Strategy, Maps, and Consequences
Clear, sourced accounts of the 1967 war, its military campaigns, and the territorial, diplomatic, and social changes that followed.
Category pages
- Why Did the Six-Day War Begin? The May–June 1967 CrisisEgypt’s May 22 closure of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping followed the arrival of Egyptian forces in Sinai and the withdrawal of the UN force. Israel mobilized while seeking international action; on June 5 it began the war with air strikes against Egyptian airfields.
- How Israel Won the 1967 War on Three FrontsIsrael opened the war on June 5 with Operation Focus against Egyptian airfields, then sent ground forces into Sinai. Fighting expanded to Jordan’s front in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, and to the Golan Heights on June 9–10; a UN ceasefire ended the war on June 10.
- Jerusalem in 1967: Fighting, Access, and Israeli AdministrationJordanian forces entered the fighting on June 5, and Israeli forces captured the Old City on June 7. Israel extended its law and municipal administration to eastern Jerusalem in separate measures later that month; Jewish access to the Western Wall resumed, while access and administration at holy sites followed distinct arrangements.
- After 1967: Territory, Resolution 242, and the Khartoum SummitBy June 10, 1967, Israel controlled Sinai, Gaza, Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Resolution 242, adopted in November, called for Israeli armed forces to withdraw “from territories” captured in the conflict alongside an end to belligerency and secure, recognized boundaries; its wording has competing interpretations.
- The War’s Psychological Impact on IsraelThe 1967 victory brought relief and pride to many Israelis after weeks of mobilization and uncertainty, while also prompting arguments about military power, territory, and the risks of overconfidence. Israeli writing and public debate after the war show contrasting responses rather than one uniform national mood.