Panama Model United Nations 2013| XXI Annual Session
Forum:
Historical Security Council
Issue:
Issue #201: The Yom Kippur War
Student Officer: Kimberly Carter Position:
Vice President of The Historical Security Council
Introduction Going back in time to 1973, a 19-day lasting conflict known as The Yom Kippur War was fought by the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel. This war saw the greatest tank battles since World War II. It began by Israel’s refusal to give up Arab territory taken during the Six Day War. The Egyptian and Syrian military forces launched an attack knowing that the military of Israel had participated in the religious celebrations associated with Yom Kippur. Israel’s guard was temporarily dropped due to the religious festivities. The Egyptians had crossed the Suez Canal and took control of the Sinai Peninsula in the south. At the same time the Syrians had attacked to the north, which lead them to take control of the Golan Heights known to be Israeli territory. The Syrians, aided by troops from Jordan and Iraq, initially had made these gains in the north, but by October 11th they had been turned back, and the Israelis successfully advanced into Syria. On October 16th the Israelis counterattacked and invaded Egypt itself. The war had started heightening tensions in the Cold War between the world's two nuclear superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. This didn't only raise concerns to them, but it made the nuclear superpowers deliberate on whether they should’ve supported their allies or backed off. How is it going to be? Should the United Nations step in as well as the countries’ allies? Or will the conflict between these nations continue to rise?
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Map of the Territorial possession of Egypt and Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Definition of Key Terms Yom Kippur Also known as the Day of Atonement. In Judaism, is the most sacred holy day, falling on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (late September or early October). It is a day of fasting and prayer for forgiveness for sins committed during the year. Jews gather in synagogues on the Eve of Yom Kippur, when the fast begins, and return the following morning to continue confessing, doing penance, and praying for forgiveness. The most solemn of the prayers, Kol Nidre, is chanted on the Eve of Yom Kippur. War War involves an armed conflict between states, nations and parts of a nation. It is prosecuted by force and encompasses the purpose of compelling the defeated side to do the will of the subjugator. Reasons pertaining to the occurrence of a war involve ideological, racial, religious, political, and economic conflicts. The main dynamics applied by actors are imperialism, nationalism, and militarism. Suez Canal Research Report | Page 2 of 7
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It is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The canal was opened in November 1869. The canal has no locks and can accommodate all but the largest ships. Golan Heights Region surrounded by rocky plateaus located in South West Syria. It borders South Lebanon, North East Israel, and North West Jordan. The Golan Heights were fortified and used for artillery attacks on Israel after 1948. The region was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. Sinai Peninsula Located in North East Egypt at the North end of the Red Sea. The Gulf and Canal of Suez separate it from the continent of Africa. On the East, the peninsula is bordered by the Arabian Peninsula. The North extremity connects with the Mediterranean Sea. It is generally considered part of the continent of Asia. A level desert occupies most of the North portion of the peninsula; the South part is crossed by several mountain ranges. The Sinai Peninsula was part of major military combats in 1956, 1967, and 1973; and therefore occupied by Israel in 1967.
Six-Day War Is an armed conflict between Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. These Arab nations were sustained by Iraq, Kuwait, Sudan, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia. It began on June 5 when Israel airstriked Arab nations, therefore occupying the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. Anwar Sadat The Egyptian President in 1973. Has been in jail 4 times especially for participating in terrorist acts against pro-British Egyptian officials. Golda Meir The Prime Minister of Israel in 1973. As prime minister she maintained a difficult alliance at home, while negotiating abroad with the aggressive Arab nations and with the United States. In 1971 she managed to defeat a "no-confidence" vote in parliament engineered by opposition members on the grounds that she had made excessive concessions to Egypt in peace negotiations. Moshe Dayan
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The Defense minister of Israel from 1915 to 1981. He established a reputation as a military strategist by directing the 1956 Sinai campaign against Egypt. Dayan’s reputation was enhanced by Israel's military success in the Six-Day War (1967). David Elazar Israeli army commander who was accused of bad judgment and lack of preparedness in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. During the second Arab-Israeli war, the Suez War (1956), he commanded a brigade in the Sinai Peninsula. In the third Arab-Israeli war, the Six-Day War of June 1967 troops under his command conquered the Golan Heights. Ariel Sharon Israeli general and politician who in the 1973 conflict Israeli forces under his command captured Egypt's third Army. Henry Kissinger American political scientist and U.S. secretary of state from 1973 to 1977. His negotiating skills led to a cease-fire between Israel and Egypt and the disengagement of their troops after the 1973 ArabIsraeli War.
General Overview The involvement of the established year shouldn’t limit the delegates to only focus on the events of 1973 (where the today date of the debate is set) but also focus on the next years following the Yom Kippur War. This General Overview will discuss in a detailed manner the account of the Egyptian and Syrian Invasion of the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula in 1973. Tension between Israel, Egypt and Syria began as soon as the Egyptian and Syrian military forces launched a surprise attack on Israel during Yom Kippur. Right after the airstrike, the Egyptians cross the Suez Canal and take over control of the Sinai Peninsula in the south. At the same time the Syrians attack to the north taking control of the Golan Heights known to be Israeli territory. In the first months after the war, Egyptian and Syrian forces renewed the War of Attrition along the cease-fire lines. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) focused on building its force on an unprecedented scale. The enemy attempted to prevent the IDF from conducting a war of movement dominated by tank and air power.
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Land, and air strikes continue to arise among Israel, Egypt and Syria. Fighting for territory is the main reason to this conflict when armed forces continue to invade neighboring lands with infinite ammo.
Major Parties Involved and Their Views Egyptian Forces Egyptian Forces fought for their territorial lands with Syria against Israel. Anticipating a swift Israeli armored counterattack by three armored divisions, the Egyptians had armed their assault force with large numbers of man-portable anti-tank weapons rocket propelled grenades and the less numerous but more advanced Sagger guided missiles, which proved devastating to the first Israeli armored counterattacks. The scale and effectiveness of the Egyptian strategy of deploying these anti-tank weapons coupled with the Israelis' inability to disrupt their use with close air support greatly contributed to Israeli setbacks early in the war. Syrian Forces In the Golan Heights, the Syrians attacked two Israeli brigades and eleven artillery batteries. The last Syrian units were being ejected from the Golan Heights; therefore the Syrians launched a counterattack north of Quneitra. Syrians had a great advantage over Israeli troops due to the military equipment aid received by the Soviet Union. The Syrians were allies to the Egyptians who sought to get back their territory in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights. Israeli Forces Israel refused to give up Arab territory taken during the Six Day War. This caused a great coalition between Israel, Syria and Egypt. With a back up from the United States, Israel had a great advantage. The Egyptian and Syrian military forces launched an attack knowing that the military of Israel would’ve been participating in the religious celebrations associated with Yom Kippur. Therefore Israel’s guard was temporarily dropped due to the religious festivities.
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June 19, 1967
National Unity Government of Israel voted unanimously to return the Sinai to Egypt and the Golan Heights to Syria in return for peace agreements.
September 1967
Khartoum Arab Summit issued the "three no's", resolving that there would be "no peace, no recognition and no negotiation with Israel".
July 1970
Black September crisis a near civil war had broken out between the PLO and the Jordanian government. In that war, Syria had intervened militarily on the side of the PLO, estranging King Hussein of Jordan.
June 1971
Sadat, in response to an initiative by UN intermediary Gunnar Jarring, declared that if Israel committed itself to "withdrawal of its armed forces from Sinai and the Gaza Strip", to "achievement of a just settlement for the refugee problem", to "the withdrawal of the Israeli armed forces from all the territories occupied since June 5, 1967" Egypt would then "be ready to enter into a peace agreement with Israel." Israel further on responded that it would not withdraw.
July 1972
Sadat expelled almost all of the 20,000 Soviet military advisers in the country and reoriented the country's foreign policy to be more favorable to the United States. The Syrians remained close to the Soviet Union.
October 24, 1972
Sadat had a meeting with his Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and he declared his intention to go to war with Israel even without proper Soviet support.
November 1972
Egypt began a concentrated effort to build up its forces receiving military equipment from the Soviet Union. The policy of the Soviet Union was one of the causes of Egypt's military weakness.
June 1973
President Richard Nixon meets with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev which had proposed that Israel should pull back to its 1967 border. Brezhnev said that if Israel did not, "we will have difficulty keeping the military situation from flaring up" which indicated that the Soviet Union had been unable to control Sadat's plans.
October 8, 1973
Israel launches its first counterattack against Egypt, which is unsuccessful. The Soviet Union supplies additional arms to Syria and Egypt.
October 9, 1973
Against orders, Ariel Sharon launches a counterattack against Egyptian forces in the canal area. Sharon's actions lead to moves for his dismissal.
UN involvement, Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events The United Nations played a muted part in the whole war. At the moment of the war, the United Nations was in a difficult position as its Secretary-General, Kurt Waldheim, had been implicated in war crimes in the Balkans during World War Two. Such an association did little to enhance the reputation of the United Nations. On October 24th, a cease-fire was organized by the United Nations. The United Nations sent its own peacekeepers to the highly unstable regions affected by the fighting. There was a limited amount of UN involvement before the today date of this debate due to sudden airstrikes between Israel, Syria, and Egypt.
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Bibliography "Golan Heights." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 May 2013. "Sinai Peninsula." (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2013. "Suez Canal." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 May 2013. "War." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 May 2013. "Yom Kippur War." (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 14 May 2013. "Yom Kippur." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 May 2013. Murphy, Daniel P. "The Yom Kippur War." Magill’S Literary Annual 2005 (2005): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 May 2013. "Six-Day War." (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2013. "Anwar Al- Sadat." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 15 May 2013. "Moshe Dayan." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 May 2013. "Elazar, David." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 20 May 2013. "Ariel Sharon." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 May 2013. Small, Robert W. "Henry A. Kissinger." Cyclopedia Of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition (2003): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 20 May 2013 "The Yom Kippur War of 1973." The Yom Kippur War of 1973. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
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