Battles & Wars › Cold War
Arab–Israeli wars
1948–1973 (major interstate wars)· War· Middle East & Africa
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
A series of wars between Israel and neighboring Arab states, fought mainly in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
The conflict began over Palestine, where Jewish and Arab communities both claimed the land as British rule ended. Israel fought Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and others in 1948–49; attacked Egypt alongside Britain and France in the 1956 Suez Crisis; defeated three Arab armies in the 1967 Six-Day War; and threw back a surprise Egyptian–Syrian attack in 1973. After 1973 fighting shifted mostly to Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and armed groups rather than national armies.
Why it matters
The wars set Israel's borders and the territories it controls, created the Palestinian refugee question, drew in both superpowers, and shaped Middle East politics and oil markets to this day.
How we know
Government archives in Israel, Britain and the US, UN records and resolutions, military histories from both sides, and refugee and population records.
Still debated
Each side tells the story differently; responsibility for each war, and for the refugee crisis, remains politically contested.
Inside this (3)
Connections (4)
▸1948 Arab–Israeli War began Arab–Israeli warsWell documented
The connection
The 1948 war left key issues unresolved: no Arab state recognized Israel, borders were only armistice lines, and about 700,000 Palestinian refugees were not allowed to return. Border raids and reprisals followed, setting the stage for the 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars.
When and how
Israel and its neighbors, 1949–1956; armistices signed in 1949, starting on the island of Rhodes, with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
How we know
The 1949 armistice agreements, UN resolutions such as Resolution 194 on refugees, and records of the border clashes that followed.
Debates and open questions
Whether peace was possible after 1949, for example through secret talks with Jordan's King Abdullah, is debated.
▸Six-Day War was a decisive round of Arab–Israeli warsWell documented
The connection
Israel's quick victory transformed the conflict. Capturing Sinai, Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights shifted the dispute partly from Israel's existence toward these territories. Arab leaders at Khartoum answered with 'no peace, no recognition, no negotiation', while UN Resolution 242 proposed land for peace.
When and how
Middle East, June 1967; the Arab League summit at Khartoum, August–September 1967; UN Resolution 242, November 22, 1967.
How we know
UN resolutions and the Khartoum declaration document the shift; the territorial changes are fully recorded.
Debates and open questions
Israelis and Palestinians dispute the status of the captured land, including settlements and Jerusalem; readings of Resolution 242's wording still differ.
▸Yom Kippur War (October War) was the last major interstate round of Arab–Israeli warsWell documented
The connection
Israel won militarily, but early Arab successes restored Egypt's confidence and shook Israel's. Sadat could negotiate from strength: his 1977 Jerusalem visit, the 1978 Camp David Accords and the 1979 peace treaty returned Sinai to Egypt. Jordan made peace in 1994, and no full-scale war between Israel and Arab national armies followed.
When and how
Camp David, Maryland, September 1978, with Sadat, Israel's Menachem Begin and US President Jimmy Carter; treaty signed in Washington on March 26, 1979.
How we know
The peace treaties are documented; since 1973 conflicts have mainly involved Lebanon, Palestinian groups and militias rather than Arab national armies.
Debates and open questions
The 1982 Lebanon War included Israeli–Syrian battles, so whether 1973 was truly the last interstate round depends on definitions.
▸Arab–Israeli wars set the backdrop for Israel–Hamas warWell documented
The connection
The 1948 war, fought as Israel declared independence, made about 700,000 Palestinians refugees; many fled to Gaza, where their descendants are most of today's population. Later wars left Palestinian statehood unresolved. As Arab states stopped fighting Israel and some made peace, the conflict centered on Israel and Palestinian armed groups, among them Hamas, which does not recognize Israel.
When and how
Palestine and neighboring states, 1948–73. Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979 and Jordan in 1994; Hamas emerged in Gaza in 1987.
How we know
UN refugee records (UNRWA registers about 1.6 million refugees in Gaza), peace-treaty texts, and both Israeli and Palestinian histories trace the line.
Debates and open questions
Responsibility for the 1948 refugee exodus and the justice of each side's claims remain fiercely disputed, and shape how each side sees the current war.