This resource documents the tank manoeuvres performed by the IDF during the Six Day War. The area dominated by the thick black lines is today known as the Golan Heights. To the east of this area is Syria, to the north Lebanon, and to the south Jordan. The pear shape in the bottom left-hand corner is the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The area to the left of the dotted line, going from top to bottom, is the State of Israel before the Six Day War. The black lines with arrows document the direction taken by the tanks to push back the Syrian army and the point at which the Israeli tanks stopped advancing.
Would You Like to Know More?
The Golan Heights - The Golan Heights is an area in the north-east of Israel. Two thirds of this land is controlled by Israel and a third is controlled by Syria. The area is high up above the Kinneret and therefore looks down on the surrounding area including many settlements and the town of Tiberias.
In biblical times, the area was assigned to the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:29-31). From Originally under Syrian control, the Syrian army had been firing rockets onto the Israeli settlements below since the establishment of the State in 1948. After the Six Day War broke out in June 1967, Syrian shelling greatly intensified, and the Israeli army captured the Golan Heights on June 9-10. During the war, the majority of the Syrian inhabitants of the Golan Heights fled or were driven away; a few thousand remained in the Israeli-occupied territory.
On December 14, 1981, the Knesset voted to annex the Golan Heights, which involved extending Israeli civilian law and administration to the residents of the Golan, replacing the military authority that had ruled since 1967.
Today, there are approximately 20,000 Jewish residents in the Golan Heights, living in a range of kibbutzim, moshavim, communal settlements and the town of Katzrin. The economy of the Golan Heights is based on both agriculture and industry, including tourism. There are also approximately 20,000 Druze inhabitants living in four villages. While most of them still consider themselves Syrian, they have permanent resident status in Israel and enjoy the benefits of Israeli welfare and social security programs.
Six Day War - Since May 1967 there had been tension along the borders of Israel. Egypt moved troops into Sinai and unilaterally closed the Straits of Tiran, which blocked off Israel’s supply route with Asia. Likewise, Syria deployed troops in the Golan Heights. After months of threats and aggression, the Israeli cabinet approved a pre-emptive attack on Egypt. On June 5, 1967, Israel’s air force bombed Egyptian airfields and destroyed their entire fleet of airplanes while still on the ground. The Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi air forces were also attacked, and over the next few days battles took place on the Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian fronts. On June 6 fighting began in the divided city of Jerusalem at Ammunition Hill. The Old City of Jerusalem was liberated the following day, June 7, by forces led by Colonel Motta Gur who radioed the message: “The Temple Mount is in our hands and our forces are by the [Western] Wall.” At the Western Wall, the IDF chaplain, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, blew a shofar to celebrate the event, which was broadcast live on Kol Yisrael, the Israeli radio station. The fighting was over after six days. Despite the many casualties, there was also a sense of euphoria. Jerusalem was reunified, and Israel had captured the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip. While much has changed in the area in the ensuing years, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Golan Heights (Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005) remains a matter of controversy both in Israel and around the world.
