War of Attrition

(1969-70)

   In the first years after the Six-Day War (1967), Israel retained control of the Occupied Territories, and despite various efforts, no significant progress was made toward the achievement of peace. The Palestinians became more active—ini-tially gaining publicity and attention through terrorist acts against Israel, some of which were spectacular in nature. However, the most serious military threat to Israel came from Egypt, which embarked on the War of Attrition in the spring of 1969 in an effort, as President Gamal Abdul Nasser put it, "to wear down the enemy." But the war soon took on a broader scope as the Egyptians faced mounting losses and minimal successes, and Nasser sought and received assistance from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Soviets soon were involved as advisers and combatants, and Israeli aircraft flying over the Suez Canal Zone were challenged by Russian-flown Egyptian planes. The War of Attrition was ended by a ceasefire sponsored by the United States in August 1970, and talks under Ambassador Gunnar Jarring's auspices to implement the land-for-peace principle articulated in United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 were restarted, but no significant progress toward peace followed.

   See also Arab-Israeli Conflict.