Fresh start from commit 85df488cc66fa4934e54d62f1eaeffd274743b7a

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/Arab-Israeli War (1948-1949).md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Middle East
+---
+The Arab-Israeli War (1948-1949) refers to the conflict that began after the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the declaration of the State of [[Israel]] in May 1948. This war resulted in [[Israel]]'s victory and the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]]. The [[United Nations]] approved Resolution 194 after the war, directing that the refugees had to be given the option of returning to [[Israel]] if they wished to do so.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 8.

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/Korean War.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Cold War
+---
+The Korean War was a conflict that began in 1950, involving North Korea (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (supported by the United Nations, primarily the United States). During this period, the [[United States]] was preoccupied with the war, as well as economic and social conditions in Europe, and the political battle with the [[Soviet Union]].[^1]
+
+[[Israel]] publicly supported the American position in the Korean War. [[David Ben-Gurion]] even secretly offered to send Israeli troops to fight alongside the [[United Nations]] forces in South Korea, but President [[Harry S. Truman]] declined the offer, reportedly fearing it would lead to a security arrangement with [[Israel]]. Israel's stance on the Korean War, however, angered [[Moscow]] and led to a rupture in diplomatic relations between the two nations.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2.

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/Six-Day War.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Middle East
+---
+The Six-Day War was a conflict fought between [[Israel]] and a coalition of Arab states (primarily [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], and [[Jordan]]) from June 5 to June 10, 1967. [[Israel]] launched a preemptive strike against the increasing Arab buildup in the [[Sinai]] and achieved a stunning victory, humiliating the Soviet-supplied Arabs and seizing [[Egypt]]'s [[Sinai Peninsula]], the [[Gaza Strip]], [[Jordan]]'s [[West Bank]], and [[Syria]]'s [[Golan Heights]]. The war also resulted in the Old City of [[Jerusalem]] coming under Jewish control.[^1]
+
+Following the war, [[Charles de Gaulle]] responded by accusing [[Israel]] of being the aggressor and canceling all of [[France]]'s arms sales to [[Israel]], abrogating twelve years of close French support. He also delayed the pending shipment of fifty previously purchased Mirage III jet fighters.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 12, 13.

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/Suez Crisis.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Middle East
+---
+The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War or the Sinai War, was an invasion of [[Egypt]] in late 1956 by [[Israel]], followed by [[France]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. The invasion aimed to regain Western control of the [[Suez Canal]] and remove Egyptian President [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] from power, who had nationalized the canal in July 1956.[^1]
+
+[[Israel]]'s immediate tactical goal in the war was to destroy the Egyptian Army and its ability to support and train the growing Palestinian fedayeen movement. The strategic goal was to destroy Nasser's ability to achieve Arab unity. The battle plan involved [[Israel]] initiating the attack, followed by demands from [[France]] and [[Britain]] for a halt to hostilities and withdrawal from the [[Suez Canal]], creating a buffer zone. When [[Egypt]] refused, [[France]] and [[England]] would launch assaults to occupy the canal.[^1]
+
+The battle plan went better than scheduled for [[Israel]], which stormed through the Egyptian Army and captured all of the [[Sinai]] by November 4. However, the intervention of the [[Soviet Union]], which issued a nuclear ultimatum to [[David Ben-Gurion]], [[Guy Mollet]], and [[Anthony Eden]], forced [[Britain]] and [[France]] to cease firing. [[Israel]], deserted by its two allies, was forced to agree to a cease-fire and the eventual deployment of a [[United Nations]] peacekeeping force in the [[Sinai]].[^1]
+
+The Israelis were disappointed by the French and enraged by [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]], who, they believed, had betrayed them. For [[David Ben-Gurion]], the lesson was clear: the Jewish community in [[America]] was unable to save [[Israel]]. This event solidified the conviction among some Israelis that they could not rely on external powers for their security, reinforcing the drive for an independent nuclear deterrent.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 3.

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/Suez War.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Middle East
+---
+The Suez War refers to the 1956 conflict involving [[Israel]], [[France]], and the [[United Kingdom]] against [[Egypt]]. The battle plan called for [[Israel]] to initiate the attack on October 29, sending paratroopers into the [[Sinai]] and destroying [[Egypt]]'s ability to operate from [[Gaza]]. [[France]] and [[Britain]] would then demand that both sides halt hostilities and withdraw ten miles from the [[Suez Canal]], creating a buffer zone. When the Egyptians refused, [[France]] and [[England]] would launch bombing and airborne assaults on November 6 to neutralize and occupy the canal.[^1]
+
+The battle plan went much better than scheduled for [[Israel]], which stormed through the Egyptian Army and had captured all of the [[Sinai]] by November 4. However, the intervention of the [[Soviet Union]], which issued what was perceived in [[Israel]] to be a nuclear ultimatum to [[David Ben-Gurion]], [[Guy Mollet]], and [[Anthony Eden]], forced [[Britain]] and [[France]] to cease firing. [[Israel]], deserted by its two allies, was forced a few days later to agree to a cease-fire and the eventual deployment of the [[United Nations]]' peacekeeping force in the [[Sinai]].[^1]
+
+The Israelis were disappointed by the French and enraged by [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]], who, so Ben-Gurion had believed, would never turn away from supporting [[Israel]] in the weeks before the presidential elections. For [[David Ben-Gurion]], the lesson was clear: the Jewish community in [[America]] was unable to save [[Israel]]. This event solidified the conviction among some Israelis that they could not rely on external powers for their security, reinforcing the drive for an independent nuclear deterrent.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 3.

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/War of Independence.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Israel
+---
+The War of Independence, also known as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, was fought in 1948 following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine. [[Israel]]'s successful outcome in this war led to the establishment of the State of [[Israel]]. After this conflict, [[Ernst David Bergmann]] became widely known in the international scientific community as a brilliant organic chemist and director of the chemistry division at the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]].[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2.

40 - EVENTS/MAJOR_CONFLICTS/Yom Kippur War.md

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+---
+tags:
+  - Event
+  - Conflict
+  - Middle East
+---
+The Yom Kippur War, also known as the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, began on Saturday, October 6, 1973, when [[Egypt]] attacked across the [[Sinai]] and [[Syria]] invaded the [[Golan Heights]]. The initial days of the war were a stunning rout for [[Israel]], with significant losses in tanks and aircraft. Egyptian forces breached the Bar-Lev defense line in the [[Sinai]], and Syrian forces advanced to the edge of [[Galilee]].[^1]
+
+In response to the desperate situation, [[Israel]] called its first nuclear alert and began arming its nuclear arsenal. This alert was used to pressure [[Washington D.C.]] into a major policy change, specifically demanding an emergency airlift of replacement arms and ammunition. The Israeli leadership, including [[Golda Meir]] and [[Moshe Dayan]], resolved to implement three critical decisions: rally collapsing forces for a counterattack, arm and target its nuclear arsenal for the [[Samson Option]] in case of total collapse, and inform [[Washington D.C.]] of its nuclear action to demand resupply.[^1]
+
+The initial target list for the nuclear weapons included Egyptian and Syrian military headquarters near [[Cairo]] and [[Damascus]]. While no weapons were targeted on the [[Soviet Union]], it was understood that the Soviets would quickly learn of the nuclear arming. The arming of nuclear weapons also served the purpose of forcing the [[United States]] to begin a massive resupply of the Israeli military, as the Israeli cabinet was enraged by what they perceived as an American strategy of delaying resupply to facilitate land-for-peace bargaining.[^1]
+
+### Footnotes
+
+[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 17.