To what extent do you agree that, without the use of terrorism, the Palestinians would have
gained very little international support in the years to 1990?
[25 marker]
In their fight to win back their homeland, the Palestinians believed they had to resort to
terrorism in order to gain international support. Terrorism as the unlawful use of violence and
intimidation was thus used by the Palestinians in the pursuit of political aims. Therefore, this
essay argues that without the use of terrorism, the Palestinians would have gained very little
international support in the years to 1990. The argument is three-fold and will focus on the
Six-Day War, the limitations of terrorism from the PLO and the impact of the Olympic terror
attacks.
Firstly, during the Six-Day War, Palestinians did gain a significant amount of international
support from Syria, Jordan, and Egypt without terrorism. This was mainly reflected in the
lead up to the Six-Day War. Despite Israel issuing several threats against Syria for
supporting Palestinian attacks on Israel, the Syrian Defense Minister challenged the Israeli's,
claiming that they "shall never call for, or accept peace". This is significant as the continued
support from Syria despite facing imminent threats demonstrates just how much international
support the Palestinians gained without terrorism. Similarly, in Egypt, Gamal Nasser had
moved 100,000 Egyptian troops into the Sinai Peninsula on 15 May. He had also closed the
Straits of Tiran on 22 May, denying Israeli's access to the port of Eilat. By directly attacking
Israel, it demonstrates the large extent of support that the Palestinians possessed without
terrorism.
However, without the use of terrorism, international support was very limited as countries
restricted the extent of their support which subsequently influenced the outcome of the Six-
Day War. Nasser's support for Palestine was very limited as he prioritised Egypt's national
interests over Palestinian self-determination. It was not until the Arab world put pressure on
Nasser to act that he decided to join the Six-Day War. Notably, even when he did take action,
Nasser had put Egypt's national interests first. He did this by capitalising on the conflict by
asking the UN commander to remove his troops from Egyptian soil, to prove that Egypt was
completely independent. Demonstrating just how limited international support was when it
came to nation-states protecting themselves. Similarly, after the Six-Day War, Egypt and
Syria were far more concerned about the lands they had lost to Israel than about the
gained very little international support in the years to 1990?
[25 marker]
In their fight to win back their homeland, the Palestinians believed they had to resort to
terrorism in order to gain international support. Terrorism as the unlawful use of violence and
intimidation was thus used by the Palestinians in the pursuit of political aims. Therefore, this
essay argues that without the use of terrorism, the Palestinians would have gained very little
international support in the years to 1990. The argument is three-fold and will focus on the
Six-Day War, the limitations of terrorism from the PLO and the impact of the Olympic terror
attacks.
Firstly, during the Six-Day War, Palestinians did gain a significant amount of international
support from Syria, Jordan, and Egypt without terrorism. This was mainly reflected in the
lead up to the Six-Day War. Despite Israel issuing several threats against Syria for
supporting Palestinian attacks on Israel, the Syrian Defense Minister challenged the Israeli's,
claiming that they "shall never call for, or accept peace". This is significant as the continued
support from Syria despite facing imminent threats demonstrates just how much international
support the Palestinians gained without terrorism. Similarly, in Egypt, Gamal Nasser had
moved 100,000 Egyptian troops into the Sinai Peninsula on 15 May. He had also closed the
Straits of Tiran on 22 May, denying Israeli's access to the port of Eilat. By directly attacking
Israel, it demonstrates the large extent of support that the Palestinians possessed without
terrorism.
However, without the use of terrorism, international support was very limited as countries
restricted the extent of their support which subsequently influenced the outcome of the Six-
Day War. Nasser's support for Palestine was very limited as he prioritised Egypt's national
interests over Palestinian self-determination. It was not until the Arab world put pressure on
Nasser to act that he decided to join the Six-Day War. Notably, even when he did take action,
Nasser had put Egypt's national interests first. He did this by capitalising on the conflict by
asking the UN commander to remove his troops from Egyptian soil, to prove that Egypt was
completely independent. Demonstrating just how limited international support was when it
came to nation-states protecting themselves. Similarly, after the Six-Day War, Egypt and
Syria were far more concerned about the lands they had lost to Israel than about the
