Israel declares a state of war after multiple attacks from Gaza

Fifty years ago, many of us learned what the Jewish celebration of Yom Kippur was all about. It is a day of atonement that the Hebrews dedicate to abstinence and prayer. They did this on Saturday, October 6, 1973, when the armies of Egypt and Syria simultaneously attacked the positions of the Israeli army. The Syrians have made significant progress on the northern border, pushing their opponents out of part of the Golan Heights. The Egyptians achieved a shocking success when they crossed the Suez Canal with war tanks, destroyed sand fortifications with water jets and managed to control parts of the Sinai Peninsula. The Jewish government, recovering from an attack it had not foreseen, despite being warned by its own and foreign intelligence sources, launched a counterattack a few hours later, in which it showed great flexibility in responding to the new Arab strategies. Although much of the initial victory was due to renewed Soviet equipment, in general it proved that they still lagged behind the Western technology of their opponents, which prevailed especially in the decisive air factor.

Golda Meir, the “Iron Lady of the Middle East” whose legacy in Israel was destroyed by the Yom Kippur War

The Cold War, which was another world war, was at its peak with several hot spots around the planet. Vietnam was still burning, a fire in the Middle East could set the whole Earth on fire. The United States and the Soviet Union were deeply involved in the conflict launched on that Yom Kippur, their fleets in the Mediterranean ready for action. Who won the war in 1973? The Arabs did not suffer a catastrophe like that of 1948, 1956 and 1966, but the initial Syrian advance was wiped out and the Egyptians in the Sinai ended up trapped in helpless pockets while the Israelis occupied Egyptian territory in Africa. They managed to overcome a force ten times their size, and on October 25, when a ceasefire was reached, they were in a strong position. What we have to ask is whether they won peace.

Israel bombards Hamas facilities, following an attack by Palestinian militias from Gaza

Those who say that Ecuador should take care of its own, and ignore international affairs, remind us that that distant war had strong repercussions in our country. In the years after World War II, we were friends of the State of Israel. But by 1973, Ecuador’s revolutionary nationalist government had manifested Third World vagaries that alienated it from its allies. Entry into the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, in November of the following year was not well received, since the US and its allies considered the cartel to be an “Arab club”. This misstep led to sanctions from Washington which, however, had little effect. As a result of the war, Arab countries imposed an oil embargo against Israel and its backers, the United States and the Netherlands. This skyrocketed to unprecedented hydrocarbon prices, so that Ecuador, which had recently become an exporter, ended up profiting from the relaunch of a conflict that was no longer distant in an increasingly interconnected world. And, as will be seen, then we had to urgently restore relations with the Jewish state. (OR)