fourth armed conflict between Israel and neighboring Arab countries, so called because it began on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur; also called the Ramadan War after the month in the Muslim calendar.

On Oct. 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria, frustrated by Israel’s refusal to give up Arab territory taken during the SIX-DAY WAR, (q.v.) of 1967, joined to launch a surprise attack on Israeli occupation forces—Syria in the Golan Heights and Egypt in the Sinai. The Syrians, aided by troops from Jordan and Iraq, initially made some gains in the north, but by October 11 they had been turned back, and the Israelis advanced into Syria. In the south, the Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal and penetrated about 10 km (about 6.2 mi) into the Israeli-occupied Sinai before they were stalled. On October 16 the Israelis counterattacked and invaded Egypt itself. A cease-fire arranged by the UN took effect on the Syrian front on October 22 and in Egypt two days later.

Although militarily won by Israel, Egypt, by the initial performance of its army, managed to turn the war into a psychological victory. In Israel, Prime Minister Golda Meir was blamed for unpreparedness and was forced to resign the following June. The Yom Kippur War marked the beginning of the use of oil as a weapon in the Middle East struggle. From October 1973 to March 1974, the Arab countries maintained an embargo on oil exports to Western nations friendly to Israel.

For further information on this topic, see the Bibliography, section 1062. Modern Israeli history.