The Yom Kippur War:

The War That Changed the Map

Maya Mathes
Individual Website
Junior Division
Process Paper: 444 words
Website: 698 words
How I choose my topic?

I wanted to learn more about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict because I learned a little

bit about this issue during an Independent Reading session. I was interested in finding out why

these people were fighting and where the tension began. As I read more, I discovered the key

conflict of the Yom Kippur War. On October 6, 1973, Israel was bombed on their holiest day,

Yom Kippur. This attack triggered a short war with a long-term impact. The map of the Middle

East was changed and the outcome of the war led to long-term tensions.

How I conducted my research?

I did some research by starting with my school’s databases. I also went onto World

History in Context. Then, I started examining reliable news websites like ABC News Archive

and AP Archive. I also went onto Britannica which is an online encyclopedia. I visited the site:.il

Yom Kippur War which provides the Israeli perspective on the war and also gives information

about current events. One of the articles that I read was from “Israel Today.” I also read a book

called ​Inheriting the Holy Land ​and on pages 104 and 105, it talks about the background of the

War and what happened on that day.

How I selected my presentation category and created my project?

I was originally interested in making a documentary, but soon realized that the topic was

very complicated and I had limited time to collect many photos and create a documentary. I then

decided to create a website because it will allow me to include both written sources and images. I

can also organize the pages by using the colors of different flags. Each page of my website is the

color of the flag of each country that participated in the war. On each flag colored page, it will

talk about the war from that country’s perspective.

How it relates to the NHD Theme for the year?

The journey through this topic relates to this year’s theme of Conflict and Compromise

because the war was a major conflict between the Jewish and Muslim people that left a

devastating impact and redrew the map. But the compromise was the signing of the first ever

peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The treaty, known as the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, was

signed by Egyptian President, Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister, Menachem Begin.

This treaty was highly unpopular among the other Muslim countries and it ultimately led to the

assassination of Anwar el-Sadat.