nov 13, 1966 - Samu Incident

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This was an Israeli retaliation for a landmine attack on the Jordanian border on 11th November in which 3 policemen on patrol were killed. Fatah was suspected.

The Jordanian king, Hussein, was keen to avoid any reprisals on Jordan for Fatah's activities. He wrote a letter of condolence to the Israeli PM, Eshkol. Unfortunately, the letter arrived too late.

Israel sent 600 soldiers along with many vehicles and tanks to Samu, a village in the Jordanian-occupied West Bank. 100 Jordanian troops fought to defend it. Samu was destroyed, 15 Jordanians and 3 villagers were killed (along with 1 Israeli) and a Jordanian jet was shot down.

The UN condemned the raid, and the USA were angry with Israel because Jordan was relatively peaceful. Critics said that Eshkol should have targeted Syria instead because it was a supporter of Fatah.

King Hussein:
- faced protest in Jordan
- faced riots in the West Bank
- was forced to call for revenge in public
- secretly tried to stop Fatah in the West Bank
- became unwilling to take military action
- was seen as a weak leader
- accused Nasser of cowardice to turn the spotlight away from himself

The Samu Incident increased the tension in the Middle East, and is seen as a contributory factor to the Six Day War.

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