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The War of Attrition ended after Nasser died of a heart attack on the 28th; he was only 52. Sadat, his successor, agreed to end the war, which had seen Soviet involvement in the form of "military advisors".

There were several attempts to kill Jordan's king Hussein I on the 1st. The Dawson's Field hijakings took place on the 6th; the 3 planes were blown up by the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) in front of TV cameras on the 12th, after their hostages were removed. Irbid, Jordan 2nd largest city, was declared a "liberated region" by the Palestinians that day. Nixon had wanted to bomb Palestinian positions in Jordan as a response, but the idea was dropped after secretary of defense Melvin Laird claimed the weather was unfavorable; however, ships and aircraft were placed in position for a possible strike.

Hussein declared martial law on the 16th. Fighting betwwen Jordanians and Palestinians began the next day. The pro-Syrian PLA (Palestine Liberation Army) sent a division into Jordan on the 18th. Hussein asked the Americans for help, and they in turn asked the Israelis. The PLA withdrew on the 24th, after Israeli overflights over their forces and heavy losses against the Jordanians. Nixon sent even more ships to the eastern Mediterranean. A cease-fire was agreed to on the 27th. Hussein and Arafat were in Cairo on the 27th at an Arab leaders' meeting and signed an agreement. Palestinian organizations had to leave the cities, but they were allowed to operate in Jordan; prisoners were to be released by both sides. Fighting continued, and the Palestinian organizations were eventually expelled from Jordan.

Let's say that Nasser doesn't have that heart attack and the Palestinians are a bit more successful. Could we have a war between the US, Israel and Jordan on one side and the Soviet Union, Egypt, the Palestinians, and Syria on the other, with the superpowers avoiding direct confrontation between their forces? Did Israel have nuclear weapons yet? How would this affect the Vietnam War? What side would Iraq join?
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