Israel? The Six-Day War!
On June 5th 1967 the Israeli Air Force launched a surprise attack on Egypt, drawing the entire region into the third Arab-Israeli War. The resulting Israeli victory and control of Gaza, Sinai, Golan, and the West Bank changed and charged the region. June 5th 2007 marks 40 years from that day, shall we go back and dive into the real facts surrounding the conflict.
The Larger Conflict:
One thing that always surprises me is the lack on information about this conflict, rather a set of propaganda abounds that tries to excuse parties involved in the conflict. One almost has to go back to 1948 to even further explain the conflict, though I will explain further in a continued series about the conflict.
After the horrible events of the Holocaust and the stream of Jewish refugees to Britain’s Palestine Mandate, the UN decided in 1948 to partition Palestine into a Jewish State and Arab State. The Jews, who had come since the 1920s and purchased land legally, agreed to the UN plan. The Arabs rejected the plans and invaded the newly declared state of Israel. Israel won the war and ironically acquired more land in the process. The Palestinians however were still under Jordanian (West Bank) and Egyptian (Gaza Strip) rule. There were no attempts for independence until after the 1967 war, nor has there ever been a Palestinian State.
If your neighbors want to kill you, it does help if you strike first. Thank you for explaining that Geo-political thinking of 1967 was clearer than today’s news-mucking-up.
Jeff
Great article that really goes into depth. It shows the real thinking back in 1967!