SIX DAY WAR

Six Day War Revisionist History

Yid with a Lid compares Time Magazine’s account of the Six Day War dated June 16/67 with Time’s current retrospective. [You should too.]

Reading reports about the war from 40 Years ago and today reminds me of one of those Star Trek episodes where Kirk an the boys go back in history and change the past—it seems like two different wars.

Forty years ago the reports spoke of the underdog Israel and her need to defend herself against the warlike acts of the big bullies lead by Egypt who was committing many acts that could be interpreted as acts of war including: conspiring with other belligerent countries (in this case, Syria and Jordan) for a coordinated attack, closing Israel’s access to international waterways (the straits of Tiran),volating the terms of the 1956 armistice by re-militarizing the Sinai. Expelling the UN and USA peace-keeping troops form the Sinai, perpetrating illegal spy-plane fly-overs to reconnoiter Israeli sensitive areas. Massing troops and tanks on Israel’s borders.

Just like today–The United States tried to prevent the war through negotiations, but the other side did not want peace, The US could not persuade Nasser or the other Arab states to cease their belligerent statements and actions. Still, right before the war, President Johnson warned: “Israel will not be alone unless it decides to go alone.” Then, when the war began, the State Department announced: “Our position is neutral in thought, word and deed.”

While the Arabs were falsely accusing the United States of airlifting supplies to Israel, Johnson imposed an arms embargo on the region (France, Israel’s other main arms supplier, also embargoed arms to Israel). By contrast, the Soviets were supplying massive amounts of arms to the Arabs. Simultaneously, the armies of Kuwait, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were contributing troops and arms to the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian fronts.

Today, the retrospective tell a different story, the tale of the cynical Zionist nation that saw an opportunity to deal a blow to the Arab nation, expand her territory, and rule over the Palestinian people. All of these articles that I have been reading say that looking back on it, Maybe the Six Day War was not the best thing for Israel, “since it lead her to become the evil rogue nation she is today”

But there is one indisputable fact that todays revisionist history keeps forgetting, if Israel didn’t fight and win the Six Day War—there would be no Israel today. Just as if Israel doesn’t protect herself from the likes of Hamas, Hezbollah and Fatah today–there will be no Israel in 40 years.

Remembering The Six-Day War by David Meir-Levi, FrontPageMagazine.com | June 5, 2007 gives an account of the build up to the Six Day War but even more importantly the immediate after math where Israel offered to give everything except Jerusalem back in exchange for peace. Rather than respond to Israel’s invitation, the Arab states met in Khartoum, Sudan, for a conference in August, 1967. They unanimously decided in favor of the now famous three Khartoum Israel could suffer only one defeat. Better that Israel hold on to the territories taken in the war. Better that the refugees continue languishing in their squalor and misery. Better that the Arab states re-arm for round 4…than to recognize Israel’s right to exist or negotiate toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict. “NO’s”: No recognition, No negotiation, No peace. This was only round 3