Recently a group named Hamas, located in the Gaza Strip, and the nation of Israel engaged in prolonged exchanges of rocket attacks and air strikes.  A series of “ceasefires” did nothing to assuage the violence.  This military tit-for-tat response has its roots in the results of what historians refer to as the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War and which is the topic of a new book (by the same name) in the “Perspectives on Modern World History” series.

The 1967 Six Day pitted Israel against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.  In that short conflict Israel defeated all three and took land from each.  The land taken from Jordan, the West Bank (of the Jordan River) and East Jerusalem were inhabited by Palestinians, a Moslem ethnic group.  Israel won the war, but has been unable to win the peace, mainly because of their inability to figure out what to do with the Palestinians.  This Israeli victory on the battlefield has spawned numerous negotiations, an occasional agreement, and Palestinian anger which nurtured terrorism.

“The Arab-Israeli Six-Day War” is a collection of essays examining in detail the causes, miscalculations, and results of that short-lived conflict.  The book begins with a short chronology of events leading to war, the war, and its results.  The intent of the essays is to provide different perspectives on the major questions which still dominate the debate.  For instance, was Israel’ pre-emptive attack on it neighbors justified?  Abba Eban, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. at the time, builds a case for war.  Another essay contends that Israel, militarily, had nothing to fear.  “The Postwar Occupation Provided Many Benefits to Palestinians as Well as Israeli” is countered a short piece written by a Palestinian, “Israel’s Postwar Occupations Imposed Harsh Conditions on Palestinians.”

A couple of essays touch on the subject of how to unravel this complicated issue, but one comes to understand how national myths and bravado, domestic politics, and the international political scene make reasonable men seek solace in armed confrontations.

This volume provides an excellent introduction for someone new to the subject, relying on historical facts wrapped in competing perspectives.

(Submitted by the Washington State Civics Educator of the Year, Ed Bergh)