The 1967 Arab-Israeli War: Origins and Consequences (Cambridge Middle East Studies, Series Number 36)

The June 1967 war was a watershed in the history of the modern Middle East. In six days, the Israelis defeated the Arab armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan and seized large portions of territory including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. With the hindsight of four decades and access to recently declassified documents, two veteran scholars of the Middle East bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields to reassess the origins of the war and its regional reverberations. Each chapter takes a different perspective from the vantage point of a different participant, those that actually took part in the war, and also the world powers - the United States, Soviet Union, Britain, and France - that played important roles behind the scenes. Their conclusions make for sober reading. At the heart of the story was the incompetence of the Egyptian high command under the leadership of Nasser and the rivalry between various Arab players who were deeply suspicious of each other’s motives. Israel, on the other side, gained a resounding victory for which, despite previous assessments to the contrary, there was no master plan. The 1967 Arab-Israeli War: Origins and Consequences 2 Cambridge Middle East Studies: Editorial Board 4 Title 6 Contents 8 Notes on Contributors 10 Chronology of the June 1967 War 14 Acknowledgements 18 Introduction 20 1: Israel: Poor Little Samson 41 The Two Faces of Israel 43 The Egyptian Challenge 45 “The Waiting Period” 48 The Generals’ “Revolt” 53 The Amber Light 56 Decision Point 59 War Aims 60 The Jordanian Front 62 The Syrian Front 67 Dayan's Confession 70 Conclusion 72 2: Egypt: Dangerous Illusions 75 Step 1: The Mobilization in Sinai 77 Step 2: Expelling the United Nations Emergency Force 79 Step 3: Closing the Straits of Tiran 82 Step 4: Escalation with No First Strike 85 The War 93 The Consequences 95 3: Syria: Playing With Fire 98 The Ba'th Directive 99 The Coming of War 105 Syria and the War 110 The Aftermath 113 4: Jordan: Walking the Tight Rope 118 The Samu' Raid 119 The Arab Cold War 123 The Jordanian-Egyptian Pact 126 On the Brink 130 The Outbreak of Hostilities 134 The Second Day 136 Dialogue across the Battle Lines 138 Consequences 142 5: The Palestinian National Movement 145 Palestinian Nationalism and Arab Politics 146 The Road to War 153 The Impact of the War 156 The Arab States and the Palestinian Revolution 164 6: The Yemen War and Egypt's War Preparedness 168 Egypt and the Yemeni Revolution 170 The Yemen War and Inter-Arab Politics 175 Britain and the Yemen War 178 Conclusion 182 7: The United States and the 1967 War 184 The Johnson Administration and Arab-Israeli Tensions: 1964–May 1967 186 Crisis and War 189 War and the Idea of a Full Peace Agreement 198 United Nations Resolution 242: Its Background and Context 204 1967 and the Special Relationship 207 8: The Soviet Union: The Roots of War and a Reassessment of Historiography 212 Prelude to the May–June Crisis 218 The Evolution of the Crisis 221 9: Britain: The Ghost of Suez and Resolution 242 238 The June 1967 War and the Postmortems 248 Resolution 242 and the Balfour Declaration 253 10: France and the June 1967 War 266 May 1967: The Warnings 268 Avoiding the Worst in June 1967 273 The French-Israeli Divorce during the Fall of 1967 278 11: The 1967 War and the Demise of Arab Nationalism: Chronicle of a Death Foretold 283 The Myth of Demise 283 Egypt 286 Syria 294 The Palestinian National Movement 299 12: The Transformation of Arab Politics: Disentangling Myth from Reality 304 The Morning After: A Torrent of Self-Criticism and Soul Searching 309 The Transformation 317 Sadats Coup against Pan-Arabism 322 The October 1973 War and the Petro-Dollar Revolution 327 Conclusion 330 Index 334 The June 1967 War Was A Watershed In The History Of The Modern Middle East. In Six Days, The Israelis Defeated The Arab Armies Of Egypt, Syria, And Jordan And Seized Large Portions Of Territory Including The West Bank, East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, The Sinai Peninsula, And The Golan Heights. With The Hindsight Of Four Decades And Access To Recently Declassified Documents, Two Veteran Scholars Of The Middle East Bring Together Some Of The Most Knowledgeable Experts In Their Fields To Reassess The Origins Of The War And Its Regional Reverberations. Each Chapter Takes A Different Perspective From The Vantage Point Of A Different Participant, Those That Actually Took Part In The War, And Also The World Powers, The United States, Soviet Union, Britain, And France, That Played Important Roles Behind The Scenes. Their Conclusions Make For Sober Reading. At The Heart Of The Story Was The Incompetence Of The Egyptian High Command Under The Leadership Of Nasser And The Rivalry Between Various Arab Players Who Were Deeply Suspicious Of Each Other, Motives. Israel, On The Other Side, Gained A Resounding Victory For Which, Despite Previous Assessments To The Contrary, There Was No Master Plan-- 1. Israel: Poor Little Samson / Avi Shlaim -- 2. Egypt: Dangerous Illusions / Laura M. James -- 3. Syria: Playing With Fire / Davish W. Lesch -- 4. Jordan: Walking The Tight Rope / Avi Shlaim -- 5. The Palestinian National Movement / Wendy Perlman -- 6. The Yemen War And Egypt's War Preparedness / Eugene Rogan And Tewfik Aclimandos -- 7. The United States And The 1967 War / Charles D. Smith -- 8. The Soviet Union: The Roots Of War And A Reassessment Of Historiography / Rami Ginat -- 9. Britain: The Ghost Of Suez And Resolution 242 / Wm. Roger Louis -- 10. France And The June 1967 War / Jean-pierre Filiu -- 11. The 1967 War And The Demise Of Arab Nationalism: Chronicle Of A Death Foretold / Rashid Khalidi -- 12. The Transformation Of Arab Politics: Disentangling Myth From Reality / Fawaz A. Gerges. Edited By Wm. Roger Louis And Avi Shlaim. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The June 1967 war was a watershed in the history of the modern Middle East. In six days, the Israelis defeated the Arab armies of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan and seized large portions of territory including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. With the hindsight of four decades and access to recently declassified documents, two veteran scholars of the Middle East bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields to reassess the origins of the war and its regional reverberations. Each chapter takes a different perspective from the vantage point of a different participant, those that actually took part in the war, and also the world powers, the United States, Soviet Union, Britain, and France, that played important roles behind the scenes. Their conclusions make for sober reading. At the heart of the story was the incompetence of the Egyptian high command under the leadership of Nasser and the rivalry between various Arab players who were deeply suspicious of each other, motives. Israel, on the other side, gained a resounding victory for which, despite previous assessments to the contrary, there was no master plan"-- Provided by publisher The June 1967 war was a watershed in the history of the modern Middle East. In six days, the Israelis defeated the Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian armies, seizing large portions of their territories. Two veteran scholars of the Middle East bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in their fields to reassess the origins and the legacies of the war. Each chapter takes a different perspective from the vantage point of a different participant, those that actually took part in the war and also the world powers that played important roles behind the scenes. Their conclusions make for sober reading. At the heart of the story was the incompetence of the Egyptian leadership and the rivalry between various Arab players who were deeply suspicious of each other's motives. Israel, on the other side, gained a resounding victory for which, despite previous assessments to the contrary, there was no master plan.