Sample Pages The June 1967 War How It Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History Israeli Army Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren blowing the shofar at the Kotel after Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem on June 7, 1967 (Source: Government Press Office of Israel, David Rubinger The June 1967 War How It Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History Leader’s Guide Table of Contents Part One: Background & Overview page 1 Historical Background to Israel, the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli Conflict to 1949 page 1 Geographic Understanding of the Middle East page 4 Previous Arab-Israeli Wars/Conflicts page 8 Lead Up to the June 1967 War page 18 Part Two: The June 1967 War page 36 National Sovereignty page 36 Doctrine of Pre-Emption page 37 Chronology of the June War page 40 Part Three: Impact of the June 1967 War for Israel, Jewish History, and the Middle East page 43 Overview of the Transformative Outcomes of the June 1967 War page 43 UN Resolution 242 and “Land for Peace” page 44 The Territories Captured in the June 1967 War page 52 Impact of the June War on American Jewry page 73 Concluding Activity and Thoughts page 78 Appendix page 83 Timeline of Zionism to 2017 page 83 Brief Biographies of Individuals Associated with the June 1967 War page 92 Bibliography page 101 Table of Contents page numbers correspond to Leader’s Guide and not this handout www.israeled.org ©Center for Israel Education, 2017. All Rights Reserved. 2 The June 1967 War: How It Changed Jewish, Israeli and Middle Eastern History! Sample Pages Preface and Acknowledgements The Center for Israel Education is delighted to provide you with this learning unit, “The June 1967 War: How It Changed Jewish, Israeli and Middle Eastern History.” Since our inception in 2008, the work of CIE has focused on content, context and perspective, hence all the materials provided contain foreshadowing and analyses, without prejudice to a particular political identity or outlook. In both the Leader’s Guide and Participant Booklet, one will fine a deep historic background to the June 1967 War and an amplification of its aftermath. One should be able to judge why the June 1967 war was a transformative moment in Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern history. Both the Leader’s Guide and Participant Booklet contain maps, a chronology of entwined events before, during and after the war, a timeline of Zionism from the 1880s to 2017, and an extensive bibliography with on-line references to books, articles, and most importantly excellent videos. Significant portions include active links to the CIE website and other useful and reputable websites where more information about the June 1967 War and Israel more broadly are provided. The Leader’s Guide is designed to channel discussion and provides suggested answers to posed questions where appropriate. It rests with the leader to decide where to begin chronologically. That will vary from audience to audience, depend in great measure upon the age of the participants, and the leader’s comfort level with the material. Each leader will have to decide how much context to provide and what material participants may wish to read or view on their own. Suggested activities for engaging participants with the material are found throughout the Leader’s Guide. The material is designed to be flexible and the leader can choose to begin the learning sessions either with the context provided at the beginning or delve right into the details of the June 1967 War itself. Wherever you choose to being, we highly recommend that everyone read the Timeline of Zionism from the 1880s to the present, which can be found in the Appendix on page 83. Appreciation and Thanks Impetus for the preparation of “The June 1967 War: How It Changed Jewish, Israeli and Middle Eastern History,” emerged from a December 2015 discussion at ARZA’s New York offices and in subsequent discussions with Rabbi Joshua Weinberg about teenage and adult education. By the end of the summer 2016, CIE had agreed to provide Israel enrichment sessions in person and over the internet for students who had recently returned from the Eisendrath International Exchange NFTY High School in Israel. Nine months later, after working with these dedicated students and in additional discussions with Rabbis Judith Schindler, Joshua Weinberg, and Neal Gold, we finalized our objectives and time frame. The unit could not have seen the light of day without the central participation of my colleagues Roni Eshel, Rabbi Ellen Nemhauser, an our devoted student interns. Three colleagues at CIE worked from the very beginning with diligence, acuity, and passion to package the story and add to its value: Rich Walter’s creativity, Eli Sperling’s research skills, and Heather Waters sharp eye contributed to this final CIE product. Four decades of teaching the causes and results of the June 1967 War in Emory College provided me with invaluable awareness of the vast array of materials produced on this subject. Winnowing a great deal of it into shorter passages or not including some data points at all because of space was inevitable. Contracting the voices and sources of this major event and its unfinished aftermath into these pages is similar to putting tooth-paste back into the tube. All responsibility for the choices of content, how it was explained, are solely my own. Ken Stein, Center for Israel Education Atlanta, Georgia March 2017 www.israeled.org ©Center for Israel Education, 2017. All Rights Reserved. The June 1967 War: How It Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History! Sample Pages 3. Thumbnails of Five Maps Related to Jewish Presence and Sovereignty in the Land of Israel Map 1: Tribal Map 2: Israel at the time David’s of the Judges, Kingdom 1200c - 1000 1000-970 BCE BCE Map 3: The Map 5: Registered Hasmonean Land in Jewish Kingdom Map 4: Possession, 1944 167-142 BCE Palestine in the Sixteenth Century Continued on next page www.israeled.org ©Center for Israel Education, 2017. All Rights Reserved. 5 The June 1967 War: How It Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History! Sample Pages Previous Arab-Israeli Wars/Conflicts Activity Two (continued from previous page) A. Background for the Leader (continued from previous page): 2. After the passage of Resolution 181 by the United Nations on November 29, 1947, violence flared up between Arabs and Jews in Palestine as well as against Jews in various cities within Arab countries. Arab leaders in neighboring states, notably Syria and Iraq, ramped up rhetoric calling for action to prevent the UN resolution from being carried out, implemented Arab military recruitment and conscription measures and raised funds for impending action against a future Jewish state. 3. On December 8, 1947, members of the Arab League met in Cairo and devised a plan to establish an Arab volunteer army to fight against Jews in Palestine. Many of the Arab leaders were wary of Transjordan King Abdullah’s desire to annex Palestine. The Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al Husayni, the political leader of the Arabs in Palestine, sought to appoint the leader of this force, but the Arab leaders were as wary of him as they were of Abdullah. As a result, Fauzi al-Qawuqji, a former leader in the 1936-1939 Arab Rebellion was appointed to head what would be called the Arab Liberation army (ALA). The tension over who would control a future Palestine, especially between the Mufti and Abdullah as well as the Hajj Amin al-Husayni, circa 1929 other Arab states was symptomatic of the fragmented and Source: G. Eric and Edith dysfunctional nature of Arab opposition to the Zionist movement. Matson Photograph The ALA entered Palestine in January 1948 made up of irregular Collection at the Library of Congress, Public Domain soldiers from several Arab countries. The ALA targeted Haganah forces and focused on controlling access to Jewish villages in order to isolate them from larger Jewish population centers. Despite initial setbacks, including a siege of Jerusalem, the Haganah, with newly acquired arms from Czechoslovakia and support from the Irgun and Lehi, began to have success against the ALA in early April 1948. 4. Even as he was declaring Israel’s independence on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion was aware of the impending attack that the new country faced. “In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to return to the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the State, with full and equal citizenship and the representation in all its bodies and institutions, provisional or permanent. We offer peace and amity to all the neighboring states and their David Ben-Gurion recognizes the peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish gravity of the moment just before nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to declaring Israel’s independence in May 1948 contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Source: Government Press Office Middle East.” (Israel’s Declaration of Independence) Of Israel, Frank Shershel Continued on next page www.israeled.org ©Center for Israel Education, 2017. All Rights Reserved. 10 The June 1967 War: How It Changed Jewish, Israeli, and Middle Eastern History! Sample Pages Lead Up to the June 1967 War Learning Objectives: Participants will learn about the immediate path to the June 1967 War, how diplomacy failed, and why Israel struck preemptively. Note to Leader: We are providing multiple ways for you to present this material to the participants, including an interactive activity, primary source readings and a detailed timeline.