No. 35 July 2017 The Six Day War: INSIDE Rethinking the 50 Years On Six Day War BESA Center experts consider the war, its origin, Israel’s Inelegant historic impact, and lingering consequences. Options in Judea They see the jubilee as an opportunity for and Samaria strategic retrospection and truth-telling, not Strategic Challenges hand-wringing and anguish. in the Eastern Mediterranean Prime Minister Netanyahu Marks 40 Years of Likud Rule 130 New Publications THE SIX DAY WAR: 50 YEARS ON Strategic Retrospection and Truth-Telling BESA Center associates participated in numerous public forums and international media discussions surrounding the fiftieth anniversary in June of the Six Day War. They also penned a dozen critical examinations of the war and its legacy. They see the jubilee as an opportunity for strategic retrospection and truth-telling, not hand-wringing and self-flagellation. Arab-Israeli confrontation a foregone 1967 defeat is but a dim memory – one 2 conclusion, according to Karsh. “The more historical injustice that must be war was a direct corollary of pan- redressed by any means necessary – Arabism’s delusions of grandeur, makes the prospects of Arab-Israeli triggered by the foremost champion reconciliation as remote as ever. of this ideology (President Nasser of Egypt) and directed against its foremost Dr. Gabriel Glickman, a California- nemesis. It was the second all-out based researcher, penned an essay attempt in a generation to abort the which warns that the Arabs and their Jewish national revival, and it ended in Western partisans have rewritten the an even greater ignominy than its 1948 conflict’s narrative, with the aggressors precursor.” turned into hapless victims and defenders turned into aggressors. “This Prof. Efraim Karsh While militant pan-Arabism is unlikely time,” he says, “the loser is writing the to regain its pre-1967 dominance in the history.” Prof. Efraim Karsh, Dr. Gabriel Glickman, foreseeable future due to the ravages of Prof. Efraim Inbar, Maj. Gen. (res.) the recent Arab upheavals, Karsh warns “The degree to which Western Gershon Hacohen, Dr. Max Singer, that the advent of a new generation of historiography has increasingly and Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror Palestinians and Arabs for whom the portrayed Israel’s preemptive strike have published a series of studies against Egypt as an act of aggression that rethink the Six Day War and its rather than of self-defense leaves one implications. wondering why Western scholars cannot accept that a proud and Prof. Efraim Karsh, director of the BESA independent Arab leader (Nasser) was Center and editor of the Middle East capable of making grand moves on the Quarterly, says that “it has long been global stage… It is not the job of the conventional wisdom to view the June historian to play the role of psychologist 1967 war as an accidental conflagration and attempt to substitute victimhood that neither Arabs nor Israelis desired, for malignant incompetence and yet none were able to prevent. This shortsightedness.” could not be further from the truth. It was an inevitable conflict.” Prof. Efraim Inbar, writes about the relative costs and benefits to Israel of The total Arab rejection of Jewish the war, taking a fifty-year retrospective. Dr. Gabriel Glickman statehood made another all-out Specifically, he considers the pros and cons of retaining the territories gained The Palestinian community sees in the war. He concludes his detailed peace with Israel as defeat in their examination with the assertion that 100-year struggle, Singer explains. Israel’s control of the Golan Heights and Continued Israeli occupation is one of the West Bank has many advantages that the Palestinians’ best weapons against outweigh the attendant costs of holding Israel, and they will not forgo this while onto these territories. their war to eliminate Israel continues. “While Israel can agree that the West Since the Palestinians are forcing Israel Bank’s densely populated areas where Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen to continue with a long-term retention most of the Palestinian population lives of the territories, Singer says that the could become an independent political Countering this, General Hacohen Jewish state should act to reduce entity or be annexed to Jordan as part of asserts that the Six Day War was a one- the moral and other costs of that a bilateral peace agreement, maintaining time event with unique circumstances occupation, and even more importantly, military control over the area west of the that will not recur. He details significant stop telling the world that it could Jordan River is essential for its national military-strategic changes that occurred choose to end the occupation! “The security (and for Jordanian security for in the region in the past 50 years, which occupation, like the need for military that matter). Unfortunately, there is no make a re-conquering of the West Bank strength and to absorb casualties, room for a territorial compromise on both extremely difficult and unlikely. is apparently part of the price Israel 3 the Golan Heights. Losing this territory must pay to live in the region. Maturity would entail grave security threats, and “If Israel leaves the West Bank, the area means being able to go forward with no there is nothing Syria can offer to offset will turn into Gaza, and it will take years solution in sight.” this loss". to reestablish control of Palestinian urban centers in the West Bank, not six days. The circumstances of the Six Day War are not applicable to 2017, and should not be viewed as such.” Dr. Max Singer writes that Israel’s “dilemma” regarding the disposition of the territories has been overdramatized. “Israel is not facing a dilemma about how much, if any, land to give up from the West Bank, because the Palestinians will not agree to take land and cannot be forced to do so.” Prof. Efraim Inbar Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror warns that Israel’s astounding victory has penned a 50-page study which in 1967 is often seen by proponents of considers what he calls “Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank as proof inelegant options in Judea and that the Jewish state can easily defend Samaria,” i.e., withdrawal, annexation, itself from behind the Green Line. Since and conflict management. This study is Israel won the war from this starting detailed in the following article. point, it is argued, the IDF will readily be able to do so again if necessary. Therefore, no strategic impediment exists to relinquishing military control Dr. Max Singer of these territories. THE SIX DAY WAR: 50 YEARS ON Israel’s Inelegant Options in Judea and Samaria: Withdrawal, Annexation, and Conflict Management Zeev Elkin, Yossi Beilin, and Prof. Ruth Gavison Debate General Amidror’s New Study The author rejects unilateral initiatives on Israel’s part – whether unilateral annexation of all or part of the West Bank, or unilateral withdrawals from all or parts of the territory. “When on the edge of the cliff, standing still is preferable to stepping forward.” Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror To mark the jubilee of the Six Day War, right or wrong, but of electing to assume In June, the center held a symposium 4 the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic one set of risks over the other.” to discuss General Amidror’s study, Studies published a major study by Maj. with commentators from a range of Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror that takes “The truth is that no good solutions perspectives, including the Minister a fresh look at Israel’s options in Judea exist. It is therefore critical that a of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of and Samaria and seeks to chart a path significant majority of Israelis – as large Environmental Protection Zeev Elkin MK forward that will secure its national a consensus as possible – unite behind (Likud), former deputy foreign minister security while leaving the door open to whatever approach is opted for by Israel’s Dr. Yossi Beilin, (Labor), and human rights peace. leadership, to prevent a schism in the and law professor Ruth Gavison. The country.” discussion was moderated by Ari Shavit, Amidror, who was national security former Haaretz columnist. advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu The 50-page study by General Amidror, and director of the Intelligence Analysis entitled “Israel’s Inelegant Options Minister Elkin argued that the Division in Military Intelligence, is today in Judea and Samaria: Withdrawal, demographic challenges highlighted the Anne and Greg Rosshandler Senior Annexation, and Conflict Management” by General Amidror have led to a Fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for is available online in English, Hebrew and change in right-wing policy. “Even Strategic Studies. Arabic at www.besacenter.org Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett isn’t advocating for the extension of full Israeli He examines the two basic approaches sovereignty over the entire Judea and to resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian Samaria territory,” he noted. “But the conflict: Establishment of a Palestinian Israeli demand for rights in the historic state alongside Israel, and application of Land of Israel means that there isn’t room Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank for full-fledged Palestinian rights in this and the creation of a bi-national state (in area. We are in a conflict of rights, and I practice). Amidror finds both approaches want to win.” to be flawed, posing significant challenges to Israel's future. Dr. Beilin spoke wistfully about the aborted London agreement between “Alas, the political Right has no sound Shimon Peres and King Hussein of response to the demographic argument Jordan, which was scuttled by Prime against annexation, while the Left has Minister Yitzhak Shamir.