"Why History Matters: The 1967 Six Day War,"

is the title of an article by David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee.

Forty-four years ago … the Six-Day War broke out. While some wars fade into obscurity, this one remains as relevant today as in 1967. Many of its core issues remain unresolved … Politicians, diplomats, and journalists continue to grapple with the consequences of that war, but rarely provide context. Yet without context, some critically important things may not make sense.

First, in June 1967, there was no state of Palestine. It didn't exist and never had. Its creation, proposed by the UN in 1947, was rejected by the Arab world because it also meant the establishment of a Jewish state alongside.

Second, the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem were in Jordanian hands. Violating solemn agreements, Jordan denied Jews access to their holiest places in eastern Jerusalem. To make matters still worse, they destroyed many of those sites…

Third, the Arab world could have created a Palestinian state in the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip any day of the week. They didn't. There wasn't even discussion about it…

Fourth, the 1967 boundary [before] the war…was nothing more than an armistice line dating back to 1949 … [after] Arab armies [had] attacked Israel in 1948, trying to destroy her. They failed. Armistice lines were drawn but they weren't formal borders…

Fifth, the PLO … was established in 1964, three years before the [1967] conflict erupted … with the goal of obliterating Israel. Remember that in 1964 the only 'settlements' were Israel itself.

Sixth, in the weeks leading up to the Six-Day War, Egyptian and Syrian leaders repeatedly declared that war was coming and their objective was to wipe Israel off the map … [So] twenty-two years after the Holocaust, another enemy [was speaking] about the extermination of Jews…

Seventh, Egypt's President Nasser demanded UN peacekeeping forces in the area, in place for the previous decade to prevent conflict, be removed. Shamefully, the UN complied…

…Egypt blocked Israeli shipping in the Red Sea… regarded as an act of war by Jerusalem. The US spoke about joining with other countries to break the blockade, but did not act…

…Israel, in days leading up to the war, passed word to Jordan, via the UN and US, urging Amman to stay out of any pending conflict. Jordan's King Hussein ignored the Israeli plea and tied his fate to Egypt and Syria. His forces were defeated by Israel, and he lost control of the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

After winning, Israel hoped its newly-acquired territories… would be the basis of a land-for-peace accord. Feelers were sent out. The formal response came on Sept. 1, 1967, when the Arab Summit Conference famously declared in Khartoum: No peace, no recognition, no negotiations with Israel.

…All wars have consequences; this one was no exception. But the Arab aggressors have failed to take responsibility for actions they instigated. They want the world to believe post-1967 Israeli settlement-building is the key to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Six-Day War is proof positive that the core issue is, and always has been, whether the Arab world accepts the Jewish people's right to a state of their own.

(Why History Matters: The 1967 Six-Day War," D. Harris, JP Blogs,9 June 2011)