Introduction: [the sixth war: Israel's invasion of Lebanon]

Electronic Journal for …, 2006

The MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies, 2006

As a military clash which it is still unclear if anyone truly wanted, the Six-Day War remains one of the most curious wars in modern history. Israel certainly did not prefer the military option. Neither did Egypt, Syria, or the Soviet Union. Although it was clear for all these parties from the outset that nothing good could come from a military clash, they backed Israel into a corner from which it was unable to extricate itself without going to war. This article explores the factors that caused the war at the time and in the manner it did.

THE SIXTH WAR ISRAEL'S INVASION OF …

This article focuses on the Israel-Palestine conflict from the Six Day War perspective. The authors try to make a clarification of the Six Day War impact on Israel and its role in the regional and international scenes on the one hand, and the war's effect on the Arab states, including the Palestinian resistance against Israel, on the other hand. The war changed Israel's status from being a small state to becoming one of the most powerful regional powers. While the image of most Arab states was damaged and they lost their confidence among their peoples. The Six Day War changed the balance of power in the Middle East and intensified the Cold War following the end of the war. A climate of war was created and the individuals of both bearings, Israel and Arab countries, prepared for a new war.

...More than a year and a half has passed since the war. Today, too, some details remain classified, hidden from the public eye, to become known only when the archives are opened. Throughout our research and writing of this book, information continued to flow in our direction, and viewpoints and aspects sometimes changed. The book, therefore, is based on everything we knew during the summer and fall of 2007. Future developments may well shed a different light on some things. There will no doubt be those who will say that by publishing the book at this time we are jumping to conclusions. We are convinced, however, that there is enough in what we have seen to provide a reasonably clear picture of the events of the summer of 2006 in our region. In order to write this book, we interviewed more than 200 people who were involved in the war. On the Israeli side, we found a great willingness to talk. As usual in Israel, an investigative journalist has at his disposal a large amount of information that should, by rights, be classified. At times, even we were surprised at the ease with which details were made available to us. We spoke directly to the vast majority of the war’s main functionaries we quoted in this book, and used many of the protocols of the government’s meeting and army chief of staff discussions. The transcripts of the testimony presented to the commission of inquiry headed by retired judge Eliyahu Winograd have provided us with an important source of information.

Government Publications Review, 1991

The Encyclopedia of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A Political, Social, and Military History. 4 vols.

Editor (with Spencer Tucker et al.), author of 14 short articles, editor/compiler of Vol. 4 (Documents Volume). [“Adenauer. Konrad,” 1:32-34; “Bevin, Ernest” (with Chris Tudda), 1:214-216; “Dulles, John Foster,” 1:308-309; “Eisenhower, Dwight David,” 1:329-331; “France, Middle East Policy,” 1:370-374; “Johnson, Lyndon Baines,” 2:555-557; “Kissinger, Henry Alfred,” 2: 584-586; “Lloyd, Selwyn,” 2:644-645; “Marshall, George Catlett,” 2:666-668; “Nixon, Richard Milhous,” 2:740-742; “Reagan, Ronald Wilson,” 3:852-854; “Rogers, William Pierce,” 3:874-875; “Roosevelt, Franklin Delano,” 3:876-878; “Shultz, George Pratt,” 3:921-923] Named Outstanding Reference Source, 2008, by RUSA-American Library Association; Distinguished Achievement Award for Social Studies Instruction (Reference Category), June 2009; Editors’ Choice, 2008, Booklist; Best Reference Choice, 2008, Pennsylvania School Librarians Association. This exhaustive work offers readers at multiple levels key insights into the military, political, social, cultural, and religious origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. • With more than 750 alphabetically organized entries covering everything from important people, places, and events to a wide range of social and cultural topics―each entry featuring cross references and suggestions for further reading • A separate documents volume offering an unprecedented collection of more than 150 essential primary sources • Over 500 images, including maps, photographs, and illustrations • A comprehensive introductory overview by retired general Anthony Zinni