Summary
Title: Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
Author: Michael B. Oren
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0345461924
Pro:
• Uses a variety of sources long inaccessible
• Offers background on people, not just battlefield events
• Engaging and compelling read
Con:
• More maps would have been very helpful
Description:
• History of the 1967 Six Days War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria
• Detailed explanation of the cultural, political, and diplomatic history leading to the war
• Provides insight into the thoughts of actions of most major players
To one degree or another, disagreements about the Temple Mount, the conflict over Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Islamic terrorism around the world, attempted peace agreements between Israelis and Palestinians (as well as their failures), and much more can all be traced back to six days of intense and violent warfare carried out between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. In some ways, though, that war hasn’t ended: the events described are all continuations of the same conflict and attempts to finally bring closure and peace to the region.
This is the topic of Michael B. Oren’s Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. An expert on the history and conflicts of the region, Oren decided to write yet one more book on the Six Days War because of all of the books already available, none drew upon all of the scholarly and government sources available (some only recently accessible) and presented them for an audience that might be comprised of both scholars and lay readers.
Sometimes an hour-by-hour description of events during the war, accounts such as this threaten to become dry and boring descriptions of battles and battlefield decisions. Fortunately, this is not problem to which Oren’s book succumbs.
First, he spends over a third of the book setting the stage for the war in terms of culture, politics, and religion. He explains the early roots of 20th century Zionism and discusses the very real clash of cultures that took place in the region as more and more Jews arrived to build a future for themselves. It is fortunate that he is relatively even-handed in this, favoring neither Jewish nor Arab interests.
The months, weeks, and days preceding the war are imbued with the character of the major participants. Each of the figures who plays a significant role in the coming conflict is described in great detail — we see both their flaws and their courage, regardless of which side they were on. Unfortunately, most of the Arab leaders come off worse because of their misreading of the situation and their abysmal handling of events.
Their troops were unprepared, their tactics atrocious, and their lies about their ongoing defeats were devastating. People were told that the Arab armies were smashing the Israelis even as those armies were being pummeled into near non-existence. Once the truth was finally let out, this made people’s disappointment even more tragic and difficult to take. They were winning, they were marching to victory, and then suddenly... defeat? How could that happen? Who betrayed them?
