Who initiated hostilities in the Six Day War?
One of the frequently heard claims against Israel is that she started the Six Day War in 1967, that Israel attacked peaceful Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq on June 5, 1967 and seized the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the “West Bank” from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria in an act of aggression. The background to the Six Day War is quite different from the propagandistic claims of pro-Arab sources. Egypt and Israel’s other neighboring countries — all Arabs — took actions in a series of increasingly provocative and threatening steps during May and early June of 1967, accompanied with rhetoric stating very clearly the intent to attack and destroy Israel. Attempts by Israel to negotiate, find United Nations support, or other international diplomatic resolution failed. The United Nations Emergency Forces (UNEF) stationed on the Egyptian-Israeli border were withdrawn without any discussion. A US plan to lift the blockcade of Israeli shipping found little support internationally. Arab mobil
