Your Essential Reading Guide: 6 Days of War

Continuing with the Almost Supernatural Essential Reading Guide (following on from The Case for Israel), today's book is Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, by Michael Oren.

Now that Israel has decided to unilaterally disengage from Gaza, it is a good idea to delve into how Israel came to control the disputed territories. The sheer volums of information presented by Michael Oren in "Six Days of War", is invaluable to any reader interested in the region.

A great deal has been written on the 6 day war, but Oren's book (endorsed by Dennis Ross as the most accurate book on the 6 day war) stands out amongst a host of others that seem to be politically motivated towards one side or the other. Oren's book takes the reader on a journey through the battlefiels as well as the war rooms. A full chapter is dedicated to each day in the war, and "and the scene flashes from Jerusalem to Amman to Cairo to Washington, providing the complexity and suspense of a motion picture."

The Harvard Israel Review provides an excellent (yet critical) review on "Six Days of War". Here is a brief excerpt, but make sure to read the whole thing.

Benjamin Netanyahu once remarked that those who simply call for a return to the old borders "have an understanding of history that goes back to the breakfast table," that the "occupation" is isolated out of its historical context. For such people, history seemingly does not exist before June 10, 1967; they see only imperialism in Israel's presence in these lands, and forget-or conveniently ignore-just how and why these areas came under Israel's control in the first place. A welcome antidote to such historical short-sightedness is Michael Oren's Six Days of War, a careful dissection of 1967's Six-Day War-or, as many Arabs prefer to call it, the "June War" or Al-Naksah ("the setback"). Oren has conducted extensive research using recently released Israeli, American, and Russian government documents, exclusive interviews in Hebrew, English, Russian, French, and Arabic, and other primary and secondary materials in these languages to provide the most detailed account of the war ever written. Though Oren draws on sources collected in Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, the Arab archives unfortunately remain largely closed. Until they become public, Oren's book will most likely remain unmatched as an examination of this seminal event. The strength of the book, fittingly, is in its description of each of the six days themselves. One goes through each day of the war with a comprehensive feeling of understanding of what each major player experienced. The flip side of this close focus, of course, is the de-emphasis of the war’s historical context and its consequences.But while Oren does provide a brief history of the conflict up to that point and a few events in particular that he feels created an aura of mistrust in June 1967, he ignores the larger issue, which is the mindset of the Arab governments, the weltanschauung of belligerency and hatred that could not tolerate the idea of any Jewish presence in the Middle East. In the history of this war, we see the shadows of the entire Arab-Israeli conflict.

For those that won't be reading Oren's book and just want the brief lowdown of how Israel came to enter the West Bank, visit this Beyond Images communication. The HIR review also includes a great summary of the 6 day war.

Comments

[Vaz Lube]

You know, I've bought paperback ed. "The Case for Israel" book last weekend and started to read it.

I've added Oren's book to my books to buy list.

[Steve]

Fantastic x 2!

1. I didnt know Dershowitz was available in papaerback. That now means that it will be cheaper to buy the book for people. Just the other day I heard Vuyo Mbuli from SAFM thanking a Suliman for buying him a book on the M.E conflict. So I thought I should send him the Case for Israel to balance the views a bit as Im sure Sulimans book was...

2. Orens book is a great read. Believe me when I tell you, it is as neutral a book as you will ever find on this important war. There is no demonising of Israelis and no demonising of the Arabs. Oren brings the characters to life, and at times you almost feel sorry for people like Nasser.

[Vaz Lube]

Sending copies of Dershowitz book to local media, such as that SAFM's Vuyo Mbuli and others would be great idea.

Thankfully ZA government has not fallen into disinformation trap during Olmert's visit. Sending copies to COSTAU might be not a such a bad idea.

[Anti-UN]

Yeah, so COSATU could add it to their bonfire!!!

No seriously, sending to COSATU is a great idea.

Do it!

[Steve]

The problem is, who at COSATU do I send it to? And I suspect that many of the people at the top of COSATU have a personal take on the M.E - i.e. many followers of Islam there.

[Reggin Juice]

quality website