June 30, 2003 © New York University. All Rights Reserved. The tragic legacy of the Six Day War Ahmad Faruqui Global Beat Syndicate (KRT) DANVILLE, Calif—On June 5, 1967, Israel launched a pre-emptive war against the combined militaries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria. Within six days, Israeli Defense Forces had scored a decisive military victory. The Arabs lost East Jerusalem, containing the third holiest shrine of Islam, plus the West Bank, the Golan Heights and the Sinai. In November 1967, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 242, which set forth two primary conditions for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. First, it called for the “withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.” Second, it called for the “termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.” But Israel did not withdraw. Instead, the Six Day War led to the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and Israel later made peace with Egypt and returned the Sinai. It also made peace with Jordan, but did not return East Jerusalem. To this day, Israeli occupation of this holy site continues to fuel strong resentment against Israel in the entire Muslim world and remains a key impediment to peace in the Middle East. An entire generation of Palestinians has grown up in the West Bank and Gaza under Israeli occupation. Seeing no hope for their future, some of them have, since September 2000, resorted to carrying out suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis. This, in turn, has prompted Israeli retaliation that has killed thousands of Palestinians. This spiraling cycle of violence shows no signs of letting up, even after President Bush’s landmark visit to the region. In accepting the “Roadmap” put forth by the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon conceded that Israel could not indefinitely continue to hold millions of Palestinians under occupation. This was widely seen as a breakthrough, because “occupation” was a word that had until then only been used by Gush Shalom, the Israeli peace block. Mr. Sharon also acknowledged that the time had come for Israelis to accept the reality of Palestinian statehood. But peace will come only if he matches his words with deeds and so far, there has been no evidence of his sincerity. Israel’s pre-emptive attack in Gaza against Dr. Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, the number two man in Hamas, has unleashed a cycle of violence that will weaken the negotiating position of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who, in the Aqaba Agreement, had promised to put an end to terrorism. After the Israeli attack against Rantisi, President Bush publicly rebuked Israel, saying, “The attacks will make it more difficult for Palestinian leadership to fight off terrorist attacks. I also don’t believe the attacks helped Israeli security.” But Israel offered no apology for its action, and still seem determined to carry out missile and other attacks against militant Palestinians the Israelis label “ticking time bombs.” The strategic myopia of this policy should be evident by now. Israel knows it cannot eliminate terrorism by killing the terrorists. For every terrorist killed, another two are created. After the latest attack, the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, warned of violent response, saying, “The Israelis have sent a message. Now they have to wait for our reply. Our answer will be of the same caliber. The Israelis don’t want peace. They only want to humiliate the Palestinians.” Now is the time for boldness and courage on the part of the Israeli leaders. The Arab states pose no credible military threat to Israel. The best defense against suicide bombers is to take away their rallying cry, which is the illegitimacy of Israeli occupation. Israel should declare a unilateral cease-fire with the Palestinians, and stop carrying out reprisal or pre-emptive attacks against the militants. Ultimately, it should withdraw from all remaining occupied territories and eliminate the illegal Israeli settlements on the West Bank, just as it promised to do during the Oslo Accords of 1993. As a further step, Israel should also release the 9,000 Palestinians now being held in Israeli jails and detention centers. So far, only 200 have been released. Such actions will bring legitimacy to Israel in the Arab and Muslim worlds. And only then will it acquire the peace and security that has eluded Israel since its decisive military victory 36 years ago. ABOUT THE WRITER Ahmad Faruqui, an economist, writes frequently on security issues in the Middle East and South Asia. © 2000 New York University. All Rights Reserved. The Global Beat Syndicate, a service of New York University's Center for War, Peace, and the News Media, provides editors with commentary and perspective articles on critical global issues from contributors around the world. For more information, check out http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat/syndicate/. Home | About | Archives | Advisors | Staff