This book challenges the most enduring myths about the June 1967 War fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors. These misconceptions, promoted by Israel and its supporters, are often used to justify the continuing occupation of the Palestinian territories.
This work offers a synthesis of the most salient facts about, and scholarly research into, the 1967 war. With this book to hand, you won't need to study all the literature on the Six-Day War to be well-informed.
The best responses to the most common myths and deceptions concerning the Six-Day war have been extracted from the available literature. A chapter is dedicated to each myth and its related deceptions, allowing for easy and quick reference.
The following popular myths are extensively discussed in the book:
1. 'The war started when the Arabs attacked Israel'2. 'Egypt was planning to attack Israel'
3. 'Israel thought Egypt was planning to attack'
4. 'The blockade of the straits of Tiran by Egypt was an act of war'
5. 'Israel exploited every opportunity to avoid war'
6. 'The Israeli army adhered to the highest ethical standards'
7. 'The refugees left the occupied territories of their own free will'
8. 'It is a miracle that Israel won the Six-Day War
9. 'Israel is entitled to keep the areas conquered in the war
10. 'After the war Israel offered peace to the Arabs. But they rejected it.
REVIEWS
"With the flood of works and words on the Arab-Israeli conflict it is most refreshing to read a short and concise book on the 1967 war. This is one of the first books to challenge head on the Israeli narrative of that war. Perach debunks convincingly and poignantly the foundational mythologies of the 1967 war. The challenge offered here is an essential reading for anyone who wishes to confront successfully years of misinformation and distortion."
Ilan Papp, Professor at the University of Exeter and author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
"John Perach skilfully skewers as myths the best-known claims promoted by Israel's supporters surrounding the 1967 war. He draws on scholarly studies to help us separate the facts from obfuscating fiction."
Jonathan Cook, author of Disappearing Palestine
"Perach manages to condense the facts and a web of conflicting opinions into a short and readable book that refutes the claims made by Israel. Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights is justified as a product of a defensive war. Perach has done a service by destroying the myths upon which this claim is premised."
John Dugard, Professor of International Law and former UN Special rapporteur on human rights in Palestine
"This book adds to a growing body of well-documented facts that challenges the Zionist myths. These myths were used to promote racism and ethnic cleansing. The light shed is important not just for the sake of the truth but for bringing justice and a durable peace to the Middle East."
Mazin Qumsiyeh, Professor, Bethlehem University