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Summary: Valuable resource in the study of the modern middle east
Review: Mr. Oren's book is an easy to read, fascinating account of the 6 days of war in June 1967 which significantly changed the dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The loss of land, military forces, and pride for the Arab countries who participated in the War dealt a serious setback to those intent (and confident) on the destruction of Israel. It led to the overthrow of the Egyptian regime, the rise of Arafat as the PLO leader, and the growth of Fundamental Islam as the answer to Arab weakness at the expense of Nasserism. Israel's overwhelming victory gave them temporary breathing space in the Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza, the W. Bank, and most importantly the unification of Jerusalem, areas still unresolved and subject to future negotiations, or battles. As a Middle East scholar I appreciate Oren's book with firsthand accounts from both Israeli and Arab participants of the war, both politicans and military personnel. For anyone interested in the modern Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict it is an excellent book on the watershed war of 1967.
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Summary: Timely Study, Compelling Read
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It filled in lots of gaps in my understanding of the conflicts in the Middle East. Wonderfully written.
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Summary: Great history of the Modern Middle East
Review: This is one terrific book that is a must if you want to understand the current situation in the Middle East. Another book that is a must is "From Beirut to Jerusalem" by Thomas Friedman. Read these 2 great histories and you will immediatly understand what the entire dispute is about.
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Summary: Absolutely fascinating
Review: Well done! Mr. Oren balances coverage of the conflict from all angles. At a grand scale he describes in detail the saber rattling prelude, the intense diplomatic struggles, the regional and international propaganda battles, and the balancing act between the Soviet and American superpowers. At the smaller scale, we learn of incidents that involve simple political oversights, vanity and ego, and happenstance encounters that at first glance would seem to have little or no impact on the outcome. He weaves these together to connect a complete chain of events that pour gasoline into the tinderbox atmosphere of the 1967 Middle East. Each day of the conflict is covered in a way that captures the insane pace of the war. I would encourage more map detail in future works.
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Summary: now I know why things are the way they are
Review: This is less of a military history than an excellent history of the politics that led up to the Six Day War. The author does an excellent job of explaining the pressures that caused both sides to come to the brink of war and then led to the Israeli pre-emptive strike. The role and personality of Levi Eshkol is well-described, as are the other characters in this event. After reading this book, I now understand why the Arab-Israeli War started and why it is still going on today.
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Summary: The Unneccessary War
Review: Recent historiography on the Arab-Israeli Conflict has focused almost exclusively on the 1948 War. The 1967 War, which rivals the War of Independence in terms of importance in shaping the region, has been overlooked. Michael Oren has written the first comprehensive account of this monumental event, based on the archives on the principal actors involved. Oren devotes about half on the book to the origins of the war, since they were both complex and highly unusual: Most wars are disputes between states over territory, influence, power, allies, etc. The Six Day was about power and influence, but not between the combatants. Rather, it was a result of Nasser's desire to increase his power in both his own country and the Arab world. As such, it was a war that didn't need to happen, and one with disastrous result for the region. Following a false Soviet report that Israel was moving against Syria, Nasser started increasing anti-Israel rhetoric and action. His goal at first was merely to improve his own position at home and abroad by being seen as taking on the Zionist invader. But he unwittingly unleashed a chain of events that eventually swept him up by their momementum. As pro-war crowds rallied in Cairo, Nasser moved his troops into the Sinai, and then demanded that the UN observers stationed there leave, which they did. This, coupled with the closing of the Straits of Tiran, which Israel considered a Causus Belli, probably made the war inevitable. Nasser then began to believe his own rhetoric, and drew plans for an invasion. Meanwhile, the situation elsewhere grew worse for Israel. The Arab world rallied behind Nasser, and the other states, including Jordan agreed to back Egypt. The driving force behind all this was visceral Arab hatred of Israel; Oren makes this intense dislike of the Jewish state palpable, and can feel the strength of this emotion's permeation througout the Arab world. Israel tried to gain French and Western support, but was unable to do so. In Tel-Aviv, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol and his cabinet weighed their options, and agonized over what to do. When they finally decided to go to war, it was almost too late: Nasser had cancelled an order to attack the day before. The war began on June 5th with an aerial assault on Egyptian targets that achieved all of its objectives. Israel then launched a ground offensive, which immediately drove back the Egyptians. The confused and poorly led Egyptian army never put up a real fight. In five days they were driven across the Suez Canal with huge losses. On the second day, Jordan began to shell Israeli positions in Jerusalem. Israel began with a limited response, but the fighting increased, and Israel decided to take the Old City as a military necessity. It was also militarily necessary to take the West Bank to secure Jerusalem from Jordanian columns, but Eshkol immediately realized the problems that would come with occupying a hostile population. Syria did little more than shell Israel from behind their lines on the Golan Heights during the first days of the war. But Israel had put up with constant Syrian shelling before the war, and Rabin pushed for an attack to secure Israeli farms in the North. Syrian troops didnt even engage, and Israel took the Golan. Oren' narrative is beliveable because he cites internal souces from the various sides (except Syria). This account will not be accepted by pro-Arab sources, or even revisionist historians, since Oren does not explain the Arab grievances against Israel, and does not conclude that Israel did not have to start the war, or that Israel wanted Jerusalem and the West Bank for expansionist, ideological reasons. But he supports his assertions, and until someone else writes a history based on primary sources, this will be the definitive account of the June 1967 Watershed.
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Summary: Pro-Israeli arguments but extensive information
Review: Michael B. Oren, the author of "Six Days of War" even with all his tries to stay non-biased, he failed to do so. In the book you can clearly see his emotions and being part of israel (through his studies, political involvement) influenced his writings.
The writer took every chance to defend the position of israel, its actions, descisions and all issues were standing against israel at the time.
What made that case worse, that almost many of his references based on israeli obtained documents. While its true israel/USA opened their archives after 30 years, its still clear there are much more secrets to be uncovered. I am not here to comment on each chapter of the book, but rather give a general idea.
You should expect fine illustration of the battles and their consequences, however, an attempt by the author to explain the situations had failed due to the biased nature of his writing.
I would highly recommend this book for Arabs who had spent time in the middleast and want better understanding of the situation, however, I encourage you not to surrender to the author conclusions, but rather reflect on it upon your own lives.
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Summary: A complete view of the 6 day war
Review: It was difficult to put this book down. I don't know what was more interesting, tracing the military developments or the diplomatic ones. Each was well presented and obviously thoroughly documented. I strongly encourage reading this book followed by a book on the Yom Kippur war (Such as the Two O'Clock War) for contrast -- so that the reader realizes that Israel and its leadership, although characterized mostly by episodes of sheer brilliance, do not lack for negative human qualities as well. I would recommend acquiring a good map of the region to accompany the book.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: The book was a great way to learn about what happened in those days leading to the war, the war and the aftershocks. The book was never dull (impressive for a "history" book!) and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Excellent Historical perspective of a pivotal battle
Review: ...Be forewarned that this is exhaustively researched and reads like a college history book. A significant part of the book covers the buildup to the war. Since I don't have a clear knowledge of Israeli history, I really wished he had given an overview further back. But from WWII forward, it provides a great perspective. This book demonstrates the exhaustive diplomatic work that went on in this engagement. From reading this book, I'm surprised the historical perspective of how close Russia and the US could have been to war has not been more widely publicized. Egypt clearly sent messages to Russia that they expected actual involvement if America sent forces. And Israel did the same to America. Egypt invaded United Nations controlled territory first but clearly Israel was the "1st strike" war aggressor. This book clearly demonstrates the importance of first strike cannot be understated. The Egyptian Air Force was destroyed in the first day. Does that validate starting the armed confrontation? Clearly, the Israeli side would say yes. Egypt did blockade waterways so there may have been good justification. Probably the historical event most surprising was the attack on an American spy ship by the Israelis. As I was too young to know of the incident, I'm surprised at this gross error by Israel that caused American lives. Reading of this incident alone makes the purchase of this book worthwhile. In summary, I would say this book provides an excellent historical framework of the importance of this war both in the Middle East and the world at large. It also examines the political framework in each of the countries. If you read world news at all, you'll recognize the names in this book as they continue to reign, particularly in Israel.
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