The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #85850 Message #1597108
Posted By: Teribus
04-Nov-05 - 04:22 AM
Thread Name: BS: Muslim Violence
Subject: RE: BS: Muslim Violence
Good post NH Dave.
CarolC,
Under the circumstances that Israel found themselves in June 1967, Israel as a country would have survived approximately one month.
Had the combined mobilised armies of Syria, Jordan and Egypt not camped out on Israel's borders there would have been no need for Israel to take the Golan Heights, the West Bank of the Jordan, the Gaza Strip and Sinia. It was all about the survival of the State of Israel, to make it harder for those frontline states to attack. It did make it harder, but it didn't prevent them attacking Israel six years later in 1973. They lost that as well, and of the territory 'occupied' by Israel, they have handed back 98% of it in return for peace accords with Jordan and Egypt. Hussain of Jordan who gave Tosser Arafat and the 'Palestinian People' a home, was repaid for his eforts by aforementioned Tosser Arafat attempting a coup to overthrow the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan - Arafat failed and had to toddle off to make his millions in Tunisia.
Israel started it, because there was no other option open to them, as stated in the past some national leader can threaten to wipe out another nation (English - Scots; Sweden - Norway) and that threat would be taken with a pinch of salt. Make that threat to an Israeli and he has every reason in the world to take it deadly serious. The rhetoric, military posturing and closure of international waterways by Israel's neighbours in 1967 was adjuged by the United Nations as sufficient grounds for Israeli action.
"Even the Israeli military and some of it's former prime ministers say Israel wasn't in any real danger from Egypt or Jordan (or anyone else)."
"the Israeli military" - What! All of them???? Now this seems to run counter to your own views on sweeping generalisations. Certainly in May 1967 the situation didn't look so rosy from the Israeli perspective, so IF the Israeli military were of that opinion they were keeping damn quiet about it. Those whose opinions you are sharing with us - did they at some later stage have books to sell?
"one very high ranking member of the Israeli military at the time of the Six-Day War says it's an insult to the Israeli military to try to suggest otherwise." Who was that Carol? If he did say that at the time, it was either moral boosting in the face of a threatening situation or it's a remark that has been taken out of context.
Similar examples from British History would be Wellington at both Assay and at Waterloo. Another would be Churchill in 1940. Both knew in themselves that they would win, or at least not lose, but to most independent observers around at the time it certainly didn't look that way. Both men had to put a face on it, remain calm and provide leadership - they both did it, in spades.