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Originally Posted by DGB454
This exerpt was picked from a site I visit on occasion. It doesn't sound like the build up was a myth. Just by the sounds of what was comming out of the Syrian leadership they were ready and anxious to wipe out every last Israeli in that area. This is just the tip of the iceberg as I understand it. Terrorist attacks had increased against Israel in the months proceeding the build up. "On May 15, Israel's Indipendance Day, Egyptian troops began moving into the Sinai and massing near the Israeli border. By May 18, Syrian troops were prepared for battle along the Golan Heights.
Nasser ordered the UN Emergency Force, stationed in the Sinai since 1956, to withdraw on May 16. |
Grab ye a map, my friend! The Sinai is about twice the size of Israel itself, and was Egyptian territory that was occupied first by the Israelis in 1956 and then by a UN force. Reoccupying your land is entirely fair. Also, they occupied with a massive TWO DIVISIONS!
Also, the 'ready for battle' is a major skew -- both the Israelis AND Arab nations had troops on their common borders. By May 18, Israeli troops were prepared for battle along the Golan Heights, inside the demilitarized buffer zone they illegally occupied in the 50s.
Further, there'll be no real war between countries before they actually mobilize their troops, which happened all at about the same time -- the last couple of days of May 1967.
If the Arabs REALLY wanted to smash Israel, apparently they were totally ready by 20 May 1967. To believe the Arabs were ready to attack in mid-May, and then politely waited for a couple weeks as Israel (the mortal enemy they swore to destroy) called up its reserves, mobilized and organized the troops, readied its aircraft and tanks... and the Arabs basically sat around until Israel started blowing up their airfields and crashing over the borders... takes a stretch of credulity.
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Without bringing the matter to the attention of the General Assembly, as his predecessor had promised, Secretary-General U Thant complied with the demand. After the withdrawal of the UNEF, the Voice of the Arabs proclaimed (May 18, 1967):
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"As of today, there no longer exists an international emergency force to protect Israel. We shall exercise patience no more. We shall not complain any more to the UN about Israel. The sole method we shall apply against Israel is total war, which will result in the extermination of Zionist existence." 1
An enthusiastic echo was heard May 20 from Syrian Defense Minister Hafez Assad:
"Our forces are now entirely ready not only to repulse the aggression, but to initiate the act of liberation itself, and to explode the Zionist presence in the Arab homeland. The Syrian army, with its finger on the trigger, is united....I, as a military man, believe that the time has come to enter into a battle of annihilation." 2
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Rhetoric 'n chest-thumping -- if they were massing up the troops and ready to attack, they would have, WITHOUT waiting for Israel to get in the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth hit.
Also, of course, Israel's STILL occupying all that land, with all the people in it, building settlements like crazy.
Here's a more accurate look at the Six-Day War, from Jews For Justice...
http://www.wrmea.com/jews_for_justice/1967war.html