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Historical Parallels

Reader comment on item: [Michael Oren's] "Six Days of War"

Submitted by Charles Daggs (United States), Jun 5, 2002 at 15:34

Thanks to Dr. Pipes for another excellent commentary. I find it most interesting that Israel's experience with the the 1967 war and the American experience with the Gulf War share similar military successes and political failures.

Just as the Arab Bloc of 1967 and Iraq's vaunted Republican guard were dispatched with relative ease, the politicians of both countries failed to capitalize on military victories. In victory, Israel had the choice of incorporating the territory or aggressively negotiating a settlement with its enemies. Instead, the ensuing years of land for peace negotiations have allowed a terrorist war of attrition to develop.

Israel could force the issue today by either a) annexing the "occupied terrorities," b) returning the Gaza to Egypt, and the West Bank to Jordan, or c) unilaterally declaring the West Bank and Gaza to be an independent Palestinian State. In any case, any further acts of aggression against Israel would be more clearly an attack by another State, not just some stateless "aggrieved" individuals.

The United States will also be forced to make choices it avoided a decade ago. In fact, the preemptive strike defense doctrine outlined by President Bush should be put into practice. Why allow Iran to bulid a nuclear reactor? Follow the Israeli example against Iraq.
Submitting....

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Reader comments (44) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
2Why Six Days? [30 words]M. GreenbergJun 6, 2007 10:3096247
1Praise the Lord!! [60 words]Anurag EdwardsDec 13, 2008 12:1396247
1Go Israel [129 words]Aaron KinneyAug 1, 2005 20:0024197
I admire Israel. [202 words]C.Pe.MakheshMay 8, 2005 12:1722025
9THE SANDSTORM THAT UNCOVERED A MINE FIELD [148 words]Sam AurilioDec 2, 2004 16:3518827
How the Egyptians learned the lesson [210 words]Waleed Abd El RahmanAug 2, 2003 15:5710416
1Reply to Waleed Abd El Rahman - Egypt "victory" in 1973 [274 words]Shmuel Ben ZviApr 9, 2004 11:0710416
Well said Shmuel Ben Zvi [25 words]Levy SolomanJul 23, 2006 08:5810416
Please read.. -correction- [282 words]AmrooApr 24, 2007 05:1510416
Reply to Amroo [461 words]cliffJun 23, 2007 10:5910416
Actually, Egypt won (strategically) [61 words]Oren GreenAug 12, 2008 12:5210416
Ezekiel [240 words]Joe MalanioJun 11, 2009 10:2710416
The Prophets [43 words]Rebecca MouldsOct 26, 2009 22:2310416
Victory? [38 words]El JohnNov 18, 2009 07:1510416
Right [22 words]ElNov 18, 2009 07:1810416
Who is the one learned the lesson?!!! [194 words]Nader M.Aug 20, 2010 14:3910416
Need more history info [83 words]ZyloJul 29, 2003 19:3710303
Six Days War Is Unavoidable [296 words]PK LowJun 29, 2003 22:299769
Six Days War. [28 words]MohammedApr 5, 2003 19:468078
There isn't any need [100 words]Phil CollinsMar 11, 2003 12:147191
Why? [37 words]HenryOct 24, 2002 23:473258
Brilliantly Written! [91 words]Neal R. HellerJun 24, 2002 11:09917
No Accident [1088 words]David M. DastychJun 8, 2002 12:41610
It is all Israel's fault [128 words]Nadir AhmedJun 7, 2002 15:48598
2Israel's fault? [554 words]HenJun 7, 2003 05:33598
NOT IN OUR INTERESTS [86 words]marc melchioriFeb 15, 2006 12:32598
Had the Arabs Won the 6th Day War, Then What? [494 words]Joe LeviJun 6, 2002 14:53576
Israel's determination to survive [69 words]Stan RoseJun 5, 2002 17:26556
1Israel was under Gods Leadership [55 words]Janet NgowiFeb 8, 2006 07:59556
The Six Day War [299 words]LukeDec 20, 2007 21:30556
ISRAEL - GOD IS MY DEFENDER [57 words]SUSIGARANJun 16, 2009 03:12556
Fire Power Demonstration [193 words]Michael SheridanJun 5, 2002 15:47555
Historical Parallels [209 words]Charles DaggsJun 5, 2002 15:34554
A Modern-Day Miracle [89 words]Bill SweeneyJun 5, 2002 11:00551
1Israel deserves to exist in security [302 words]Bruce ColemanJun 5, 2002 10:59550
Israel Must Repeat the Six Days of War [131 words]Charles LauderJun 5, 2002 02:47548
SecDef was not alone [208 words]Robert H. SternJun 5, 2002 00:31545
Friendly Clarification Suggested [64 words]Adam BurczykJun 4, 2002 19:47544
In agreement [51 words]Etta HellerJun 4, 2002 17:40542
Kudos with a question [136 words]Stan RoseJun 4, 2002 15:18540
1Is this book available in Egypt? [85 words]Boris GalinskyJun 4, 2002 10:30536
Won't be a bestseller in the Arab world [71 words]Salvador Vargas-RiveraJun 5, 2002 19:22536
1Not Even Six Days! [143 words]Samy MikhailJun 4, 2002 09:16535
Timely Book [112 words]William J. SturmJun 4, 2002 08:01534

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