The Battle For Jerusalem: June 5-7, 1967

by Abraham Rabinovich, Teddy Kollek (Contributor)

The author recounts Israel's swift and successful attempt to capture Jerusalem's Old City during the Six Day War of 1967

Genres: History, War, Israel

470 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Abraham Rabinovich is a journalist born and raised in New York City. A graduate of Brooklyn College and a US Army veteran, he worked as a reporter for Newsday and arrived in Israel on the eve of the Six Day War. After completing his first book, The Battle for Jerusalem, he joined the Jerusalem Post as a reporter and feature writer. His freelance articles have been published in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and The New Republic, among other publications. He is the author of six books, including The Yom Kippur War, The Boats of Cherbourg and Jerusalem on Earth. He lives in Jerusalem and has two daughters and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a history of the capture of Jerusalem by Israel in 1967. Rabinovich was an American journalist on the ground at the time, and the book is distinctly journalistic. We get lots of impressions of mood, lots of action shots, and only a small amount of analysis. The account is relentlessly chronological.

The book is at its best in describing the mood and reactions of Israeli civilians; Rabinovich was there, he has a fine journalistic eye, and the ability to convey mood vividly. He emphasizes something I hadn't understood before reading it, which is that the war started after several weeks of mobilization; when the war started, there was a distinct sense of tension relieved.

One of the main themes in the book is the question of "who authorized the capture of the Old City." As the book's title suggests, Rabinovich argues that this was not a deliberate decision, but was almost spur-of-the-moment. The morning of June 5, when the war started, nobody intended it. The Israeli plan was to stand on the defensive on the Jordanian front. By that evening, without any very definite decision-making, the army was committed to an assault, with the vision of encircling the Old City. The field officers (brigade and battalion) had the distinct notion that if they could seize it, they would. The Cabinet (particularly Dayan) did authorize the advance, but the army was straining to do it already and Dayan was more nearly restraining than spurring the advance.

A thing that is obvious in the text, but the author does not call attention to, is that a large fraction of Israeli losses were due to "friendly fire." I don't know how much of this was the result of carelessness or bad procedures, and how much this is just a reflection of the large Israeli superiority in firepower during the assault.

This book is almost exclusively the Israeli view in military terms. We hear a bit about what King Hussein was thinking, a bit about the civilian view in Jerusalem, but only a handful of "man in the street" perspectives from the Arab side, and nothing whatsoever from Arab military personnel. This is a pity; it would be nice to understand in more detail why the Jordanian defenders of the Old City fled, when they could have stayed with safety.

Another theme of the book was how very informal the Israeli army was. People just show up looking to fight. Officers are casual in reattaching small groups (particularly of tanks) to whatever unit needs them. When the paratroops seize the Rockefeller Museum, they pause to sign the guestbook.

I've now read this several times and find there's a lot in there that comes out in rereading. I get an increasingly clear understanding of the geography and am able to map it to places I have visited and streets I have seen. And I have a new appreciation for what urban combat is like.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't really into it. Was hard to keep track of all the troops and their movements.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Well written, well told. Recommended.

[Ayelet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coverage of the battle for Jerusalem in 1967. Some of the accounts got a little confusing and long-winded but it makes you appreciate the efforts of the soldiers who were fighting. The pictures are also impressive.