Six Days: How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East

by bowen-jeremy

The Six-Day War was an extraordinary human drama. It swept up a generation of Israelis and Arabs whose children still cannot live peacefully in the world the war created. Today, Israel is the superpower of the region. It has nuclear weapons but has never been able to digest the land it swallowed in 1967. However big its army, it will never be at peace or feel secure until the future of this land is settled. Thirty-six years after the end of the six days of fighting, after thousands more deaths and the failure of years of negotiation to try to reach a political settlement, Israelis and Palestinians are fighting once again on the streets in the West Bank and Gaza. It is still a low-level conflict, but if another full-blown Middle East war breaks out, its roots will lie in those six days in June 1967. Drawing on his experiences as the BBC's former Middle East correspondent, and building on extensive original research and interviews with some of the key participants, Jeremy Bowen uses his vast array of contacts to weave together a completely convincing and compelling account, hour by hour, of the 1967 war between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. As insightful as the best modern history writing and as gripping as fiction, this is a major debut by an author with superb media contacts.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle East, Israel, Military History, Military Fiction, Politics

420 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2003

Reviews

[Igor Ljubuncic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal.

Now, my favorite military historian is Stephen Budiansky, and I've read all his books, and I'm eagerly looking forward to any future installment (like the upcoming CIA code breaking stuff).

Then, lo and behold, Jeremy Bowen joins the very top!

The writing style is amazing. Full of personal anectodes and weird stories that make for a compelling case against raw, known facts. The narrative is fast, colorful, it jumps around, it never lets you rest, and you feel like you're reading fiction rather than documentary on something that happened fifty years ago. But that's the beauty and the charm of Jeremy's talent.

Six Days (seven nights, hi hi hi hi) starts with a brief intro on the 1948 and 1956 wars, how the national consciousness of Israel and its Arab neighbors shaped thereafter, the political struggle and the military games that followed, and the mindboggling gamble that Nasser played, knowing all too well he could not really win. Facing him was the Israeli military cadre, totally confident in their ability to complete a fast, brutal conquest and having honed to perfect their skill over the previous 19 years.

The books has roughly eight chapters - the aforementioned chapter, each of the six days of the war, and the aftermath, which we live today - the divide between the East and the West, the role of the US in the Middle-Eastern politics, and the rest of it. The war story is amazing. Not just because it's a textbook execution of a military operations. Also because it tells us the motivations of the leaders, but also often tragic, highly emotional stories of ordinary people - soldiers, refugees, women and children. There's everything you can imagine, and then some - backstabbing, mistrust, theatrics, religion, Dayan's sex life, Amer's crazy illusions, King Hussein's fatalism, how Soviets tricked themselves, the radio propaganda in Cairo, Israeli diplomatic dancing with the Johnson administration, conspiracy theories. Truly fascinating, even if you know the story.

Extremely recommended - there's a bit of everything for everyone - military facts, history, personal facts, Jeremy leaves no stone unturned and no question unanswered. He gives it a closure, a symbolic meaning, and the critical connection between the past and the present. Definitely my new co-favorite author, and I'll be looking to read everything else (and if) he's written.

Igor

[Si · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that inspires both massive anger and great sadness.

From Jeremy Bowen, a BBC reporter who points out the failures and foibles of all parties, this is an illuminating read for anyone that wants to understand much of what drives the current situation in the middle east.

Also very readable - not just a dry history book, but an action packed story that is sadly true.

As someone who has become aware, over the last decade, of what is happening in the middle east, I have already gained a strong view against what the Jews have been doing to the Palestinians. The pernicious actions the occupiers perpetrate at the moment are obscene.

What I read is even more disgusting:

- dropping napalm on fleeing families
- breaking a ceasefire agreement to massacre the retreating Jordanian army
- summarily shooting prisoners in Gaza, simply because they were healthy males
- bulldozing houses in eastern Jerusalem with people still in them

Not to mention the 1948 massacre of the village of Deir Yassin

The perpetrators need to be held to account, not feted as heroes.

The Israelis hold the power, therefore the responsibility for moving towards peace.

Some quotes from Israelis that I read gave me hope:
"I would swap the West Bank for peace anytime"
Or another:
"For true peace I'd give up all the territories and also Jerusalem. If it's a true peace, you could go there freely anyway."
That's from Doron Mor who was an army major who helped take some of the land during the war.

Here's hoping...

[Guy Portman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Over a six-day period in 1967, Israel fought and defeated an Arab coalition consisting of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Tensions had been mounting as a result of Egypt’s President Nasser blocking the Straits of Tiran thus preventing Israeli shipping from passing through. Nasser, the hero of the Arab world, believed bloodshed would be avoided and that he would win a political victory; but if his action did result in war, he was adamant his soldiers could defend Sinai on the country’s eastern border. He was sorely mistaken.

After much clandestine preparation, Israel launched a blitzkrieg-style assault. Egypt’s air force was largely destroyed on day one, the majority while still on the ground. The ensuing land assault culminated in catastrophic casualties in Sinai for the emasculated Egyptian army shorn of air support. Despite the calamity, Nasser used propaganda, primarily radio, to project victory.

Next Israel targeted Syria and Jordan, who despite fighting bravely were no match for the well-equipped and organised IDL. Under mounting international pressure, Israel opted against marching on Damascus and brought an end to the fighting.

‘The Six Day War’ saw the victor seize East Jerusalem, Golan Heights, Gaza and the West Bank, territory it continues to occupy to this day. The author presents it as a bittersweet triumph due to the already existing hatred it intensified.

This rigorously researched text boasts a simple, accessible writing style. Through its numerous interviews, journalist Bowen imbues his account of the conflict with a personal touch. However, it is a very long book, and in this reader’s opinion excessively so. The aftermath of the war, particularly the content devoted to its legacy could have been shortened considerably. As it was penned in 2012, this aspect has dated somewhat.

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 3 out of 5]

An immensely detailed, blow-by-blow summary of the 1967 war which I’m sure would be more enjoyable to someone who has more of an interest in modern military history than it was for me.

While I found at times the level of depth went too far, this is mainly a personal criticism, and the use of personal stories and the framing of the modern day Israeli-Palestinian conflict as being rooted in this 6 Day War.

[Ged · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished reading Six Days – How the 1967 war shaped the Middle East by Jeremy Bowen. Bowen is a famous BBC journalist who seems to have researched the book well and writes in an easy-to-read style. Bowen was in the region at the time and has supplemented his experience with later research.

I decided to read the book as I was curious to read more about the Six-Day War. The war had been an important event in Moshe Dayan’s autobiography. If you have the chance, Dayan’s autobiography Story of My Life is a great read for a counterpoint to Bowen.

Bias

Bowen tells a story that no one involved will be happy with and covers the shooting and sinking of the USS Liberty in such a way that it prods your mind to search for answers.

The book is as much about the failings of the surrounding Arab states and the Soviet Union as it is about Israeli aggression, though Bowen’s telling of the story leans heavily in favour of the Arabs. So long as you are aware of this slant its fine. His work doesn’t editorialise that much about it.

Mosh Dayan

Dayan was painted in the book as a political opportunist, at the expense of illustrating his now legendary pragmatism. I found the internal strife and prejudices between different groups of the Israelis very interesting, particularly the way the Zionists born in Israel looked down on the Jews from the diaspora who had survived world war two as being weak.

In conclusion

I would recommend that anyone interested should read this book. The Six Day War was an event that shaped the modern Middle East as we know it. I would also recommend that you do not rely exclusively on Bowen’s version of events and interpretation of events. Its a complex issue and you need to read multiple viewpoints. Bowen’s book is a good first start in your reading about the war. More book reviews here.

[Ian Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening, especially on the thinking behind the actions.

For example: Dayan, the IDF Chief of Staff, over the grave of one killed near Gaza in 1956, said "It is the fate of our generation that our life requires that we be always prepared and armed, strong and determined, for if the sword be struck from our grasp, we shall die."

And the American understanding of Arab claims of success: The US Embassy recommended that Washington apply the 'usual coefficient of mendacity of 10, giving the total number [of Israeli planes] downed as something like 9 [instead of the claimed 86]'.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely readable, clear and even handed account of a staggering military victory, and it's terrible effects on both victor and vanquished. From the arrogance and idiocy of the Arab leadership to the failure of Israel's leaders to prepare for the political impacts of a war they had done so much to prepare for, Bowen's narrative never sags, despite the depth and detail.

[Roderigo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably balanced but did gloss over the Zionist crimes

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good history from a British perspective. It's a little dated (2003) as new information has surfaced since it was written and their are newer histories, like Oren's that use that information.

In a way, the very out of date character is what I liked about the book. The predictions about the likely future came true which gave credibility to the author's grasp of the key issues. We won't know for another 10 years if Oren is as good at reading the tea leaves.

Also, I thought the book did a good job of distinguishing between the moods and conceptions of the civilians around the world and their governments. Israelis civilians and Jews generally were far more worried than the Israeli military or government. I was 18 at the time and I remember those fears and the corresponding exultation and arrogance at the unexpected actual outcome.

Everything about the Mideast conflict is disputed. I thought the strongest point of this book was in the run-up to the war giving a reasonable hearing to Arab fears about Israeli expansionism. Even if one accepts the view that the Arabs were completely committed to the destruction of Israel because they wanted the land for themselves and didn't want Jews there no matter what policy Israel followed, it doesn't rule out that Israel may have had designs on the West Bank or the Golan and was looking for an excuse to take them. Supporters of Israel, and I am one, sometimes oversimplify these issues.

Now, in 2009, everything has changed and nothing has changed.

[Jun-Dai Bates-Kobashigawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It can be a bit dry, or a bit hard to follow at times (it jumps around all over the place), but this book does an incredible job of achieving a whole bunch of goals at once. We see the various players (particularly Israel, Egypt, the US, Jordan, Russia, Syria) and what they are trying to achieve. We see the human experience in certain places, particularly Jerusalem and in the West Bank. We see the mechanics and how they play out over a very short and very specific timeline.

And there are so many important things I learned from the book that it was very clear how badly I needed to read it. The destruction of the USS Liberty. The degree to which Israel lied to the US about what it was doing, in order to buy time. The degree to which Egyptian propaganda lied about the state of the war (and lied to their allies) while the army was basically in freefall, and how much that absolutely compounded their loss and enabled Israel to achieve a maximal victory. And the degree to which the US was concerned about Israel provoking Russia into WWIII. And so many other things.

This book really makes me appreciate that while I have a decent superficial understanding of the larger conflict, really getting into the weeds and understanding how things played out in these critical moments makes an enormous difference.

[Patrick Bodovitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal writing of some of most important days in the history of the Middle East. Bowen not only articulates the various positions of the actors in the conflict; he does so in a way that reflects the realities of the time. He zooms in and out from individual stories to the big picture. One minute you are seeing through the eyes of an Israeli pilot flying a Dassault Mirage, the next minute you are seeing the meetings that determined the fate of the war in the Israeli cabinet. Bowen also focuses on the plight of the civilians, mostly Palestinian, which has plagued the region ever since. This is real war history that should be mandatory reading for anyone trying to analyze this blood-soaked region.

[Laura Piovesan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I red this after ‘Israel’ of Noa Tishby which is a very comprehensive journey through Israel history from the Roman Empire to this day and so was able to appreciate James Bowen’s book.

Which is well written and enjoyable, but gives little insight about what happened even right before the Six Days War.
I’d put it on a shelf ‘for connoisseurs’.

It strikes how this long lasting conflict dynamics have stayed the same: a country scared from the holocaust and with the need to establish a land for the survivors, against a coalition of Arabic countries wanting to get rid of the only non-Islamic country in the area.

The books briefly unfold also the events in the aftermath of the war, the Palestinian hanger for justice, and the friction with the now winner Israel.

[Bilal Nasir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read!

Bowen gives a riveting account on what led to the six days war, which I was more interested in, than the actual war itself.

Bowen manages to make the many accounts and testimonials of the war easy to follow.

Highlight was definitely reading how the Israelis in the early morning of June 5th, were flying in to the different airports and military bases in Egypt, without getting noticed. That read like a spy thriller.

It does get a bit tedious to read hour by hour, day by day on how exactly the war unfolded on all sides.

[Lucía · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading about war can be quite a slog, what with all the military terminology and the callous attitudes of the various personalities involved (not to mention the obvious levels of violence). But it feels important to try to understand the viewpoints of those who choose to wage war, as they affect so many lives.

[Gallagher McKendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breaks down the six day war expertly in a way which is easy to digest and accessible to all, regardless of prior knowledge on the topic. Also extremely easy to read, as it’s broken up nicely into the causes, the individual days, then finally the lasting impact of the conflict. Would recommend highly to anyone interested in reading into Israel-Palestine.

[Rob de W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast paced book that gives a minute by minute account of the 6 day war in 1967. A war that is essential to understand in order to acknowledge the current political situation in the Middle East today.

Although the book was written in 2002, the seeds for what became the Syrian Civil War, the Second Intifada, and situation in Gaza can all be seen with the events that took place over less than a week in Sinai and the Levant.

[Abdul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremy Bowen presents a very detailed summary of events that led to the 1967 war and its aftermath.

[Allan Harle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative read, on a subject I knew very little about. Written by a journalist I respect a lot.

[Darko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the flow of this book, and the author did a great job of expressing the mood of the middle east pre and post war. Definitely worth your time to pick this book up.

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, but too long and lacking any real insight or original input or opinion.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent description of how the 1967 war shapes the israel palestine conflict today, particularly for someone like me who didnt know much about the subject before.

[Jamie Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly detailed look into the six day war, I would highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in Mid East politics.

[Dev Gurupatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book for military strategists and Middle East history enthusiasts

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account of the Six Day War and its impact on shaping the Middle East today.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating.i found the coverage of the actual fighting a bit of a slog, but worth reading for the set up and aftermath.

[Jonathan Golbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Hour-by-hour” style recounting of the Six Days War. Author is better sourced in some corners than others, but generally thorough, uses vignettes well. Best part is the background section.

[Kalkino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six Days is a well-written account of the hour-to-hour operation of the Six Day War in June 1967 between Israel and the combined Arab states, by a former BBC Middle East correspondent, Jeremy Bowen. Given the author’s experience it is not surprising that the book is firmly grounded in the present day realities of the Israel-Palestine conflict. His thesis is that influential elements within the Israeli state and military were planning for, and actively seeking war with their Arab neighbours, and these neighbours played right into their hands with provocative propaganda and posturing. Further, the Arab states were woefully unprepared for a war, their leadership and planning was extremely negligent. Their leadership had apparently begun to believe their own propaganda.

Key to Bowen’s thesis is the theme of propaganda. Arab and Israeli propaganda served to create an image of Israel as weak, surrounded by enemies who were planning to sweep all before them into the sea. The reality of course was far different, with the Arab armies being uncoordinated, and not ready for a war; Israel conversely was extremely well prepared for war. This dichotomy was not a total surprise, the USA, USSR and UK had all been well aware that Israel was far stronger than the Arab states, and was far better prepared for a direct war. Of the Arab leaders only Jordan’s King Hussein was really aware of this, and he was unable to act on this suspicion due to a combination of sustained Israeli provocation and the fact that Egyptian propaganda had so inflamed his people that he had no real freedom of action in stopping Jordanian participation in any war with Israel. Bowen heavily pushes this point.

The completeness of the Israeli victory obscured wide divisions within their government and military. Many believed that the hawks within the state and army were deliberately pushing Israel into a war, which could well ensure that long term peace with the Arabs would be unlikely. As the war progressed, and it became clear that Israel had completely destroyed all opposition and could thus occupy large parts of Jordan, Egypt and Syria these voices of caution worried that the war would never end. The reason was that the new territories had huge numbers of Palestinian citizens, and international opinion would not allow Israel to completely evict them in the same way it had in 1948. Any occupation of these areas would therefore entail a long-term campaign. Which is exactly what has happened. Israel has had to spend massive resources governing, and guarding these territories, all the while progressively alienating the original inhabitants, creating a vicious cycle of violence that occurs to this day.

The victory while one of, if not the most, stunning campaigns of the 20th century was therefore a calculated gamble on the part of some Israelis, which has created a thirty-year insurgency. Bowen clearly highlights this cruel irony that a famously short war should result in a conflict that is still occurring nearly 40 years after its conclusion. He squarely places the blame for the current violence on the 1967 war.

Looking at the book from a technical perspective Bowen follows the events of the war closely, tracking the events as they happen in a linear timeline. This allows him to illustrate well the complete confusion that occurred on the Arab side once Israel struck, and their rapid collapse. This device also allows him to capture the attention of the reader, with a constant stream of action not unlike watching a TV news network. Of course I could be forcing this analogy due to my knowledge of the author’s background. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who follows the current Israeli-Palestine conflict as it provides a easy to read background to the conflict.

[Matthew Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fast moving account of the six days war, detailing the politics that informed Israel and the Arab states actions leading up to the conflict itself and then a blow by blow account of each phase of the conflict. Bowen also does a good job in summary at the end of the book in discussing the damaging impact that the legacy of this same conflict has down to this very day on the chances of peace in the wider region.

[Nick Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and searching look at just one of the wars between Israel and its neighbours. The 1967 one had a lasting impact because of the Israeli land grabs, from Jordan, Egypt and Syria, that enabled them to become entrenched in a position that seemed more defensible to hostile forces.

That is only relative, however, to the broader picture. There are a lot of people who regard the presence of Israelis there as a land grab, pure and simple, and, as ever, it was the Palestinian people who were caught in the middle of a clash between aggressors on all sides.

One thing that comes out of it is that the Israelis did not win the war only because they had the support of the US. In fact, they had little material support from any outside power. They won it because their commanders and soldiers were well-trained and supported at home, and they won, most of all, because they were smart, and their enemies just weren't. I'll qualify this just by pointing out a few background factors: the Syrians had purged their officer class on political grounds over the course of a decade, and had reduced the army into a force that was watching mainly its own citizens, and not fighting fit at all; the Egyptian army had, according to the Israelis themselves, courageous soldiers led, in almost all instances, by officers who were in their positions only because of favours to Nasser and his regime - again, they were political appointees, not fit to do their job; Jordan's King Hussein had never planned on a war of any kind, and was forced into it knowing that the Israelis were going to walk it; Nasser was by then long past his sell-by date, and was still in power only on the reputation of his past. Nasser, and all of the Arabs (apart from King Hussein, who kept as quiet as he could get away with) made such awful decisions, and yet were in permanent denial of them, assuring their public that they were winning the war long after they'd lost it; the psychological effect of this is not difficult to fathom, but it seems to be a mistake perpetuated by Arab leaders since - notably Saddam Hussein, who claimed to have won the First Gulf War and the war against Iran, and Hamas, in the 2014 war with the Israelis that left most of Gaza's infrastructure in ruins and many of is people dead. This kind of trait is really not going to win wars, and it was proved in the 1967 war.

The Israelis were not gentlemen in their roles as conquerors. Their triumph in the 1967 war altered the map of that troublesome little corner of the globe to its present configuration, and the events of 2014 have proved that it is not set in stone, but in sand after all.

Jeremy Bowen is an excellent journalist and an excellent writer, and he has covered the 1967 war very well in this.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The success of any book is dependent on the audience. This book is particularly nichey. I chose this book on a lark, remembering how much I used to love reading about history. Unless you have a special interest or expertise in the subject matter, be prepared for a read that'll sometimes seem longer than the war it covers.

As a child and young adult, I had a particular interest in war and military history. But one day, it was as if a switch was flipped and I could no longer maintain my attention on the topic. What I learned during that period has nourished me throughout my life. Learning about the wars which seem to begin new eras and end old ones brings a special type of understanding that few other orientations within the subject of History can match. This book demonstrates this idea well. To this day, Middle East dynamics are largely influenced by the three Arab/Israeli conflicts, one of which was the Six Day War.

Though remarkable for Israel's decisive military victory, the actual combat phase of this war was short and straight forward. However, the extent to which the diplomatic dimensions of the conflict overshadowed the combat phase was still startling.

The vast majority of the book focused on the prolific maneuverings of the myriad parties before and after the war. Sitting below all of the political intrigue was another level of complexity dealing with the larger-than-life personalities of each faction's leaders. It would be intimidating to merely list the parties involved. Yet, this book takes them all in and shows how they moved the war forward. After awhile, I found it difficult to recognize the forest for the trees.

I am not a military historian, in fact I'm no longer even an amateur military historian. I'm only casually interested in the topic.
My ignorance of the conflict and the dynamics of the middle east during the cold war made this work a little overwhelming. However, it is quite clear that the book is a fantastic work of scholarship. A lot of fine writing also.

In summary, the book is not at all boring, but maybe a little too much for me. I found my horizons broadened, and it forced me to ask a lot more questions about my understanding of how the middle east conflict actually works. Bravo to the author for tackling such a dense topic. It just wasn't exactly for me.