1967: Israel, the War and the Year that Transformed the Middle East

1967 did not mark the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it was a year that changed the course of history. When Egypt’s President Nasser closed the straits of Tiran to Israeli navigation, it triggered a conflict between Israel and the armies of Jordan, Syria and Egypt. Within six days the Israelis had occupied territories three times wider than their own, populated by over a million Palestinian Arabs.

Israel suddenly became something of a colonial empire, more Goliath than David. The war granted political legitimacy to Menachem Begin’s right-wing Herut party, and Arab terrorism paved the way for Israel’s secret service to become a major factor in the country’s power structure.

1967 will not be a military history, nor will it focus mainly on political developments. The year 1967 dramatically altered the lives of millions of individuals and this book will focus on the personal stories from both sides of the conflict.