Argument

Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Egypt, Jordan and Syria
Israel launched a pre-emptive attack, its so-called "Six-Day War" against three of its neighboring Arab states - Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Likelihood: High Confidence: Medium >>

The Six-Day War, launched by Israel, was a pre-emptive War
On June 5, 1967, Israel launched its so-called "Six-Day (preemptive) War" against three of its neighboring Arab states - Egypt, Jordan and Syria - claiming it was in self-defense to avoid annihilation Israeli leaders later admitted was spurious and false cover for a large-scale long-planned, calculated war of aggression it believed it could easily win and did. -- Stephen Lendman >>

"In June, 1967, we had a choice. The Egyptian Army concentrations in the Sinai approaches do not prove that (President Gamal Abdel) Nasser (1956 - 70) was really about to attack us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him." The New York Times quoted Prime Minister Menachem Begin's (1977 - 83) August, 1982 speech >>

"Sixteen years of planning had gone into those initial eighty minutes. We lived with the plan, we slept on the plan, we ate the plan. Constantly we perfected it." General Mordechai Hod, Commander of the Israeli Air Force during the Six-Day War >>

"We were not threatened with genocide on the eve of the six-day war, and we had never thought of such a possibility." General Haim Barlev, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief told Ma'ariv in April, 1972 >>

The thesis that the danger of genocide was hanging over us in June 1967 and that Israel was fighting for its physical existence is only bluff, which was born and developed after the war. -- Matityahu Peled, Israeli General, as quoted in Ha'aretz >>

"I do not believe Nasser wanted war. The two divisions which he sent into Sinai on May 14 would not have been enough to unleash an offense against Israel. He knew it and we knew it." Two time Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1974 - 77 and 1992 - 95) told French newspaper Le Monde in February, 1968 >>

“We told the Israelis not to start a conflict. Now, France does not recognize her conquests.” -- Charles de Gaulle >>

“Israel, having attacked, seized, in six days of combat, objectives that she wanted to attain. Now she is organizing, on the territories she has taken, an occupation that cannot but involve oppression, repression, expropriation, and there has appeared against her a resistance that she, in turn, describes as terrorism.” -- Charles de Gaulle, President of France >>

The Six-Day War was NOT a pre-emptive attack by Israel
The Six-Day War was NOT a pre-emptive attack by Israel >>

Egypt sends troops into Sinai Peninsula, removes UN peacekeepers there and closes Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping. Jordan joins Egypt-Syria alliance against Israel; Iraq and other Arab states offer small military forces. Israel mobilizes reserves. >>

Ariel Sharon went on record saying that the Six Day War started because Syrian engineers were working on diverting part of the water flow away from Israel. "People generally regard 5 June 1967 as the day the Six-day war began,'' he said. "That is the official date. But, in reality, it started two-and-a-half years earlier, on the day Israel decided to act against the diversion of the Jordan.'' >>