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From: tan@ihlpg.UUCP (Bill Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The "Patria" incident (Really the 1967 War)
Message-ID: <1706@ihlpg.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Mar-86 22:51:31 EST
Article-I.D.: ihlpg.1706
Posted: Fri Mar 14 22:51:31 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 15-Mar-86 23:36:22 EST
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Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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> [Raif Hijab]
> A careful reading of the history of events leading to the 1967 Six Day
> War (one not restricted to the Israeli interpretation) would clearly
> show that Israel had planned the war years in advance, that it was
> clearly not a defensive war, and that Israel was engaged in provocation
> to start a war.
> The immediate action precipitating the crisis was the
> threat by Israel's prime minister Levi Eshkol to invade Damascus and
> topple the Syrian government. Israel had demanded that Syria stop
> Palestinian guerillas from infiltrating across its border. Guerilla
> attacks had increased following Israel's raid on the village of Al Samu'
> in the West Bank in 1966. In that raid, Isarael leveled the village
> and indiscriminately killed a large number of its residents (including
> women, children and elderly persons).
> Nasser felt compelled to come Syria's aid, and declared that an attack
> on Syria would be considered an attack on Egypt. This ideally set the
> stage for Israel's 'preemptive strike' in the dawn hours of June 5, 1967,
> when they destroyed 90% of the Egyptian air force on the ground.
> The claim that Israel was engaged in a 'war of defense' can only be
> believed by those who consider news releases of the Israeli War Ministry
> to be the ultimate reference.
-------------------
Such distortion of history is incredible.  Nasser had ordered the
U. N. forces out of Sharm el Sheikh (sp?) and instituted a blockade
of the Straits of Tiran, leading into the Gulf of Aqaba and the
Israeli port of Eilat, through which more than 90% of Israel's oil
supply (imported from Iran) flowed.  Nasser rebuffed diplomatic
efforts to end the blockade.   A blockade is an act of war.
Hijab conveniently forgets to mention this.  Of course, my news sources
were the American media (and to a lesser extent, the British media)
which are of course subsidiaries of the Israeli War Ministry. -)
	Ok, I will say it.  Hijab is either
	1)ignorant,
	2) an out-and-out liar
	or
	3) so convinced of the moral superiority of his side that
	he believes he is telling the truth when he is not.
My guess is mostly 3).
	By the way, the Israeli raid on As-Samu' (not Al-Samu')
was in 1965, not 1966, if my memory is correct. (I could be wrong).
-- 
Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL  ihnp4!ihlpg!tan