Six Days of War
Encyclopedia
Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East is a 2002 non-fiction book by American-Israeli historian and Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren
, chronicling the events of the Six-Day War
fought between Israel
and its Arab
neighbors. Widely praised by critics, the book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history and spent seven weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list
.
While researching the book, Oren utilized primary source
s from Israel, the Arab world, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, much of which had only recently become available to scholars. Citing the breadth and depth of Oren's research and the lucidity of his writing, several reviews, including those of National Public Radio, Washington Post Book World, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Chicago Sun-Times
, described the book as the definitive account of the conflict.
A Hebrew translation of Six Days of War was made available in June 2007.
Book Prize for History. It spent seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller
list. The New York Times Book Review wrote positively of Six Days of War, as did the Washington Post which calls it "not only the best book so far written on the Six Day War, it is likely to remain the best." Positive reviews have been published by the Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic
, The Guardian
, Newsweek International, The Economist
, and by noted historian John Keegan
and noted Israeli New Historian Benny Morris
.
Norman Finkelstein
wrote a critical review, calling Six Days of War an "apologetic narrative" in which Oren "basically reiterates the official Israeli version of the June war."
Michael Oren
Michael B. Oren is an American-born Israeli historian and author and the Israeli ambassador to the United States...
, chronicling the events of the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
fought between Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and its Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
neighbors. Widely praised by critics, the book won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history and spent seven weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
While researching the book, Oren utilized primary source
Primary source
Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
s from Israel, the Arab world, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, much of which had only recently become available to scholars. Citing the breadth and depth of Oren's research and the lucidity of his writing, several reviews, including those of National Public Radio, Washington Post Book World, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, described the book as the definitive account of the conflict.
A Hebrew translation of Six Days of War was made available in June 2007.
Causes of the war
Oren emphasizes that war was intended by neither side, rather, as with World War I, war resulted from an escalating series of events, some of them purely accidental. For example, in November 1966 three Israeli policemen were murdered by Palestinian terrorists based in Jordan. For unexplained reasons, the usually efficient American ambassador to Israel allowed several days to pass before transmitting a condolence message from Jordan's King Hussein to Israel's prime minister. The absence of a condolence message prompted Israel to retaliate, and that retaliation became one of the series of episodes that led to war.Why Israel Won
Oren answers that Israelis worked hard, planning meticulously for the possibility of war with an army that drilled diligently. By contrast, one Syrian general predicted total defeat of Israel in four days "at most." President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt insisted that the Israeli Air Force was incapable of attacking Egyptian air bases - in fact the successful Israeli attack on Egyptian air fields was a key factor in Israeli victory. One Egyptian official described his county's leadership as believing that "the destruction of Israel was a child's game that only required the hooking up of a few telephone lines at the commander's house and the writing of victory slogans."Reception
The book was widely praised by critics and won the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Book Prize for History. It spent seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
list. The New York Times Book Review wrote positively of Six Days of War, as did the Washington Post which calls it "not only the best book so far written on the Six Day War, it is likely to remain the best." Positive reviews have been published by the Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Newsweek International, The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, and by noted historian John Keegan
John Keegan
Sir John Keegan OBE FRSL is a British military historian, lecturer, writer and journalist. He has published many works on the nature of combat between the 14th and 21st centuries concerning land, air, maritime, and intelligence warfare, as well as the psychology of battle.-Life and career:John...
and noted Israeli New Historian Benny Morris
Benny Morris
Benny Morris is professor of History in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Be'er Sheva, Israel...
.
Norman Finkelstein
Norman Finkelstein
Norman Gary Finkelstein is an American political scientist, activist and author. His primary fields of research are the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust. He is a graduate of Binghamton University and received his Ph.D in Political Science from Princeton University...
wrote a critical review, calling Six Days of War an "apologetic narrative" in which Oren "basically reiterates the official Israeli version of the June war."