1967 did not mark the beginning ofthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it was a year thatchanged the course of history. When Egypt's PresidentNasser closed the straits of Tiran to Israeli navigation,it triggered a conflict between Israel and the armies ofJordan, Syria and Egypt. Within six days the Israelis hadoccupied 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 politicallegitimacy to Menachem Begin's right-wing Herut party,and Arab terrorism paved the way for Israel's secretservice to become a major factor in the country's powerstructure.1967 will not be a military history, nor will it focusmainly on political developments. The year 1967dramatically altered the lives of millions of individualsand this book will focus on the personal stories fromboth sides of the conflict.
