Perspectives on the 40th Anniversary of the Six Day War

THE WAR THAT BROKE OUT ON JUNE 5, 1967 radically changed the Arab-Israeli conflict: It introduced the concept of “land for peace;” It marked the beginning of the occupation; It led to the rise of the PLO; It energized the messianic settlement movement. As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War, Americans for Peace Now presents a mosaic of opinions on the meaning of this anniversary.

YOSSI ALPHER is a former senior official in the Mossad and the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. He currently coedits the bitterlemons family of Internet publications and writes a weekly Q & A on security issues for APN, which can be read at www.peacenow.org. Read Essay >

ZIAD J. ASALI, M.D. is the President and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, DC. Born and raised in Jerusalem, Dr.Asali is a sought-after voice on Middle East issues in both the media and on Capitol Hill, where he has testified before both chambers of Congress. Read Essay >

AMBASSADOR PHILIP WILCOX is the former U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem and former Ambassador at Large for Counter Terrorism. A retired Foreign Service officer, Ambassador Wilcox also served as the State Department's Director for Israeli and Arab-Israeli Affairs and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs, among other roles. Today he is President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, a Washington D.C.-based foundation devoted to fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Read Essay >

SENATOR LINCOLN CHAFEE represented Rhode Island in the U.S.Senate for seven years. He is the former Chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Read Essay >

LEONARD FEIN is a passionate and gifted writer, teacher, and veteran social activist. Mr. Fein served as director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, and is the founder of Moment magazine; Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger; and the National Jewish Coalition for Literacy. A Board Member of APN, Mr. Fein facilitates an online conversation which can be found at conversation.peacenow.org. Read Essay >

DR. MENACHEM KLEIN is a political scientist at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. In 2000, Dr. Klein served as adviser for Jerusalem affairs and final status talks to Israel’s Foreign Minister. He later joined prominent Israeli and Palestinian figures in signing the Geneva Initiative—a detailed proposal for a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. His book, A Possible Peace an Insiders’ Account of the Geneva Initiative, is forthcoming in September by Columbia University Press. He is active in Peace Now. Read Essay >

MAJOR GENERAL SHLOMO GAZIT (retired) served for 33 years in the Israel Defense Forces. Following the Six Day War, Gazit served as Coordinator of Israeli Government Operations in the Administered Territories, in this capacity, he was the first Israeli ruler of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He later served as the head of IDF Military Intelligence. General Gazit has written extensively on Israeli and Middle Eastern military affairs, including a book, Trapped, which reviews Israel's administration of the West Bank and Gaza. Read Essay >

TALLIE LIPKIN-SHAHAK is the former war correspondent for the daily Davar, where she covered the first war in Lebanon and the first Intifada. She is a radio personality and a regular contributor to Ma'ariv, writing on social issues, the arts, and politics. Read Essay >