On June 5, 1967, Israel resolved to put a stop to a long-standing threat to her very survival. Eight hundred of Israel’s finest lost their lives when sent by the Israeli government and the IDF to defend the home front. After the smoke of battle cleared, the world learned that the State of Israel was an indestructible fait accompli.
Despite the blissful, post-war euphoria, that was the time when some serious thinking should have been done.
We were told that the brilliant victory would be followed by a phone call. Instead of a ringing telephone, we heard the spine-chilling wail of the siren on Yom Kippur. Again and again, the other side was reminding us that strength alone would not do the trick.
There were those amongst us in whose hearts the Six Day War kindled the hope that the day of redemption was surely at hand.
A great deal of territory fell into Israeli hands, conferring a seal of legitimacy upon the "GreaterIsrael" camp, in whose mind’s eyes their dream was starting to come true; but in the prevailing euphoria, nobody paid any attention.
Years passed, and the "GreaterIsrael" adherents went from strength to strength, giving rise to the "Gush Emunim" ("Faith Bloc") movement.
"Pioneering" settlements were founded, with the consent of many fine Israelis, who were under the delusion that the "pioneers" were carrying on in the tradition of the first Zionists.
The difference is that at the time these settlements were founded, the State’s existence was no longer in doubt.
Threats to Israel’s survival derive from the arms race and from future Middle Eastern coalitions. Israel’s long-term security, therefore, does not depend on military control of the territories of Judea and Samaria, not to mention the Gaza Strip. To mix populations without providing a long-term response to the pressing needs of the more poorly endowed, is a recipe for disaster. Unless and until the Palestinian problem is solved, Israel will not progress toward the sort of peace that will also bring her security.
Another issue highlighted by the outcome of the Six Day War is Israel’s civic character.
The control of extensive territories was thrust upon us, forcing us to come to grips with the question of what sort of State we want. Today, everybody understands the choice with which Israel is faced. Israel must decide whether to go on ruling another people, and thereby forfeit her democratic character, or to reach a comprehensive security deal as part of a settlement with the Palestinian people, forcing her, however, to make territorial concessions.
Statute law is already being forced to vie for supremacy with the theological precepts of Jewish Oral Law. With the future of the territories at stake, that struggle is becoming increasingly virulent.
The future of the State of Israel depends, first and foremost, on how willing its citizens are to live here, and to develop and defend their country. If we wish to go on promoting the Zionist vision, we must try to overcome the rifts in Israeli society and face forward, to the future. To that end, and in order to preserve the delicate fabric of Israeli society, we must all call upon our reserves of goodwill, we must hone our listening and understanding skills. Over the thirty years that have elapsed since the Six Day War, the rifts have progressively deepened.