ANNIVERSARY

eretz

analysis

Israeli paratroopers flush out Jordanian soldiers from trenches
during the Battle of Ammunition Hill in 1967.

continued from page 20

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22

June 1 • 2017

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1967 borders, U.S. support would not
have been so certain. It is possible
that future wars, against adversar-
ies supported by the Soviet Union,
without the buffers of the Golan, the
West Bank and the Sinai, may have
even imperiled Israel’s existence.
So one might argue that if Israel
had not been attacked by Jordan
in 1967, Israel might in the medi-
um term have been less secure.
However, Israel’s occupation of
Palestinians in newly acquired ter-
ritories came at an enormous cost,
and the victory in ’67 might even
be considered a pyrrhic one. Two
generations of Palestinians have suf-
fered under Israeli control and still
do not exercise self-determination
(which was also lacking under
Jordanian and Egyptian control),
and Israel’s ability to live up to its
ideals has been eroded.
Tensions between Palestinians
and Jews living within the 1967
border have been exacerbated.
Israel’s legitimacy in many parts of
the world has been undermined.
Perhaps in trying to assure its secu-
rity, Israel lost part of its soul.
Israel’s decisions today are no less
vital than during the 1967 war. Three
Israeli governments — that of Rabin,
Barak and Olmert — have recog-
nized the urgency of withdrawing
from the West Bank for peace, and

all made serious offers to end occu-
pation and establish a Palestinian
state in Gaza, the West Bank and
most of east Jerusalem. Israel today
must regain the urgency, creativity,
flexibility and courage with which
Rabin, Barak and Olmert tried to
attain a peace agreement.
A continuing occupation threat-
ens Israel’s existence as a place
where Jews can exercise self-deter-
mination in a democracy just as
much as the looming threat of mul-
tiple armies did in 1967.
Enabling Palestinians to exercise
their rights to self-determination
will garner greater international
affirmation for Israel’s own legiti-
mate right to self-determination.
Being attacked by Jordan in 1967
might paradoxically have made
Israel more secure in the medium
term; similarly, giving up most of the
West Bank and east Jerusalem with
land swaps might now paradoxically
make Israel also more secure.
Let’s hope that 50 years from that
dramatic turning point, Israelis
achieve peace with the Palestinians
and so many members of the Arab
League, finally concluding the land for
peace deals originally envisioned in
the immediate aftermath of the war. •

Yael Aronoff is the Michael and Elaine Serling
and Friends Chair in Israel Studies and the
director of the Michigan State University

