Monthly Archives: June 2007

Forty years ago on June 5, 1967, at 7:14 a.m., the Six-Day War began when IAF jets flew towards the airfields in Sinai and deep into Egypt. Forty years after the Six Day war, Professor Michael Oren, author of the best-selling book Six Days Of War, observes that "The question of Israel's existence is still on the agenda in full force on the Arab street.... Muslim civilization has been taken over by forces that have no doubt in their hearts that Israel is still going to be wiped off the face of the earth."

Several weeks ago, Israeli intelligence sources revealed that the Syrians had decided to shorten the army's training year and to move up the large annual exercises in order to be prepared for a confrontation in the summer. Meanwhile, Israel continues intensive training in the Golan Heights, as part of the IDF's preparations for the possibility of another armed round in the north in the coming summer.

A group of Israeli members of Israel's Knesset Parliament spent the last number of days preparing the Israeli response to the boycott of Israel by the British University and College Union: a package of sanctions against the U.K. that the MKs intend to begin to promote today.

Known as The Sanders Peace Plan, written by Michael S. Sanders, Director of Expeditions and Research at the Ancient Cultures Research Foundation, the proposal suggests a new paradigm for a comprehensive peace solution in the Middle East.

Countdown to the conversation: The focus of Olmert's expected talks will be the Palestinian issue, against a backdrop of rising frustration in Washington over the fact that all of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's attempts to promote a dialogue between Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on the core issues of the conflict remain deadlocked.