The Lasting Legacy of Six-Day War -- How Six Days Changed the life of Palestinians, Israelis and their Relationship

Abstract

The Six-Day War of 1967 represents one of the most consequential events for the international politics of the Middle East in the twentieth century. With well-trained troops and skillful leadership, Israel destroyed Egypt‘s Air Force within three hours. Over the next five days, Israel tripled the size of its territory and managed to occupy Gaza, Sinai, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. What started as a short war between Israel and its neighbors, turned into an event with long-term consequences for the political climate in the region. Most notably, the war resulted in Israel permanently occupying the West Bank, the city of Jerusalem and several religious sites in the Old City. The occupation immediately escalated the political and economic tensions between Israel and Palestine. Furthermore, the past fifty years of diplomacy has shown that the results of the war continue to pose one of the greatest challenges for creating lasting peace in the Middle East.