Gulf News Special: Baroud on How the 1967 War Changed Arab Discourse on Palestine
Israel seized Al Aqsa and annexed Jerusalem after the war of 1967. (Photo: File)
The 1967 war imposed a new reality, not only on the ground, but on the political and intellectual discourses pertaining to Palestine, Israel and the Arabs.
In fact, there was a particular point in history which one can define as the very juncture that ushered in that very change: The 1967 Arab League Summit in Khartoum. Then, the Arabs were forced to articulate a new language.
A few months before the summit, Arabs seemed sure of military victory against Israel. Fiery speeches by Arab leaders had assured the masses that the war would lead to the vanquishing of Israel, ending its aggression and taking Palestinians back to their towns and villages, from which they were uprooted in 1948.
But things did not go as planned, thanks to Arab unpreparedness and the full scale American-European military and intelligence support of Israel.
Within days, Israel had occupied more than three times more territory than it did in 1948.
So much had abruptly changed during those short, but painful days of war; old legends died and new myths were born.
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