Today, I came across a thread celebrating the Israeli victory in the Six-Day War. Aside from finding it unfortunate that occupation of foreign lands would be a cause for celebration for anyone, I wanted to share my own take on the memory of the event.
As some members may or may not know, the Egyptian Army employs conscription for all eligible males aged 19 and above. This means that in 1967, many who fought and died in the Six-Day War were conscripts--people who didn't even voluntarily choose to participate in the war involving Egypt, my country, and Israel. It was a tragic event for many Egyptian and, I assume, Israeli families who lost loved ones in the war.
Aside from the above, the occupation of Sinai was also a sad outcome that only led to further tension between the neighboring countries and required another war to resolve with a peace treaty, and it still leaves a trail of bad blood among some in the two countries even today. I'm a believer that Egypt and Israel can coexist under specific circumstances. Occupation by either of any part of the other's territory is not one of those circumstances.
So, instead of celebrating such an unfortunate point in both countries' histories, I would rather take the anniversary of the Six-Day War as an opportunity to express my wishes for a better, more peaceful future between Egypt and Israel. I hope neither I nor any of my Israeli neighbors are ever forced to die in a war against each other.
Wishing both Egypt and Israel the best during these difficult times in the pandemic--and also wishing for a future in which neither country celebrates an event full of unnecessary deaths and occupation.
As some members may or may not know, the Egyptian Army employs conscription for all eligible males aged 19 and above. This means that in 1967, many who fought and died in the Six-Day War were conscripts--people who didn't even voluntarily choose to participate in the war involving Egypt, my country, and Israel. It was a tragic event for many Egyptian and, I assume, Israeli families who lost loved ones in the war.
Aside from the above, the occupation of Sinai was also a sad outcome that only led to further tension between the neighboring countries and required another war to resolve with a peace treaty, and it still leaves a trail of bad blood among some in the two countries even today. I'm a believer that Egypt and Israel can coexist under specific circumstances. Occupation by either of any part of the other's territory is not one of those circumstances.
So, instead of celebrating such an unfortunate point in both countries' histories, I would rather take the anniversary of the Six-Day War as an opportunity to express my wishes for a better, more peaceful future between Egypt and Israel. I hope neither I nor any of my Israeli neighbors are ever forced to die in a war against each other.
Wishing both Egypt and Israel the best during these difficult times in the pandemic--and also wishing for a future in which neither country celebrates an event full of unnecessary deaths and occupation.
