As this anniversary reminds us, statehood for Palestinians, security for Israelis and peace in the region cannot be achieved by force. An end to the occupation and a political solution to the conflict is the only way forward – for Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese and the wider region. This will only be achieved through negotiations to bring about an end to the occupation, based on the principle of land for peace, as envisaged in Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).
These were the words in a statement released by a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General on the fortieth anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
The Daily Star Egypt asked Egyptians about the effects of the tragic 1967 defeat and whether Israel is still perceived as the enemy despite the October 1973 victory over Israel and the subsequent peace accords.
The 1967 war had the most dangerous effect on Egyptians. Egypt has not been the same since the war. It [Egypt] lost its position as being the model country of the region which used to lead the way to democracy and freedom, said Nabil Abdel Fattah, political analyst at Al Ahram Center for Strategic and Political Studies.
Of course Israel is still the enemy and that is due to its nature as a settlement state that still exists in the region, he continued.
In Egypt there are lost of people who are still weeping over the 1967 war as if the war is a never-ending crisis we will never escape. But this is not true because we [the young generation] have more issues and problems to deal with other than a war that took place 40 years go. For me the 1967 defeat was deleted by the 1973 victory and the crisis of 1967 ended then.
For me, I have seen Israel beaten up by members of Hezbollah. So I do not have bad feelings against them, but I pity them for their humiliation, said Mohmaed El Baz, 33, writer and journalist at Al Fajr newspaper.
I love wars and I wish I had lived to fight in the 1967 and 1973 wars. And I think that the 1967 war left a big wound in the soul of most Egyptians that will never disappear.
Israel is still the enemy but in an indirect way, due to its provocative relations with Arab countries like Syria and Palestine, said Hussien Farouk, 24, chef at a restaurant in Mohandiseen.
. I still feel the pain of the 1967 defeat and although the 1973 victory has released some of the defeat s pain, it has not eliminated it completely.
Of course Israel is still an enemy because of what it continues doing in the region, said Samah Mahmoud, 20, kiosk-owner.
