'I Occupied Your House in Gaza'

This editorial cartoon appeared in 1956 in a Swiss newspaper. Then Egyptian leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and the dog in one panel, here represent "fedayun" cross-border Sinai terror attacks into Israel. Israeli David Ben Gurion, pre-state Zionist leader and Israel's first and longest-serving Prime Minister turns a repeated blind eye, until he - finally - retaliates after repeated provocations. Note the peanut gallery representing Arab and international opinion. My how things haven't changed a whit. Note my lack of surprise.

Such an image appearing in a Swiss media outlet? Now that's a surprise.
(Image H-T: Sina)
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Yes, it's all over the intertubes. I'm posting it anyway; it needs to be read, and re-read because it's about the clearest, simplest thing out there at the moment about the conflict between Israel and Hamas - from one who's taking part in it:

An Open Letter to A citizen Of Gaza
I Am the Soldier Who Slept In Your
By: Yishai G (reserve soldier)

Hello,

While the world watches the ruins in Gaza, you return to your home which remains standing. However, I am sure that it is clear to you that someone was in your home while you were away.

I am that someone.

I spent long hours imagining how you would react when you walked into your home. How you would feel when you understood that IDF soldiers had slept on your mattresses and used your blankets to keep warm.

I knew that it would make you angry and sad and that you would feel this violation of the most intimate areas of your life by those defined as your enemies, with stinging humiliation. I am convinced that you hate me with unbridled hatred, and you do not have even the tiniest desire to hear what I have to say. At the same time, it is important for me to say the following in the hope that there is even the minutest chance that you will hear me.

Read the rest.

The 1967 War 40 Years On: Causes & Consequences (battle videos)

This is a very well prepared, comprehensive site coving the events before, during and apre' la guerre in Israel and the vicinity in June, 1967.

Bookmark this one; it's worth a long, considered look, as the reverberations of that conflict continue to wrack the area 40-years later...

High points:

• Timeline
• Players
• Long-term effects
  
  
  Aish has a good fact sheet, as well:

Why are we talking today about the West Bank and the "Palestinian question"? How did Israel get into this situation where it is reviled as an "occupier" and accused of a refusal to trade "land for peace"?

Prior to June 1967, Israel did not "occupy" any Arab land and did not seek to expand its territory. Israelis were not talking about populating Judea and Samaria or establishing "Greater Israel."

Similarly, Palestinians were not calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, which was controlled by Jordan, or in the Gaza Strip, which was ruled by Egypt.

And here, is an 11-part (!) series, in English, released by the Israeli government soon after the war. Extensive, and what I take to be exclusive footage shows the course of the battles. The rest of the segments are here.

From the poster:
On Monday June 5, 1967, 14 Arab countries came thundering down on Israel. Their armies far exceeded hers. Their Russian-backed weapons resources were vast. Yet in six dramatic days, the little country not only won a decisive victory, but also changed the map of the Middle East. This was the Six Day War.