[lehighguy]

1) Do you really think the UN partition plan failed because the Arabs wanted the spasely populated underdeveloped desert in the south, or because they didn't want to Jews there at all.

2) Nasser did close the straight to Isreali shipping. Check your facts.

3) The forced withdrawal of the UN peacekeepers and the stationing of troops in the Sinai was a direct breach of the most important part of the peace treaty. There was no excuse for it and the fact that it led to war is no shocker.

4) If there was no plan to invade Isreal why would Nasser say this upon finalizing his military alliance with Jordan:
"Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel. The Arab people want to fight."

Rhetoric, I think not. You don't openly call for the destruction of a country, make military alliances with its nieghbors, station huge troop contingents on its borders, and blockade its ports because you want to make a statement.

We are lucky Isreal's leaders had the foresight to launch a pre-emptive strike, because if they had not the war could have turned out much differntly and Isreal might not exist today.