Forty years ago, while brave Israel Defence Forces (IDF) paratroopers were fighting to liberate Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation, I was desperately trying to travel to Israel to report from there for the U.S. radio station for which I was working as a foreign correspondent. Unfortunately, there were no seats available on the El Al flights. They were busy ferrying supplies, combat officers and others, all of whom were more needed than a scribbler with a pen, a pad and a tape recorder.

When I arrived a few days later, the Six Day War of June 5-10, 1967, was over and Jerusalem was again a united city where Jews and others could pray in peace, without barbed wires, daily shooting by Jordanian snipers or attacks by PLO terrorists blocking their way. The area in front of the Western Wall was dotted with shabby dwellings, and dirt and rubble were everywhere. Wild vegetation and tons of refuse blocked the access to the holiest site of the Jewish People.

I also saw the remains of the almost 60 synagogues, some dating back many centuries, destroyed and desecrated by the Jordanians after they conquered the Old City in 194JLJThey had turned some into garbage dumps and animal stables. We were shown gravestones from Jewish cemeteries, including thousands from the Mount of Olives, used to build waifs in private houses, even in public toilets, or for paving roads. Many still had the carvings of names and dates, barely legible - testimony to the callousness, even the barbarity of the Arab occupiers.

We also learned that the liberation of Jerusalem, while a great moment in the history of our people, almost did not happen.

Then-prime minister Levi Eshkol, who was concerned about having to fight a war on three fronts after battles with Egypt and Syria started on June 5, 1967, desperately tried to convince Jordan's King Hussein to halt the aggression, which the king had initiated, unprovoked.

EshkoFs pleas for restraint were, however, rejected by the king, who continued to order his artillery, air force and special forces to attack the Jewish area of Jerusalem and beyond, deeper into Israel, causing many military and civilian casualties, until the Israeli defence minister, Moshe Dayan, ordered the IDF to counter-attack. And, as they say, the rest is history!

I was reminded of these events because of recent attempts by some so-called historians and other critics of Israel, including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, to falsify history and portray the Jewish state as the aggressor and occupier of Palestinian lands. But the evidence is clear, hi fighting the Jordanian military offensive and liberating the lands of historic Mandatory Palestine, illegally conquered by the regime in Amman in 1949, Israel was the victim, responding to an unwarranted, brutal attack by Jordan.

Fortunately, there is clear, unimpeachable testimony regarding these events from the best possible source: the Jordanian king himself.

One year after the war, King Hussein wrote a book titled Ma guerre avec Israël, first published in French and afterward translated into other languages. The U.S. edition, printed by the William Morrow publishing house in 1969, was titled My War with Israel. I was one of the correspondents invited to attend the launching of its German edition in 1968, and I still have the volume in my library. For the purpose of this report, however, I will use the English-language edition, to refute the harmful fabrications of the anti-Israel propagandists.

King Hussein's book describes in detail the weeks before the June '67 war: how the Egyptians, especially the president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and his defence minister, Marshall Amer, were itching to attack and destroy Israel; and the nefarious role played by the PLO in heating up the confrontation by murderous incursions across the border with Israel. To quote King Hussein: "To the many difficulties undermining the work of the United Arab Command [in the days before the '67 conflict] must be added the unfortunate activities of the PLO." He adds that "from 1965 on, the PLO became a state within the Arab states and did as it liked."

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[Photograph]

The Western Wall as it appeared on the eve of the Six Day War.

The most stunning revelations are, however, included in the pages dealing with the start of the confrontation with Israel when the king was misled by Amer who gave him the "great news" that the Egyptian planes had scored decisive victories against the Israeli air force. Amer challenged the Jordanian monarch to enter the war and participate in the partition and plundering of the Jewish state.

Nobody knows whether King Hussein was fooled by the lies or chose to believe them. Here is his own description of the events, reproduced from the book, beginning on page 60: "At dawn on Monday, June 5, our air force began its task of protecting Jordan's skies... hi the blockhouse in the headquarters basement, I carefully examined Marshall Amer's message under the neon lights and then conferred with [Egyptian general Abdul Moneim] Riad [who was there to co-ordinate the offensive by the Jordanian forces] on what moves had already been made.

"'I've given the artillery orders to occupy the front lines,' he said. 'An artillery battalion of the Imam AIi brigade has been ordered to occupy Mount Scopus in Jerusalem [the demilitarized zone since 1948].

"Mount Scopus was occupied by our troops a short time later. Riad then gave our Hawker Hunters the green light. Their mission, together with the Iraqi and Syrian air forces, was to bomb Israeli air bases in the hope of neutralizing as much as possible the efficiency of the enemy air force...

"It was now 9 a.m. on Monday, June 5, and we were at war. Riad increased our fire power against the Israeli air bases by directing our heavy artillery - long range 155s - on the Israeli air force installations within our line of fire. Our field artillery also went into action, and our Hawker Hunters were ready to take part in the combined operation with the Iraqis and Syrians, beyond their initial incursions."

At this stage of the conflict, in spite of the Jordanian aggression, Israel refrained from any military action, which explains the next paragraph in Hussein's book.

"It was at this point that we received a telephone call at the air force headquarters from UN general Odd Bull. It wad little after 11 a.m.

"The Norwegian general informed me that the Israeli prime minister had addressed an appeal to Jordan. Mr. Eshkol had summarily announced that the Israeli offensive had started that morning, Monday, June 5, with operations directed against the United Arab Republic [the short-lived union between Egypt and Syria]. Eshkol further promised, 'If you don't intervene, you will suffer no consequences.' By that time, we were already fighting in Jerusalem, and our planes had just taken off to bomb Israeli air bases. So I answered Odd Bull: 'They started the battle; well, they are receiving our reply by air!'"

Even after EshkoFs urgent message, and Hussein's rebuff, the Israeli cabinet waited a bit longer, because, as noted by former foreign minister Abba Eban, "We decided to give King Hussein an ultimate chance to turn back."

Rather than seizing this unique opportunity, the Jordanian monarch increased the military action against Israel.

"Three times our Hawker Hunters attacked the bases at Netanya without a loss. And our pilots reported that they had destroyed four enemy planes, the only ones they had seen.

"On their side, the Iraqis bombed the airport at Lydda [Lod]. And a little later, the Syrians finally headed for the base at Ramat David and the refineries at Haifa."

The book records that, after another 90 minutes of waiting, under continuous attacks from the air and on land, and having sustained a number of casualties, Israel struck back with vengeance.

"At 12:30 on that 5th of June came the first Israeli response to the combined bombing by the Jordanians, Iraqis and Syrians. One of the Mirages' objectives was the military airport at Amman."

Suddenly the Jordanians were getting a taste of their own medicine.

"It was 1:10 p.m. A second wave of Israeli bombers attacked the Amman airport, 40 minutes after the first one. It lasted until 3:30. We didn't have a single aircraft left. The Israelis caught them all by surprise as they were taking on fresh ammunition and fuel. They were all de- _ stroyed on the ground before they could take off."

There are many other surprising details in the book, including an admission related to the famous conversation between Nasser and King Hussein, in which they decided to concoct the lie that the U.S. and British air forces were helping the Israelis. The Israeli Mossad intercepted the verbal exchange and broadcast it around the world:

Nasser: Should we say the United States and Britain, or only the United States?

Hussein: The United States and Britain.

Nasser: Good. King Hussein will publish a communiqué on this, and I'll publish the same communiqué.

Hussein: Thank you.

Nasser: As God is my witness, I tell you that I shall publish a communiqué and you will publish a communiqué, and we'll see that the Syrians also announce that American and English aircraft are attacking us from their aircraft carriers... 7 We'll really emphasize this point and do it together

Hussein: Good, perfect.

Nasser: A thousand thanks... Our planes have been bombing Israeli airports since early this morning...

Hussein: A thousand thanks. Stay well.

Forty years later, nothing has changed. The Arabs continue to tell lies in their propaganda, and many of Israel's critics and enemies continue to believe the fabrications, no matter how outrageous and blatant they are. And, as demonstrated by King Hussein's refusal to accept Eshkol's offer - to use the famous words of Abba Eban - Israel's enemies still "never miss an opportunity, to miss an opportunity" to make peace with Israel.

Copyright Canadian Jewish News Jun 7, 2007