1

What do you see?

Lots of conflicting shots, back and forth:
Shot 1: Israeli soldier saying, We acted
defensively for Israel
Shot 2: Palestinian soldier saying, Israel clearly
acted with aggression
Shot 3: Different Israeli soldier saying, We were
given no choice about this
Shot 4: Different Palestinian soldier saying, The
preemptive attack came from Israel, they decided
to move forward with the war
Shot 5: Different Israeli soldier saying, Egypts
aggressive closing of the Strait of Tehran was
unacceptable
Shot 6: Different Palestinian soldier saying, This
was a premeditated attack, planned by Israel
Transition/Special Effect
Map of Israel/Palestine in the background; Title of
The Six Days War fades in and then out

What do you hear?

Narration (1-2 sentences)
The Six Days War, fought between Israel and the
Arab States on the side of Palestine in June 1967,
is a bitterly contested conflict. The circumstances
leading up to it are confused and tangled, and
each side feels strongly about the war.

Music (if any)

Suspenseful background music

2
1

What do you see?

What do you hear?

Old footage and pictures, arranged in a

Narration (1-2 sentences)
mosaic, slowly changing; shots of guerrilla
fighters, the Israel border, government
In spring 1967, tensions between Israel and
officials meeting, tanks/aircraft in the desert Palestine were running high. Guerrilla groups
attacked Israel repeatedly, and Syria and Israel
Fade to shot of Israeli soldier.
battled at the border, launching attacks on
villages and air strikes.

Transition/Special Effect
None

Script
(Israeli soldier) We were all very defensive at
that point. It escalated and de-escalated very
quickly because we wanted to keep hostilities to a
minimum, but Israel felt that it had to make its
presence in the Middle East known and defend its
citizens.
Music (if any)
Sounds taken from old footage; gunshots, aircraft,
etc

3
2

What do you see?

What do you hear?

Old news footage (including narration) of

the conflict. After footage, still shots of
Soviet leaders and soldiers, panning across.

Narration (1-2 sentences)

(After narration on old news footage)
Tensions only escalated when false accounts from
the Soviets came in, claiming that Israeli forces
were amassing at the border with Syria to attack.
At almost the same time, Egypt, as part of the
Arab League boycott of Israel, closed the Straits of
Tiran, effectively blocking Israeli ships from going
in or out of the country.

Fade to footage of ships moving through the

Strait of Tiran.
Shot of Israeli general.

Transition/Special Effect
None

Script
(Israeli general) This was an act of pure
aggression against Israel. It was blocking our
imports and our exports. Of course we could not
stand for this. We had to fight for the right to
continue our international trade.
Music (if any)
Soft, slower tempo, but still suspenseful music
playing in the background

What do you see?

What do you hear?

Still images and footage of Israeli

airforce/Egyptian airfields, map of how
Israeli air force attacked

Narration (1-2 sentences)

Finally, on the 5th of June, the Israeli air force
decided to strike back and launched an attack
against Egypt. They moved strategically around
the base in order to use surprise and attack the
Egyptian airfields from an unexpected angle.
Because the Middle East is mostly desert, air
strikes are crucial for battles fought in the area.

Shot of a Egyptian soldier.

Transition/Special Effect
Shot of Egyptian soldier fades to black

5
What do you see?

Script
(Egyptian soldier) Someone ran into the room
yelling, They are here, they are here! Of course
we knew immediately he was talking about the
Israelis. We ran outside to get into our planes, but
the runways had been destroyed by the Israelis.
Only a few Egyptian planes were in the air, and
we watched as they were shot down. Ninety
percent of our air force was destroyed.
Music (if any)
Action music, background noises of explosions
and aircraft

What do you hear?

4

Shot 1: Photos of Israeli leaders in a room

planning; pan across photos
Shot 2: Footage of battles on the ground in the
desert
Shot 3: Egyptian soldier.

Narration (1-2 sentences)

And so the Six Days War began. After Israels
attack on Egypt, and a similar one on Syria, the
states of Jordan, Syria and Egypt immediately
entered Israel, bracing for this new conflict.

Transition/Special Effect
None

Script
(Egyptian soldier) Without our air force, we
were left very vulnerable to attacks. It was
impossible to defend against the Israelis. After
three days they had taken the Gaza Strip and the
entire Sinai Peninsula. They gained huge tracts of
territory in a very small amount of time. By the
third day, there was a cease-fire called.
Music (if any)
Upbeat action music

6
What do you see?

What do you hear?

5

Old news footage.

As the Jordanian soldier is talking, photos of
Israeli soldiers driving out the Jordanian
forces of Jerusalem appear.
Shot of a Syrian soldier. As he is talking, a
map of Israel before the war appears. Map
changes and borders move to show how
territory changed hands during the war.

Transition/Special Effect
Moving borders on the map to show changes in
territory

Narration (1-2 sentences)

News footage narration: A cease-fire has been
called for by the UN Security Council for the
conflict in the Middle East. Israel immediately
accepted this cease-fire, as well as Jordan. Egypt
and Syria have not responded.
Script:
Jordanian soldier: Israel warned King Hussein
to stay out of the conflict, but Jordan had signed a
defense pact with Egypt. They drove us out of
East Jerusalem and the West Bank area. That is
why Jordan immediately agreed to the cease-fire.
Our casualties were growing very fast.
Syrian soldier: Syria did not immediately accept
the cease-fire. Egypt accepted it the day after it
was issued, but Syria held out. This was not a
good choice. After shelling some villages near the
border, we came under heavy attack by Israeli
forces. After a day of heavy fighting, they
captured Golan Heights, which was very
important strategically. We then accepted the
cease-fire.
Music (if any)
Faint background music

7
6

What do you see?

What do you hear?

Footage of celebration in Israel; soldiers

moving through Jerusalem. More footage of
injured Arab soldiers and dejected-looking
people in Arab countries.

Narration (1-2 sentences)

In Israel, there was euphoria. The new country
had established itself as a military power in the
Middle East, and they had gained massive tracts
of land. The military victory was decisive. The
defeated Arab states, however, were much more
melancholy.

Shot of an Egyptian soldier.

Shot of a Palestinian soldier.

Script
Egyptian soldier: We were immensely
demoralized after the war. We had been beaten so
soundly and so decisively. No one could see a
bright side. Our president, Nasser, attempted to
resign, but the public outcry was overwhelming
and he decided to stay in office. Everyone was
very disappointed.

Transition/Special Effect
None

Palestinian soldier: We felt extremely let down.

We felt as though there was no chance for
Palestine to be recovered now. There was no way
for us to go back to how it used to be. It was very
depressing.
Music (if any)
Happy music during Israeli clips; sad melancholy
music during Arab clips.

8
What do you see?
Still images, arranged in a mosaic, of
Palestinian refugees; another shot of a map
with the new borders after the war.

Transition/Special Effect
Fades to black; end.

What do you hear?

Narration (1-2 sentences)
However, this was not the end of a conflict; rather
it was the start of a new one. Because of the new
land gained by Israel, millions of Palestinians were
now under Israeli rule in the occupied territories.
The situation was quiet for now, but not for very
long

Music (if any)

Sad music in the background