Divisions still bitter 40 years after Six Day War

MARKING 40 years of Israeli occupation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday warned his people are on the verge of civil war and said infighting is worse than living under Israeli military rule.

Israel’s capture of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the Six Day War was a “black day” for the Palestinians, who paid a heavy price for defeat, Mr Abbas said on the anniversary of the 1967 start of hostilities that changed the face of the region.

In Israel, the anniversary underscored divisions over whether the war was a blessing or a curse.

The dovish camp says the rule over the Palestinians has eroded Israel’s values and weakened its international standing.

Many devout Jews, however, feel the return to the biblical heartland of the West Bank is a step toward redemption.

Hardliners say the land buffer gained by the war made Israel more secure.

In Hebron yesterday, about 200 Israeli protesters called on the government to remove 500 militant Jewish settlers from the West Bank city, home to 160,000 Palestinians.

They faced off against 30 counter-protesters.

In the Palestinian territories, worry about fighting between Mr Abbas’ Fatah movement and the Islamic militant Hamas dominated speeches and commemorations. The parties have governed in an uneasy coalition since March, after a year of Hamas-only rule, but another round of deadly gun battles erupted in May.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, about 300 people held a memorial rally, holding banners reading “40 Years of Occupation”.