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.