Bookworm has been going through a 1967 issue of Life Magazine which covered the Arab—Israeli war, and has discovered that 40 years has seen a dramatic shift in attitudes towrad Israel by major media. In 1967, Life was a major influence on the way Americans viewed their world. Two posts, so far, cover the material and her reactions. A sample:

What makes the magazine so distinct from today's coverage is the tone. The Life editors admired Israel tremendously for standing up to the overwhelming odds the Arab nations presented, and triumphing. The very first page identifies Israel as a beleaguered haven for refugees, surrounded by an ocean of hostile Arab nations:

The state of Israel, no bigger than Massachusetts, was established in 1948 in Palestine as a haven for the war—ravaged Jewish communities of Europe. Bitter fighting attended her birth and fixed her boundaries against the surrounding phalanx of hostile Arab states: Jordan cut into her narrow wasp waist and through the holy city of Jerusalem; Egypt along her western desert flank was entrenched in the coastal strip of Gaza. At Israel's southern tip is the strategic port of Elath, against which Egypt made the play that brought on th war and unhinged the entire Middle East.

The magazine opens by describing Nasser's conduct, which presented such a threat that Israel had no option but to react. It's interesting to read in part because it assumes a legitimacy to Israel's 1967 preemptive strike.

Thomas Lifson   8 28 06