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In the first 20 years of Israel’s existence, the State and its people were “David” – small, weak, and threatened with annihilation. During these years, the international community supported Israel’s struggle to maintain sovereignty.

1967, however, marks a turning point. For some, it represents the end of the vulnerability that existed after 1948 and reunification of Jerusalem, while for others it marks the start of “the occupation” and the emergence of Palestinian victimization.

This shift in perception of the Jewish State, from the underdog to the aggressor, did not simply emerge from Israeli military victories. Numerous and well-funded human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sprang up and pushed this narrative. While they claimed (and continue to claim) that their role was in ending Israel’s presence in the West Bank and in improving the Palestinian humanitarian situation, much of these activities delegitimize Israel as a country using the vocabulary of “apartheid” and “war crimes.”

For further discussion, we invite you to join a discussion on the 50th Anniversary of the Six Day War with Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, on June 6th at Yad Yitzhak Ben Zvi in Jerusalem at 17:30. Please rsvp to rsvp@ngo-monitor.org. For more information click here.