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None of this implies the Soviets instigated the 1967 war to overfly Dimona

Reader comment on item: Foxbats Did Fly over Dimona
in response to reader comment: RTWT

Submitted by Charles Martel (United States), Aug 27, 2007 at 11:21

I'm not making a pro-Soviet or pro-Arab argument -- I promise I hate them both.

I made a narrow response to a narrow and to me unconvincing claim, that the Soviets provoked the 1967 war to overfly Dimona. (Maybe I misunderstood the claim, I apologize if so.) I agree they overflew Dimona for recon during the war-- no question.

I think by 1967 Nasser and Assad felt ready for war after their Soviet-assisted buildup.

They had the motive and felt they had the tools to do the job.

You don't need nefarious Soviets to explain the Arab decision to attack, and even IF the nefarious Soviets misled the Arabs into war (I have no opinion on that) -- I don't think the Dimona overflight is adequate motive.

As I said, a surprise peacetime overflight would be a lot less risky than overflying a country at war.

All the comments are tangential to the claim that the Soviets provoked the war to overfly Dimona.

Yes, the Arabs concealed the destruction of their air forces, but what does that have to do with this claim?

Yes, Soviets advised the Arab military (and often provided specialists) down to very low levels, but that does not imply that the Soviets could order the Arab militaries to act.

Nasser and Assad were Soviet clients, but they weren't puppets.

Thus, I am unconvinced that the Soviets had either the means or the motive to provoke the war -- they were helping out their Arab buddies and when the Arabs felt ready they would attack Israel. And IF there was a motive it was not overflying Dimona.

Give Arabs the weapons and confidence in victory over Israel, and that's an unstable equilibrium -- you don't need to provoke them further, and the Soviets did not like their direct fingerprints on international conflict.

I assume you're not arguing that the Arabs were mere proxies in a Soviet vendetta against israel?

So, MAYBE the Soviets misled the Arabs into war in 1967, but if so the reason wasn't to overfly Dimona.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (19) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
SEND IN THE NUKES. [228 words]DAVID J FEIGEROct 17, 2012 01:53199871
A Call for More Research on the Role of State-Sponsorship in Conflicts More Generally [151 words]AlexNov 5, 2007 00:18113110
Saida 1982 [150 words]UgriSep 9, 2008 03:05113110
Daniel, please read The Fifty Year War [62 words]Tom DavisSep 21, 2007 19:10109408
Hiding [57 words]David W. LincolnSep 21, 2007 10:32109377
This stuff again? [155 words]Wayne WagnerAug 29, 2007 00:25107154
Of course this is not news! [47 words]MosheSep 2, 2007 06:56107154
The inability of the world to write about any event which exonerates Israel. [175 words]Mladen AndrijasevicAug 27, 2007 02:03107040
Dimona libel [91 words]jacob CH.Aug 28, 2007 12:38107040
Russian denial [92 words]Rebecca MouldsAug 25, 2007 17:54106974
1The lie is compounded [214 words]Yuval Brandstetter MDAug 25, 2007 14:34106970
The FOXBAT mission doesn't imply the Soviets instigated the 1967 war [206 words]Charles MartelAug 24, 2007 11:45106902
RTWT [35 words]Brian HAug 24, 2007 17:50106902
1Martel, you do not realize [202 words]Yuval Brandstetter MDAug 25, 2007 14:46106902
None of this implies the Soviets instigated the 1967 war to overfly Dimona [342 words]Charles MartelAug 27, 2007 11:21106902
Of course not! They overflew Dimona prior the 1967 war. [121 words]MosheSep 2, 2007 07:34106902
That is a different story, and plausible [133 words]Charles MartelSep 25, 2007 17:21106902
This was the story from its beginning, and as at last you correctly admitted: It is indeed plausible. [24 words]MosheOct 8, 2007 04:21106902
"Plausible" is a pretty weak statement, and I'm not blaming Israel for 1967 war [344 words]Charles Martel (the baffled)Nov 5, 2007 12:52106902

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