Defense Minister of Israel
"Whenever you accept our views, we shall be in full agreement with you."
Moshe Dayan's appointment as Defense Minister on June 1, 1967 — three days before the war — was a political masterstroke and a public relations phenomenon. Israel had been living under existential threat for weeks as Nasser blockaded the Straits of Tiran and massed forces in the Sinai. Prime Minister Eshkol was seen as hesitant. Dayan, whose eye patch had become globally synonymous with Israeli military capability, instantly transformed public confidence. He gave Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin the freedom to execute the pre-planned air strike and ground assault. After the capture of Jerusalem, it was Dayan who famously said 'We have returned to the holiest of our holy places, never to part from it again.' Yet he also initially opposed annexing East Jerusalem and later became an advocate for trading territory for peace.
Did you know?
Dayan was appointed Defense Minister only three days before the war began, replacing Levi Eshkol under public pressure. His appointment transformed Israeli public confidence — the nation felt, with Dayan in charge, it could not lose.
June 5, 1967 · 450 total casualties
Operation Focus was one of the most decisive military strikes in history. Destroying Arab air power in the first hours gave Israel total air superiority for the entire six-day war. Every Israeli ground operation that followed was protected by aircraft while Arab columns were destroyed from the air. Without Focus, Israel would have faced a very different war.
June 5–8, 1967 · 15,000 total casualties
The Sinai battle destroyed Egypt's military credibility. Amer's panicked retreat order — made without Nasser's knowledge — transformed a fighting retreat into a catastrophe. Thousands of Egyptian soldiers died in the desert without water. The humiliation toppled Egypt's military leadership and ended any idea of Egypt as a regional military superpower.
June 5–7, 1967 · 1,800 total casualties
The capture of the Old City and the Western Wall was Israel's most emotionally charged moment of the war — the fulfillment of a 2,000-year longing. But it also created an unresolved problem: what to do with the Palestinian Arabs of the West Bank. The occupation of the West Bank that began in 1967 became Israel's most enduring political and military challenge.
May 20, 1915
🌅 Birth
Born at Degania Alef
June 1941
⚔️ Battle
Lost left eye during Syria campaign
June 1, 1967
milestone
Appointed Defense Minister — 3 days before war begins
June 7, 1967
⚔️ Battle
Entered the Western Wall compound after liberation of Jerusalem
October 16, 1981
✝️ Death
Died in Tel Aviv