Description
The first edition of Israel Defence Forces: The Six Day War, inscribed by the Minister of Defence, Moshe Dayan. Additional laid-in signatures from Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Quarto, 239pp, [1]. Black cloth, title stamped on the spine. No additional printings noted. Includes hundreds of photographs and detailed battlefield maps. Light wear to front hinge, lean to text block. Tear to page 153-154, small loss along fore-edge. In the publisher’s dust jacket, light wear at tips, shelf wear, a very good example.
This book is inscribed in pencil, in Hebrew, by Moshe Dayan, with the following translation: “To Joseph, On the occasion of your Bar Mitzvah. Best wishes. Moshe Dayan / 11.8.69.”
Includes a letter from the “Office of the Minister of Defence,” to the father of the recipient. Also includes two laid-in signatures of Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Moshe Dayan (1915-1981) rose through the ranks of the Haganah and later became Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953-1958). As Minister of Defense during the Six Day War in June 1967, Dayan played a central role in orchestrating Israel’s rapid victory over Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, which resulted in the capture of the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights. He later served as Foreign Minister, contributing to peace negotiations with Egypt.
Menachem Begin (1913-1992) served as the sixth Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983. As Prime Minister, he signed the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty with Anwar Sadat, for which both received the Nobel Peace Prize. His tenure included the 1981 bombing of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor and the 1982 Lebanon War. He resigned in 1983 and lived in seclusion until his death.
