No. Americans did not fly Israeli planes, nor did they provide any military assistance. Israeli planes at the time were not even US manufacture, they were French.
The Arabs claimed America was helping Israel because it was the only way to save face in light of Israel's overwhelming victory. Israeli intelligence taped a conversation between Nasser and King Hussein in which Nasser asks, "Will we say that the US and Britain [are attacking] or just the United States?" Later in the conversation he says, "By God, I will make an announcement and you will make an announcement...that American and British airplanes are taking part against us from aircraft carriers...." [from Oren's Six Days of War, p 226.] The Israelis provided the tape to Pres. Johnson, who was furious and referred to the Arab claims as "The Big Lie."
The US did not begin providing military aid to Israel until *after* the 1967 war. In 1967, Israeli planes were French, their tanks were French, British, and some US WW2 surplus, rifles were Israeli.
Before the outbreak of war, the US and other Western countries tried to support a diplomatic solution to the crisis, which began when Nasser moved his troops into the Sinai (demilitarized since 1956), expelled UN observers, and closed the Red Sea to Israeli shipping. The US supported freedom of navigation and there was discussion of Western nations challenging Nasser's blockade, but no one wanted to risk it. (The US and France promised to support Israel's right of navigation as part of the Israeli withdrawal from Sinai after the Suez Crisis in '56. The West's failure to stick by those promises was disappointing to the Israelis, to say the least, and is one example of why they are reluctant to have others responsible for their defense.)
Interestingly, Soviet pilots *did* fly for Egypt in the 1969-70 War of Attrition. The Israelis shot 5 of them down, which ultimately led to a cease-fire before the situation resulted in superpower confrontation.
Those who say the US sent weapons may be thinking of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, when Nixon arranged a massive airlift of weapons (to match what the Soviets were giving the Arabs).
As far as I know, the only time US military personnel have directly engaged in Israeli defense was during the Gulf War, when Americans operated the Patriot anti-missile systems.
2007-08-04 09:47:41
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answer #1
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answered by wanderkind 3
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America has often been a good friend to Israel, especially in the areas of aid and war material, etc. I seriously doubt any Americans in American armed services participated in this war, although there may have been Jewish American civilians who did, but let's face it; the Israelis don't need any pilots or fighters or leaders but their own to kick butt and win.
2007-08-04 07:08:32
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answer #2
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answered by LodiTX 6
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an outstanding style of human beings look to forget approximately that Egypt accrued a hundred,000 troops and 10,000 tanks on Israel's border. Egypt's president Nasser expelled the United international locations Emergency rigidity (UNEF) from the Sinai Peninsula in would 1967. Egypt additionally closed the Straits of Tiran to all ships flying Israeli flags. So it style of feels to me that Israel did no longer initiate the conflict. Egypt did.
2016-10-13 23:10:38
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answer #3
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answered by ? 3
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No,
1967 was before all the US-Israeli weapons deals and other forms of foreign aid.
The Israelis even used French weapons instead of American ones.
Even if the United States wanted to help out it is unlikely they could of made any impact seeing how the war ended in six days.
2007-08-05 04:09:35
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answer #4
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answered by Gamla Joe 7
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We have supported Israel with loans and weapons sense 1948 as we should always do. We have not sent our troops or pilots. Many civilians have volunteered in the past. Mostly American Jews. Israel is the only Democracy in the middle east and our only ally.
2007-08-04 07:14:12
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answer #5
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answered by curious connie 7
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The US govt. claims it didn't help, but I'm pretty sure it did, since American interests were involved.
Also American Jews (and even some Christians) sent a lot of money to Israel to help out.
2007-08-04 07:08:37
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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The USS Independence was sent to the eastern Mediterranean to defend Israel. Supplies were secretly sent by Britain and the United States. Britain also allowed Israel to use one of their airfields.
2007-08-04 07:11:49
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answer #7
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answered by staisil 7
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Israel didn't need American pilots. They had plenty of their own. America's sole contribution to Israeli defense consisted of selling them the planes they flew to shoot down the Arab air force.
2007-08-04 07:08:08
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answer #8
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answered by texasjewboy12 6
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The spy ship, USS LIBERTY, discovered that Israel started the 1967 war; then mysteriously Israeli jets and Israeli patrol boats attacked the USS LIBERTY killing 31 and wounding 171 Americans in June 1967.
2007-08-04 07:08:27
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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yes, they just approved 30 billion $ military aid to Israel also a lot of American troops stationed in Israel i.e. to operate patriot systems.
2007-08-04 19:20:46
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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