It is known as the Six-Day War, or, less commonly, the June War, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War or the Third Arab-Israeli War.
Or, in some parts of the Arab world, The Setback.
It was the war that left Israel in control of the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights and East Jerusalem.
In May 1967, Egypt, reacting to false intelligence from the Soviet Union that Israel was massing troops on its borders, began massing its troops in the Sinai.
Once aware of that, Israel warned Egypt against further provocations but Egypt responded by closing the vital Straits of Tiran, and removing UN peacekeepers from the border.
Tensions built further on May the 30th when Jordan signed a defence pact with Egypt, later joined by Iraq.
But on June the 5th, Israel still caught Egypt off-guard when it launched what it claimed were pre-emptive strikes on an Egyptian airfield, essentially destroying the country's air force.
Syria and Jordan jumped to Egypt's defence, and, in a devastating war that took just six days, all three would pay a steep price.
Israel wound up with control of the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria.
And as Israeli historian Tom Segev sees it 50 years later, the argument ever since -- in fact, going back a full century -- has been about just managing the situation, not solving it.
"I think it's correct to regard the Six Day War as another round in a very, very long war between Israelis and Palestinians, starting even earlier than 1948, actually starting in 1917, if you want. And it's a very, very difficult conflict that probably doesn't have a solution. So, the question has always been how to manage it. And the argument between us and the Palestinians, and the argument amongst ourselves, is really about managing the conflict more than solving it."
It was in 1917, late in the First World War, that Britain promised support for a Jewish homeland in the Palestinian part of the Ottoman Empire.
Most of the land Israel captured in 1967 was what remained outside its control after the 1948 partition of the former British Mandate of Palestine, when the state of Israel was born.
Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1979, but the Gaza Strip has been the scene of two major Palestinian uprisings and thousands of people killed in Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The international organisation Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of maintaining control of the territories via repression, discrimination and systematic abuse of Palestinians' rights.
Spokesman Omar Shakir says the most pressing issue today is the growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
"Settlements are a war crime. They're a violation of the fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of one civilian population to territory acquired by war. You have now over half-a-million Jewish settlers living in the same territory in the West Bank as over 2 million Palestinians, and these settlers are Israeli citizens, they vote in Israeli elections, they're subject to Israeli civil law, and there's an entire system of roads, services, that apply to them that do not apply to Palestinians who live in the same territory. Palestinians, by contrast, are subjected to military law, they're not Israeli citizens, do not vote in Israeli elections, and they're subject to a separate and unequal legal system, rules and regulations."
Israel says its military measures in the Palestinian territories are necessary for security reasons.
And it rejects the United Nations position that settlement expansion violates international law.
The United Nations has condemned Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians but calls Israel's use of force disproportionate.
It says the military action against the Gaza Strip, together with an ongoing economic blockade, could make the territory uninhabitable within four years.
Omar Shakir says addressing those issues should be a priority for the international community.
"States and companies should cease all activities in settlements. Secondly, you should have countries that are putting pressure on the Israeli authorities, publicly raising the issue of access to Gaza. Gaza's in the midst of a dire humanitarian situation, whether you look at electricity, water ... the sort of basic necessities of everyday life. And, finally, you need accountability. It's clear that both parties have not and will not investigate crimes committed by their forces, so it's incumbent on the International Criminal Court, which has a pending preliminary examination into the issue of Israel-Palestine, to move that examination to a formal investigation."
The Australian Palestine Advocacy Network's Nasser Mashni suggests global efforts today would benefit from Australia taking a stronger stand.
"We'd call upon the Australian government to recognise the state of Palestine, and East Jerusalem as its capital. That would then move the conversation from an occupied people, a stateless people with an oppressor, to a more equal footing. It would give a clear message to the Israelis that the occupation is not accepted, that Australia stands by its commitment to the Geneva Convention."
