Hamtanah

This Hebrew word means "waiting" and generally refers to one very special period of waiting in Israeli history - 3 weeks before 6 Days War when it was decided if the war can be avoided and how should Israel prepare and act.
In April there were daily raids of Syrian troops - most notably Fatah ones - on Israeli territory and practicaly daily exchange of fire. Syria has been backed up by Soviet Union (as the whole episode was inbedded in cold war being something of a crossing between cold war and Arab hostility towards Jews). It was Soviet ambassador to Syria who most visciously pursued UN condemnation of Israeli response to Syrian aggression. Levi Eshkol proposed to take him for the tour along the Syrian border - ambassador declined offer and worked towards condemnation of Israel.

There were few more incidents with Syrians - putting mines on roads in Israel, firing at the kibbutz in Galilee and so on.

On 13 May, Nasser already a leader of Syrian-Egyptian coalition against Israel into which he also coopted Jordan, Egyptian troops moved into Sinai that - after 1956 war - was demilitarized area with UN troops guarding the truce. But in contrast to e.g. truce line between Koreas they weren't very much involved in the task.
Nasser said (absolute lie) that Israel intended to invade Syria on 17 May and on 16th May he himself ordered UN troops to leave Sinai. To complete surprise not only of Israelis but of Nasser as well Secretary General ordered troops to leave Sinai without even calling counsel and in 3 days Egypt was in sole possession of Sinai peninsula. Israel had to get started for war.
With Egyptian saber rattling and Nasser's speeches ("we aim at the destruction of the State of Israel"; "Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel."; "This is our chance Arabs, to deal Israel a mortal blow of annihilation, to blot out its entire presence in our holy land" ; "The Arab people is firmly resolved to wipe Israel off the map" - all quotes from Nasser) there was nothing but preparation for war. It was decided that as long as Gulf of Acaba will remain open for Israeli ships there is a chance to avoid war, but on 23rd of May Nasser closed it for all Israeli traffic.

This is how historian Michael Oren describes last days before the war:
"Throughout the country thousands were hurrying to dig trenches, build shelters, and fill sandbags. In Jerusalem... schools were refitted as bomb shelters, and air raid drills were practiced daily. An urgent request for surgeons... was submitted to the Red Cross, and extra units of plasma ordered from abroad. Upwards of 14,000 hospital beds were readied, and antidotes stockpiled for poison gas victims, expected to arrive in waves of 200. Some 10,000 graves were dug".

Doomsday scenario never materialized.

Why do I write it today?

For few reasons:
1. It is kind of anniversary - 45 years to the day it was the first act of war, the closing of Straits of Tiran  by Egypt.
2. I want you to imagine people., many of whom have survived Holocaust, lost everything, their citizenship rights were denied to them who again confronted threat of annihilation. Try to imagine what it meant to them - it was not the war for terrain or border, it was desperate fight for survival.
3. Israel is a small country, to get ready for war it had to mobilise all citizens leaving country and economy at standstill - all ceased work and were mobilised. You can't go on like that very long, waiting. Something that Nasser was perfectly aware of. Closing Straits of Tiran, calling for annihilation of Israel, ordering UN troops to leave Sinai and making Israel mobilise all people available were acts of war - Israel had to respond while there were still some resources. And according to international law the act of war was indeed committed by Egypt.
4. But most of all I want you to imagine this tiny piece of land, so valuable for those rejected by other countries, doomed, nearly annihilated in Europe merely 20 years previously. A country one forth size of Ireland threatened by armies of 3 other countries. Here you have it map - Sinai alone is just as big as the whole Israel and it was just demilitariased zone remilitarised by Egypt just before the war. Imagine how would it be for you had you been there with your family hearing threts, seeing international community backing away, feeling you are all alone and it is your survival at stake