1948 War

Origins of the 1948 War

• Decades of growing tensions and increasing violence between two nationalist movements

  • exacerbated by contradictory promises (Balfour declaration and McMahone Correspondence)

• UNSCOP partition plan/resolution 181

• May 14 1948, declaration of Israel and Britain leaving

Timeline of the 1948 war

• Nov 1947: UNSCOP Partition Plan in Resolution 181 is adopted

• This sparks a Civil war between Arabs and Jews in the British Mandate of Palestine until the Nakba in May 1948 

• After Nakba/declaration of Israeli independence the war changes from civil to interstate

3 main reasons for the 1948 war

• Territory

• Jerusalem (the heart of the problem)

• Refugees

On what day did ___ declare Israel a state. And what else happened

May 14 1948

Ben Gurion

Britain withdrew at midnight leaving a power vacuum

Plan Dalet

• During the civil war part

• Ben Gurian’s reaction to the Arab uprising because of the partition plan

• Jews took control of multiple major cities

  • created refugees well before the Arabs invaded and the interstate war began

UNSCOP

United Nations Special Committee on Palestine

• created because Britain didn’t want to deal with the “palestine problem” anymore and referred it to the UN

• Jews found this as a crucial moment and was present to advocate for a 2 state partition with a “take what they’ll give us to start with” energy 

• Arabs boycotted cause “we are the majority in palestine you can’t split us” energy 

• Its conclusion is similar to Peel’s: “these people can't live together”

• Overwhelming vote for a partition plan for a jewish state and a palestinian/arab state passed Resolution 181

  • Jews accept and Arab states denied it 

  • Partition was 45% Arab and 55% Jewish

Key Events of the 1948 War

• Plan Dalet

• May 15 1948: Arab invasion

• UN brokered 28 day truce: turning point for Israel

• Operation Dani

• Negev Brigade

• Feb 1949: Egypt withdrawing

• March 1949: separate armistice agreements signed

Arab Invasion

• May 15, 1948 (British left at midnight the night before)

  • Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq

  • Lots of cities are taken

  • East Jerusalem and the Old City is taken by Jordan

  • Newly born IDF counterattacks were unsuccessful and the first month was not good for Israel

Turning Point for Israel in the 1948 war

UN brokered 28 day truce (and embargo but that didn’t hold)

• allowed for both sides to reinforce weapons and troops and Israel came out swinging after

Operation Dani

Only a partial success but gave Israeli’s moral and secured the Tel Aviv- Jerusalem corridor

• captured Lod and Ramie (arab stronghold cities between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem)

• Attempt to recapture Latron and end the siege in Jerusalem failed

Negev brigade

• fall of 1948

Took Beersheba from Egypt and lead to Israel’s recapture of the southern desert

When did Egypt officially withdraw

Feb 1949

When did the 1948 war end

March 1949

What countries did Israel sign armistice agreements with to end the war

• Egypt

• Jordan

• Syria

• Lebanon

No final peace treaty emerged

Outcomes of the 1948 War

• Israel gained 78% (creation of Israel)

• Egypt occupation of Gaza

• Jordan occupation of West Bank

• Creation of Green lines

• Birth of Palestinian refugee problem

• 50 year war video

How much land did Israel gain during the 1948 war

78%

West Bank negotiation

King Abdullah negotiated with Israel and agreed to pull back and into the West Bank (he didn’t want to help Palestinians he just wanted the West Bank)

Green lines

• were established around the west bank and gaza strip as temporary and a starting point for future negotiations

• still used as borders today

Palestinian Refugee Problem

• number is contested but probably around 750,000 refugees

• refugees were created during the civil war and the actual war

• Israel’s viewpoint: refugees were caused by arabs warning palestinians to leave in preparation for their invasion 

  • Flaws: most fled before the Arab invasion and there is no proof of Palestinians being warned to leave 

• Arab’s viewpoint: refugees are due to hostile Israeli and Jewish operations

BBC 50 years of war video

• British version: Israel was established and that led to 50 years of war 

• US version: Arabs failed to accept the 1947 partition plan and that led to 50 years of war

Many Arabs v. Little Israelis?

The 1948 war is often viewed and talked about like this but its not true. Israeli soldiers were 3/1 by the end of the war

Benny Morris

Contrary to claims of a “massive Arab invasion,” the Arab invasion forces were

• poorly organized,

• politically divided,

• and militarily weak

Claimed Israeli success was earned and not guaranteed because of western backing (like people claim) because of good:

• mobilisation

• arms procurement

• and strategy

Why was Palestinian leadership weak during the 1948 war

• British repression

• lack of centralized command

Mark Tessler

Rejects the myth that Jews and Arabs are “eternal enemies” and claims that the conflict started when Zionist political migration began in the late 19th century with the First Aliyah 

• Tensions were exacerbated by contradictory promises (Balfour declaration and McMahone Correspondence)

Goldschmidt and Davidson

Trace the rise of the PLO in 1964 back to the Arab marginalization of the Palestinians post 1948

Zionist State-Building

Began well before 1948 and allowed the jews to emerge already functioning like a state while Palestinians lacked equivalent institutions

The McMahone Letter

1915 (During WWI)

• British high commissioner based in Cairo started a correspondence with Sharif Hussein (an Arab leader) 

• McMahone offers large area of land including Palestine to the Arabs if they revolted against Ottoman empire 

• In return McMahone wants to be king of ME in return for his help 

• Sharif Hussein says McMahone can have all but jerusalem 

• Arabs base claim to Palestine (they claim Britain gave it to them here)

The Balfour Declaration

During WW1

• Letter from British gov (Arthur Balfour) to Walter Rothschild (Jewish leader)

• states that Britain supports the national establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” 

  • The debate: does “national home” mean “state”

• Israel and Zionists main claim to Palestine

Peel Commission

1937

• Lord Peel sent to analyze and find a solution to the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt in Palestine

• He decided that these people cannot live together 

• First suggested 2 state solution. 

• ***Principle of partition is introduced here 

  • Wasn’t implemented at the time because it required population switching 

  • The Jews accepted it, (they wanted a hebrew state not necessarily a Jewish one) 

  • Arabs didn’t (their culture is rooted in their land, you can’t just leave)

• Israel wanted more tho 

  • According the them the Balfour declaration included more 

    • “From the river to the sea” (the Euphrates River)

• British eventually abandons the Peel commission plan and issued the white papers