The Israeli War of Independence 1947-1949 Study Notes

Strategic Resource Acquisition: In 1945, David Ben-Gurion prioritized major weaponry. Rudolf Sonneborn and the Sonneborn Institute in the U.S. played a vital role in purchasing and supplying old WWII military equipment to the Jewish state.
UN Partition Plan: On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to partition Palestine into one Arab and one Jewish state. The Jews accepted the plan while Arabs rejected it, initiating irregular warfare.
British Involvement: During the late mandatory period, British forces displayed partiality toward Arab military efforts by handing over key tactical positions and fortresses.

Operation Nachshon: Launched on April 6, 1948, this successful operation used supply convoys to break the Arab blockade of Jerusalem.
Territorial Gains: Throughout April and May, Jewish forces captured Tiberias, Haifa, Safed, and Jaffa.
The Decision to Declare Statehood: On May 12, 1948, the People’s Administration held an 11-hour meeting and voted 6 to 4 in favor of declaring independence.

State Declaration: David Ben-Gurion formally declared the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.
The Five-Army Invasion: On May 15, 1948, the armies of Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded. Saudi Arabian troops also participated.
Major Early Events:
- The Jewish sector of the Old City of Jerusalem fell to the Arab Legion.
- $35$ recruits reinforcing the Etzion bloc were massacred.
- Kibbutz Yad Mordechai and other settlements faced heavy attacks.
The Birth of the Air Force: Israel utilized Nazi-designed Avia S-199 fighter planes and Czechoslovakian Messerschmitts (marked with the Israeli Star) to counter Arab air superiority.
The Altalena Affair: In June 1948, internal divisions peaked when Ben-Gurion ordered the sinking of the Irgun arms ship, Altalena, off the coast of Tel Aviv to maintain a unified military command.

UN Mediation and Conflict: LEHI assassinated UN Negotiator Count Folke Bernadotte on September 17, 1948, in response to his peace proposals which were viewed as biased toward the Arab side.
Final Operations:
- Operation Horev: Aimed to drive a wedge between Egyptian forces and secure the road to Jerusalem.
- Operation Uvda: The final offensive of the war, launched in March 1949, to solidify control of the Negev.
British Ultimatum: In January 1949, Britain threatened intervention if Israeli forces did not withdraw from the Sinai; during the standoff, Israel shot down five British Spitfires.
War Conclusion: Armistice agreements were signed individually with Egypt, Lebanon, Transjordan, and finally Syria on July 20, 1949. Israel lost approxiamtely $1\%$ of its population ( $6,000$ people), including many Holocaust survivors.

Sonneborn Institute: How did the Sonneborn Institute help the young Jewish State survive the war? (By purchasing and supplying vital WWII military equipment).
Operation Nachshon Purpose: What was the purpose of Operation Nachshon? (To break the Arab blockade and resupply Jerusalem).
Deir Yassin Views: What happened at Deir Yassin? How did Israelis and Arabs view this event? (The transcript notes this as a point of diverged perspective between the two sides regarding the nature of the encounter).
Declaration Strategy: Why did Ben Gurion decide to declare a state despite the imminent five-army invasion? (Decision made hours after learning an invasion was on the horizon to establish formal sovereignty).
Logistical Importance: The slides describe the "crucial importance" of Latrun and Burma in maintaining control of Western Jerusalem.
Cost of Victory: Israel's victory came at the cost of $6,000$ citizens, representing $1\%$ of the total population.