Arab-Israeli conflict 1948-9

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Arab-Israeli conflict 1948-9

• 1947-

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Introduction

• The land known as Palestine had, by 1947, seen
  considerable immigration of Jewish peoples
  fleeing persecution. Zionist Jews were
  particularly in favour of getting Palestine as a
  new Jewish homeland.
• The local Palestinian population of Muslim Arabs
  felt that the influx of newcomers was threatening
  their way of life.
• Clashes between the Arabic and Jewish populations
  had been frequent and bloody.
• The British rulers of Palestine decided on a
  repression of the Arabic people to keep the
  peace. By 1947 this had achieved an unhappy calm
  between all three groups.

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May 15 1948?

• The United Nations Partition Plan (1947) had
  decided that partition was the best way to stop
  the fighting in Palestine. The Jews were to get
  c.55 of the land, and the Arabs, 45.
• Naturally the Palestinian Arabs rejected it out
  of hand.
• The Jewish - leader Ben-Gurion -gave it a
  cautious welcome.
• All sides knew, however, that the British rule
  was coming to an end. Their Mandate
  (permission) to rule only lasted until May15
  1948.
• Both sides waited for the momentous day- to see
  who would be able to take what.
• The whole world watched with baited breath!

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May 14, 1948-Israeli Independence Day.

• The Arabic Palestinians, led by the Arab Higher
  Committee, moved first. There was a wave of
  anti-Jewish protests, Jewish shops were looted,
  and Jewish people attacked.
• The Jewish provisional government decided that
  they had to act independently. They felt that
  they had to act for themselves- and not wait for
  the British to leave.
• May 14, 1948 The Prime Minister Ben Gurion
  declared the Independence of Israel,only one day
  before the end of the mandate, and in a climate
  of fear and violence.

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David Ben Gurion.1886-1976

• Prime Minister of Israel 1948-1953,
  and 1955-1963.
• Born in Poland. He left in 1906 because of
  pogroms.
• Joined the British army in 1918 and got military
  experience.
• Ardent Zionist but not an extremist. Refused
  terrorism as a political tool.
• Urged Jews to form military self- defence force
  (Haganah).
• Declared Israeli independence despite Jewish
  opposition!
• (Passed 6-4)
• Credited with unifying all Jewish forces into
  one IDS (Israeli defence force)

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David Ben-Gurion declares Israels Independence
May 14, 1948
Israel was quickly recognised by the USA and
Russia. They were powerful, and rich, friends.
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1948-9 Israeli War of Independence.

• Arab League countries declared war on the new
  Israel immediately. Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan
  and Lebanon all planned invasions.
• The idea was to crush Israel before it could
  become established.

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1948 Arab Invasion plans of Israel ( in red.)
From Lebanon and Syria
From Transjordan and Iraq
From Egypt
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Israeli Defence Force. (IDF)

• Ben Gurion realised immediately that Israel
  needed to concentrate all her soldiers. All
  armed units- Zionist, or otherwise -were
  amalgamated into one force, the IDF. Arab forces
  were, conversely, dispersed and under separate
  control.
• To begin with the Israelis relied on what they
  had learned in WWII and from helping the British
  army. Equipment was scarce and usually old. In
  time, however, more supplies arrived and Israels
  military technology by 1949 was superior to the
  Arabs.
• But before this happened the Israelis relied on
  sheer enthusiasm and superior military
  intelligence. Israel won the air war, for
  example, by better strategy, rather than better
  technology.

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The war itself.

• It was a disaster for the Arabic nations. The
  Israeli forces were far stronger than any of them
  expected.
• Many Jews had fought in World War II and they had
  reasonable weaponry-mostly also from World war
  II.
• The Jewish army also greatly increased in size,
  whereas the Arab forces grew only slowly..

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Army sizes.

• Israeli Forces 1948
• Initial strength29,677
• 4 June40,825
• 17 July63,586
• 7 October88,033
• 28 October92,275
• 2 December106,900
• 23 December107,652
• 30 December108,300

• Arab forces 1948
• July 40,000
• October 55,000
• January 60,000

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The Avia S-199 Israels first fighter plane.
World War II experts may recognise it- it is,
ironically, the old German Messerschmitt BF 109
which was now used by Israel to fight its old
enemy the Spitfire- now being flown by the
Egyptians. Israel also managed to buy some
Spitfires too!
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Israeli children today still make models of their
nations first plane.
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Old military equipment. This gun was pre-World
War One vintage.
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Arab soldiers firing on an Israeli settlement.
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Motorised weaponry.
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Results of the war.

• Only the Jordanians and the Egyptians made any
  real gains. The Jordanians grabbed East Jerusalem
  and the West Bank land. The Egyptians gained a
  strip of coast-line called the Gaza strip.
• Elsewhere the Arabic forces were all pushed back.
• 1949 the United Nations declared a cease-fire on
  the Green Line.
• Israel signed armistice agreements with all the
  Arab states.
• Israel had expanded by another 25!

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Israel
West Bank-Jordanian
Gaza Strip-Egyptian
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Nakba disaster

• Up to ¾ of a million Arab Palestinians lost their
  homes in the war and fled South or East.
• Massive refugee camps sprang up and conditions
  were horrific.
• These camps proved ideal places for Arab
  resistance movements to begin recruiting members.

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Palestinian Arab refugees. The seeds of years
of future discontent ?
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More refugees..

• Meanwhile Jewish people fled in the opposite
  directions- into Israel or back to Europe, or
  even to the USA.
• Israels population doubled as Arabic states all
  expelled their Jewish population.

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Point of principal.

• For now, Israel had won her right to exist.
• The Arab league had to think again before
  challenging this right.
• Palestinians who had lost homes were a strong
  voice of protest against the new state.
• Ben Gurion was a national hero.