1. United Nations plan to partition Palestine Flashcards
1
Q
What was UNSCOP (2)
A
- United Nations Special Committee on Palistine and its aim was to acquire evidence from all sides of the dispute
- They would report his back to the UN in September 1947
2
Q
What were the opinions of the Jews and Arabs of UNSCOP (2)
A
- The arabs believed that UNSCOP was likely to favour the Jews and refused to cooperate with it
- Meanwhile, Jews fully cooperated and exploited this as an opportunity to promote interests
3
Q
Recommendations of UNSCOP to UN: (1)
A
- Two independant states to be created
4
Q
Superpower stances on UNSCOP plan:
A
- Truman was sympathetic to Zionist cause but resented pressure applied by zionists: he was anxious not to lose access to oil supplies and on 10 October USA announced they would support the partition plan
- 3 days later, the Soviet Union announced that it would support the plan
5
Q
What were the positive views of the Jews of the partition plan: (2)
A
- That it granted a Jewish homeland, guaranteed by international law
- Britsh influence would be removed
6
Q
What were the negative views of the Jews on the partition plan: (4)
A
- They would not gain control of Jerusalem
- 45% of new Jewish state’s population would be Arab
- Only 2 areas where Jews were a majority
- Jewish land was not grouped together
7
Q
What were the negative views of the Arabs on the partition plan: (4)
A
- The creation of two seperate states
- Gave up 56% of Palestine to Jews who made up only 30% of the population
- Many Arabs would be based in Jewish state
- Much of Arab land was unfit for farming
8
Q
What were the negative views of the British: (3)
A
- Influence over region was removed
- Two states created
- Arabs seemed to recieve poor deal
9
Q
Dates of the war of 1948-49:
A
- First stage was civil war: end of 1947 to May 1948
- Second stage (War of Independance): May 1948 to January 1949
10
Q
What happened in the early stages of the Civil War: (2)
A
- Early stages saw Arabs on the offensive: general strike by Arab workers in December 1947 followed by widespread violence
- Implementation of Operation Dalet, saw the Jewish Agency secure its new territories and gain control of vital parts of the road network
11
Q
Why were the Jewish so successful: (5)
A
- Arab forces were divided: in the north, a combined Palestinian and Syrian force was led by Fawzi al Qawuqji, while separate force around Jerusalem was led by Abd al-Qadr al-Husanyi. Very little coordination between forces
- Other Arab states did little to help - the Arab league refused to fund al-Husanyi’s army. Also king abdulla of Transjordan viewed this as an opportunity to take parts of Jerusalem and Palestine for himself
- Jewish forces were well organised and led - the Haganah, who had experience fighting in WW2, was transformed into a more structured army consisting of 6 fire brigades
- Actions of Irgun and Leh’i helped create terror in the minds of the Arabs - contributed to 300,000 Palestinian Arabs fleeing to other parts of Palestine of to neighbouring states. The attack on the village of Deir Yassin on 9 April 1948 resulted in the deaths of 250 man woman and children.
- The Jews were better equipped, having stockpiled weapons from wartime raids. Managed to secure arms from Czechoslovakia
12
Q
How did the determination of Israeli people help them win the war: (3)
A
- Desire to protect what had been fought for (1945-8)
- Moral boosted by support of USA
- Financial support of Jews in Europe and USA
13
Q
How did the quality of Israeli armed forces help them win the war: (4)
A
- Had experience of fighting in WW2 + against British
- Better armed
- Total air superiority (shot down British Spitfires supporting Egypt in Sinai)
- Quality of military leadership
14
Q
How did the weakness of Arab forces help Israel win the war: (5)
A
- Military forces inexperienced and poorly led
- Lines of communication stretched impacting reliability of medical and other supplies
- Arab forces outnumbered (23,000 to 30,000)
- Syria and Lebanon did little fighting + provided only small number of troops
- King Abdullah of Transjordan negotiating with Israel
15
Q
What were the events of the second phase of the war: (5)
A
- On 15 May, a coalition of 6 Arab states invaded Israel from all sides
- By the first ceasefire in June the coalition had occupied approximately one third of Israeli territory - this included the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem
- Second period of fighting provided greater success for the Israelis. They were able to: recapture areas of Jerusalem previously lost, push the Syrians out of Galilee back into the Lebanese border and the Golan Heights, and completely remove Egyptian forces from Israeli soil
- Third phase of fighting lasted from October 1948 to February 1949. Israel made back the land they lost and even pushed into southern Lebanon
- Armistice was agreed on 24 February 1949
