Conflict in the Middle East: 1.1 Flashcards
Background + the British withdrawal and the creation of Israel
1
Q
What was the Jewish claim to Palestine (the Holy Land) and why was it significant ?
A
- Jews faced antisemitism throughout history, increasing and reaching crisis level during WW2
[] many Jews felt unsafe without a land of their own and somewhere where the people would gladly accept them into community
[] led to a rise in zionism - Jews had settled Palestine 3000 years before and lived there on and off until the 2nd century CE
- religious significance of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall (where King Solomon’s temple once stood) in Herusalem and the Temple in Jerusalem, which held the Ark of the Covenant (contained decalogue given to Moses by God)
[] made Jerusalem extremely sacred, and made exile from Jerusalem a huge deal; international sympathy thus given, ESPECIALLY after periods of religious persecution such as WW2 - Jewish diaspora during Roman times when the land was renamed from Judea to Palestine
[] made many Jews feel as if the land was truly theirs and they had been exiled for no good reason
[] felt that Palestinians and Arabs had no true rights to the land
[] created a sense of longing for their “original” homeland amongst the Jewish zionist community - in the Jewish holy books, Jewish people are promised the holy land/Israel/the nation of Zion (where Zionism comes from)
2
Q
What was the religious significance of Palestine and Jerusalem for Muslims and Christians ?
A
- Muslims:
[] third holiest city in Islam
[] Mohammed visited Jerusalem abd ascended into heaven for one night
[] Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock - religiously significant buildings for thousands, especially after Arab/Muslim control of Palestine grew and the majority of the population converted to Islam - Christians:
[] Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, was crucified and rose from the dead in Jerusalem
[] much mention of Palestine as the holy land and where Jesus’ teachings had much significance; HOWEVER this is largely because Jesus was Jewish and actually helped the Jewish claim slightly more because of this
3
Q
What was the Balfour Declaration and its significance for the rising tensions between Palestinian Arabs and the Jews ?
A
Britain’s agreement to support zionist desires for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine WITHOUT CONSULTING PALESTINIANS
[] outrage amongst Palestinians that their land was being used without their permission to house another group of people
[] anger at the British for simply swapping Ottoman control with British control; wanted independence and the moving-in of Jews without their permission diminished national power and authority if eventually given independence
4
Q
What were the terms of the British Mandate in Palestine and their significance ?
A
- Britain to protect the rights of Palestinian Arabs already living in Palestine
[] DIDN’T largely; led to a significant rise in tension between Palestinians and the British troops in Palestine due to the disobeyment of the Mandate’s terms
[] this conflict was expensive, especially for a post-war Britain later on (though Jewish conflict had more effect at the time) - Britain to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine
[] anger about lack of consultation from Palestinians
[] Jewish immigration encouraged and enabled via the Jewish Agency, helped new immigrants to buy land and organise schools; use of Palestinian land without their consent caused a lot of tenison
[] as population of Jewish immigrants grew, Palestinian Arab-Jew tensions grew and often spiralled into riots or violent clashes
5
Q
When did the British Mandate begin and end ?
A
- began: 1923
- ended: 15 May 1948
6
Q
Describe the role of the League of Nations (forerunner to the UN) for creating a basis of distrust later between Palestinians and the UN
A
League of Nations gave the British Mandate in 1923 without consulting Palestinians
[] much call for independence in Palestine at the time, and so the Mandate went directly against their desires
[] divvying up Palestinian-owned lands without their agreement or consultation took authority away from the people, and weakened the Palestinian claim to their OWN LAND in later years
7
Q
Who were the Irgun ?
A
led by Menachem Begin
[] future Israeli Prime Minister
Jewish terrorist organisation that vowed to form a Jewish state by force if necessary
[] demonstrated the early formation of violent zionist attitudes HOWEVER also demonstrated the Jewish desperation for safety and a homeland whilst antisemitism rose in the 1930s
8
Q
Who were the Lehi ?
A
extremist Jewish group formed fron the Irgun (fought British Mandate even during the agreed truce for WW2)
9
Q
Who were the Haganah ?
A
led by David Ben-Gurion
[] first Israeli Prime Minister
early defence force of Palestinian Jews and newer Jewish settlements in Palestine
10
Q
What were the key features and the significance of the 1936-39 Arab uprising ?
A
- took 20 000 British troops with the addition of the Haganah to crush the uprising
[] strength of Brits + Jews needed to crush the uprising as well as the 3 year period denotes the ultimate strength and indignance of the Palestinian Arabs at the events in their own country
[] makes it clear that Palestinian Arabs were opposed to the lack of control they had over their own territory due to British support of Zionism and the British Mandate
[] for some, could had possibly meant that the Arabs seemed antisemitic or anti-Jew, as could accuse Palestinians as being unempathetic towards the Jewish need for safety or could use the anger of the Palestinians in relation to establishing a Jewish homeland, not even their own state in Palestine to support their point
[] others may argue that the Palestinians had the right to be angry at the use of their own land without their permission; they weren’t anti-Jewish, simply against the lack of control they were given, as well as the militant ideas of some Zionists to create an Israeli nation by force
11
Q
Describe the significance of the Holocaust for the creation of the state of Israel
A
- international sympathy for the Jewish
[] British likely felt shame for denying Jewish immigration during periods of rising antisemitism in Germany and the surrounding nations just prior to the Holocaust and wanted to make it up to the Jewish on the political stage by endorsing a Jewish homeland for their safety - gave Jews something to easily create an Israeli national identity from
[] Holocaust memorial became a huge part of national identity later, with many lessons, many prayers, events etc. centred around it to remind Jews of the need to create a homeland for themselves in the Promised Land
12
Q
Give a timeline of key events from 1945-48 of the end to the British Mandate in Palestine (no details necessary)
A
- 1945
[] Ernest Bevin (British foreign secretary) put limit of 1500/month on Jewish immigration to Palestine - October 1945
[] Jewish Insurgency begins + the Jewish Agency begins stronger efforts to smuggle Jewish immigrants into Palestine - April 1946
[] British refuse 100 000 Jewish immigrants into Palestine - 22 July 1946
[] bombing of the King David Hotel - February 1947
[] British ask the UN to find a solution to the conflict - July 1947
[] SS Exodus is turned back from Palestine by the British - July 1947
[] Sergeants’ Affair - November 1947
[] UN vote in favour of Resolution 181 (the Partition Plan) - December 1947
[] start of the Arab-Jew civil war; lasts until early 1948 - 14 May 1948
[] Israel declares itself as a new state - 15 May 1948
[] last British soldier leaves Palestine and the 48-49 war breaks out
13
Q
Explain the significance of why Ernest Bevin limited Jewish immigration to 1500/month in 1945
A
- knew that a flood of Jewish immigrants straight after WW2 would cause massive Arab-Jew tensions in Palestine
- Britain needed oil from the Middle Eastern Arab states neighbouring Palestine so needed to be on good terms with them
[] these countries didn’t approve of Jewish mass-immigration into Palestine for the purpose of establishing a Jewish homeland, so limiting immigration would please them - NOTE: Bevin’s policy caused uproar amongst prospective Jewish immigrants to Palestine, as well as Zionists, as could view as Bevin going against the Mandate’s agreement to support the creation of a Jewish homeland, and some feared the British would stop immigration altogether
[] led to rising tension in Palestine and to the Jewish Insurgency
14
Q
Describe the key events, features and significance of the Jewish Insurgency, 1945-47
A
- many Palestinian Jews abandoned the truce that they held with British troops during the second world war
[] demonstrates seriousness of the Jewish anger at the time as well as seriousness of limiting immigration to Jews - Irgun, Haganah + Lehi worked against the British
[] blew up the railway system in 153 places, as well as radio stations and telephone lines in order to hamper British communications
[] targeted British offices, police stations, oil pipes, banks etc.
[] these attacks affected a lot of Arab and Jewish Palestinians alike in addition to the British - fierce retaliation to any British violence
[] Menachem Begin (Irgun) kidnapped and beat 4 British soldiers with 18 strokes of the cane each
[] response was to kidnapping and beating of two Irgun terrorists with 18 strokes of the cane in total
[] Begin’s petty attention to detail demonstrates the fiercely protective nature of Jewish Zionist leaders towards other Jewish people, as well as the hatred they had towards their opposition, though some could view the attention to detail as a power move against the British - the Jewish Agency (led by David Ben Gurion) made more serious attempts to smuggle Jews into Palestine by boat
15
Q
Describe the key events of the bombing of the King David Hotel, 22 July 1946
A
- Irgun disguised as Arabs drove into the King David Hotel’s basement
[] demonstrates planning; knew that the basement was the least well guarded, as well as the significance of blowing up the British Army’s main HQ - direct statement against British involvement in Palestinian politics etc. - left milk churns full of explosives next to the supporting columns in the basement
- explosion took out almost whole southern wing
[] killed 41 Arabs, 17 Jews and 28 Brits, most civilians - Begin had said that 3 warnings were telephoned through to the British before the explosives went off
[] doubtful as there is no supporting evidence and the calls were not received
[] if Begin was lying, demonstrates the early chaos-causing tactics of the Jewish Zionists in Palestine and shows that they wanted to injure or kill the British who worked there, regardless of any collateral damage
16
Q
Describe the significance public reaction to the bombing of the King David Hotel in July 1946
A
- Haganah publicly condemned the Irgun for its excessive use of force and the mass amounts of collateral damage (largely concerned with Jewish deaths)
- caused outrage in the UK against the British Mandate
[] the war was over and Britain was struggling economically; many people didn’t see the point in further British deaths and money spent abroad for a tiny country in the Middle East when Britain itself needed attention and rebuilding
[] ground troops in Palestine were also greatly demoralised by the terrorism and wanted to return home - Palestinian Jews subject to random searches, military curfews, road blocks + mass arrests
[] made the British seem bad to Zionists and possibly anti-Semitic, increasing international sympathy for the Jewish and the Zionist cause - British Mandate policy on reduced Jewish immigration still did not change
[] demonstrates Britain’s commitment to appeasing Middle Eastern states in order to maintain its supply of oil; WW2 had massively shown the importance of oil, and without it Britain would struggle even further economically
17
Q
Describe the key events and significance of the turning back of the SS Exodus in July 1947
A
- SS Exodus had 4500 passengers
[] many were Holocaust survivors - when ship reached the British blockade before Palestine, the ship was turned back to France
[] generally expected by the Jewish Agency but made the British look especially bad this time, not just for refusing Jewish immigrants but HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS TO A NATION WHERE THEY WOULD FEEL SAFE AMONGST THEIR JEWISH COMMUNITY - once ship reached France, there was a hunger strike and the passengers refused to de-board the ship
[] raised mass amounts of publicity and garnered sympathy for the Jewish immigrants to Palestine as well as the Zionist cause - also rose criticism of the British Mandate and put increasing pressure on the British government to do something about it - ship rerouted to Germany and passengers forcefully de-boarded into refugee camps in Hamburg
[] where many of these Holocaust survivors had endured much discrimination, emotional and physical pain etc.; caused global UPROAR against Britain’s treatment of the Jewish immigrants and gave massive support to the Zionist cause
18
Q
Describe US support for Zionism and its significance for the birth of the state of Israel
A
- 5 million+ Jews lived in the USA
[] held power to lobby and pressure government officials into policies supporting Zionism, like pressuring President Truman to accept Holocaust refugees after the war - US press printed articles encouraging Jewish terrorism in Palestine
[] legitimised the actions of the Jewish terrorists by having the support of the strongest country in the world at the time
[] European countries like Britain and France had to go along with US support for Zionism due to dependence on the US for financial aid in post-war recovery (though this aid was in part given to gain US support in the Cold War, so the aid wouldn’t have gone away too quickly) - US gave $46 million to Zionist cause in 1945 alone
- US could pressure Britain into allowing Jewish immigrants and furthering the Zionist cause due to financial power over Britain post-war
[] Britain giving up the Mandate was influenced by its wish to avoid political clashes with the US and thus loss of much needed US aid
19
Q
Explain why the British asked the UN to find a solution to the conflict in Palestine and gave up the Mandate subsequently in February of 1947
A
- no money to stop Jewish terrorism whilst focusing on rebuilding post-war Britain
- couldn’t agree to Zionist demands without upsetting Palestinians and neighbouring Arab states (who they needed to be on good terms with for oil) and vice versa
- was pressured economically and politically by the USA to support Zionism full-scale but that would go against protecting the rights and sensibilities of the Palestinian Arabs
[] didn’t want to disobey USA in fear of loss of financial aid which needed to rebuild after the war
20
Q
Describe the key features and significance of the Sergeant’s Affair July 1947
A
- 2 British troops hung in a forest with booby traps surrounding the bodies so that they couldn’t be cut down and buried respectfully
[] in response to execution of two Irgun members
[] photos taken and released in newspapers etc.
[] caused much outrage in Britain and sparked anti-Semitic riots
[] The Times newspaper compared the actions of the Irgun to those of the Nazis and significantly decreased both British support of Zionism and the British Mandate
[] contributed to the growing British desire to simply pull out of the Mandate altogether
21
Q
Give a timeline detailing the UN’s involvement in Palestine in 1947
A
- February 1947
[] British ask UN to find a solution to the conflict in Palestine - May 1947
[] UN set up UNSCOP (United Nations Special Committee on Palestine) - June-August 1947
[] UNSCOP toured Palestine, collecting the opinions of people on the British Mandate and the current situation of their country
[] Jewish Palestinians were largely welcoming to the UN BECAUSE THEY COULD INFLUENCE PROGRESS OF ZIONISM IN PALESTINE
[] Palestinian Arabs boycotted the tour largely and didn’t give their opinions or participation; didn’t see why they should have to, as it was their land in the first place and felt as though the UN had no place in divvying up their land or deciding their politics
[] this made it hard for the UN to properly gauge Arab views on the problem beyond generally being negative and so could have influenced the lack of consideration given to Palestinians in the end agreement
[] some Palestinians, especially former leaders, met with the UNSCOP in private to give their own views despite this
[] neighbouring Arab states like Lebanon and the Transjordan were consulted instead when Palestinians boycotted the UNSCOP - September 1947
[] UNSCOP propose Resolution 181, the Partition Plan
[] Arabs completely rejected the plan, as gave over half of Palestine to Jews despite them only being 1/3 of the population AND the immigrants in the scenario, and gave the most fertile areas to the Jews which would severely harm Arab agricultural industries in Palestine
[] the British rejected the plan, as was unjust to Arabs and was likely to cause civil war; the British officially announced that they would not stay as the Mandate to implement the plan as didn’t want to waste more money, troops and resources on Palestine/Israel trying to keep the peace
[] most Jews begrudgingly accepted the plan, as was beneficial to them BUT couldn’t have Jerusalem as capital as it would be under UN control
[] for extremist Jew Zionists, was unacceptable, as couldn’t have Jerusalem as capital (religiously significant) and in the proposed Jewish state many Arabs would still live (owning up to 80% of the land) - 29 November 1947
[] UN vote in favour of the Partition Plan
[] 33 nations = yes, 13 = no, 10 chose not to vote (shows the power of bribes and fear of retaliation from either the USSR or US if chose a side)
[] prior to this, the US had pressured and bribed many countries into siding with it in supporting the plan due to its benefits for Zionism; Truman demanded a “full explanation” from countries that had previously aligned with the US’ political beliefs yet refused to do so on the issue of Palestine; this not only gave the US a new ally in the Cold War (Israel) but won many smaller states over to its side in the Cold War also due to economic bribes or pressure
[] USSR hoped that a new Jewish state could be an ally in the Cold War, so was in favour of the plan
22
Q
Describe and date the key events of the December 1947 - May 1948 civil war
A
- Nov 29-Dec 11
[] Arab attacks on Jews (79 dead)
[] Jewish reprisals = more dead
[] British public anxious to withdraw from Palestine
[] British troops instructed to do nothing as the war developed - Dec 1947
[] Britain announced withdrawal date from Palestine to be 15th May 1948 - February 1948
[] by this time, 100 000 Palestinians fled to escape violence - March 1948
[] Plan D(alet): all Arab towns, villages and settlements in the Israeli proposed state to come under Israeli military control
[] those who didn’t comply would be expelled
[] debate from modern historians over whether it was offensive or defensive plan
[] some historians said it paved the way for the later Israeli ethnic cleansing of Arab settlements in Israel
[] would have gotten very negative (Palestinian) Arab reaction, as Arabs in the Israeli military-controlled areas hadn’t gained any independence since the Ottoman Empire decades before and were again stripped of authority in their own land - 9 April 1948
[] Deir Yassin = village overlooking main road to Jerusalem (road Arab controlled at the time)
[] 100 Irgun and Lehi combined forced massacred the 100+ inhabitants of Deir Yassin (most women and children, all unarmed)
[] Begin, who led the attack, claimed that Deir Yassin was being used as a base for the Palestinians, though this accusation was very largely unfounded
[] Arab uproar: in response, broadcasted details of the atrocity on radios in order to encourage revenge or reprisals for the massacre
[] worked in part; there was an Arab attack on a Jewish medical convoy, killing 70, HOWEVER mostly backfired, making Arabs in Israeli-controlled areas terrified and 250 000 fled to Arab-controlled territory
[] significant, as Arab fear would show the Jewish extremists that violent, terror-inciting tactics worked to expel Arabs from the proposed Israeli state, leading to more land in Jewish hands rather than Arab hands
23
Q
Why did the Arab-Jewish civil war from 1947-48 take place ?
A
to gain as much land and control as possible before the new states of Palestine and Israel were official
24
Q
When did David Ben-Gurion proclaim the foundation of the state of Israel ?
A
14 May 1948
25
Q
Describe the acceptance of Israel as its own state by various different nations
A
- US immediately recognised Israel
- USSR recognised soon after the US
- Arab states immediately denounced and rejected Israel’s (right to) existence
- Palestinians didn’t even proclaim their own state due to their utter rejection of the Partition Plan
26
Q
When did the Arab-Israeli war begin and why ?
A
- 15 May 1948
- to immediately destroy Israel whilst it was weak and to gain back land for the Palestinians
27
Q
Which Arab nations took part in the Arab-Israeli war ?
A
Transjordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq
28
Q
Describe Phase 1 of the Arab-Israeli war 1948-49
A
- Israel invaded by the Arab allies of Palestine
- in the first 3 weeks, Israel was severely underarmed
[] had only 5 field guns compared to the Arab 150, with only 1 in 3 troops being armed - in the first 3 weeks, a Jewish kibbutz (community farm) called Yad Mordechai was attacked by 2500 Egyptian soldiers
[] the Jewish farmers stalled the attackers for 5 days before it fell, giving Israeli forces to organise a defensive line in front of Tel Aviv (the Israeli capital)
[] demonstrates Israel’s weakness military-wise in the first phase of the war
[] ALSO demonstrates the commitment and resolve of the Israelis to defend their land and how this desperation to protect their new homeland and allow it to prosper was a reason why the Israelis won the war - 11 June
[] Count Bernadotte of the UN organised a month’s truce with an embargo on weapons
[] CRUCIAL TO ISRAEL’S SURVIVAL IN THE WAR
[] Israel used the truce to establish Ben-Gurion as the head of the military, ignore the UN embargo and thus arm troops with US money and Czech arms
[] bought 30 000 rifles, 1500 machine guns, 84 planes
29
Q
Describe Phase 2 of the Arab-Israeli war 1948-49
A
- Israel broke the UN month’s truce 2 days early on the 9th of July 1948
[] CRUCIAL TO ISRAELI ADVANTAGE IN THIS PHASE, AS CAUGHT THE ARAB ARMIES OFF GUARD AND WERE ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY DUE TO THEIR ORGANISATION AND PREPARATION OF ORDERS AND TROOPS DURING THE TRUCE - much fighting around Tel Aviv
- Israel occupied Arab towns and expelled their populations to make way for Jewish population growth as well as to reduce Arab powers politically, socially and militarily in the new Israeli state
- main purpose of this phase was simply to gain control over the events in the war and maintain surprise over the Arab forces
- Count Bernadotte arranged another truce
[] this time for 3 months
[] showed possible UN support of Zionism especially after the biased Partition Plan, as knew that Israel would probably use the time to grow its army and strength once more, giving them an even higher position in phase 3 of the war
30
Q
Describe Phase 3 of the Arab-Israeli war 1948-49
A
- lasted from October 1948 to July 1949
- main purpose was for Israel to gain land before an eventual peace settlement
- Israeli forced broke the truce early again
[] captured/retook Galilee + the Negev Desert
[] pushed Egyptian forces back into Sinai - war ended when the Arab nations (apart from Iraq) all signed armistice agreements
- AFTER THIS WAR, THERE WAS NO REMAINING LAND LEFT TO PALESTINIANS; WERE ALL UNDER ISRAELI CONTROL, JORDANIAN CONTROL IN THE WEST BANK OR EGYPTIAN CONTROL IN GAZA
31
Q
Describe the key reasons why Israel won the 1948-49 war
A
- Arab states overconfident and didn’t commit full armies or best soldiers
- Israeli troops were generally more experienced fighters as many were part of terrorist groups or the Haganah (the early Jewish defence force in Palestine)
- the first truce and the Israeli disregard for the arms embargo
- Israel received US monetary aid from US Zionists and the government in part, as well as aid in terms of troops from thousands of foreign volunteers, many with military experience from WW2
- Israeli tactics were superior
[] were more coordinated
[] knew the value of surprising the enemy
[] quick-moving which helped them gain land - Arab army was uncoordinated and had no unified cause
[] coordinating attacks with 5 different nations and leaders was very difficult
[] some Arab nations wanted to gain land for themselves in the war, like the Transjordan, whilst others wanted to protect the Palestinians; different motives led to different styles of fighting, meaning less consolidation in attack and less strength - the Israelis had a passion for their cause and their victory determined the existence of their homeland
[] Arab armies didn’t have this deep investment and so may have been less committed to victory outright
