Final years of British mandate in Palestine 1945-8

Question 1

What allowed many Jews to gain valuable military experience?

Answer 1

Fighting for the British in WW2

Question 2

After the war ended in 1945 what did Britain announce?

Answer 2

That there would be no change in their policy in Palestine

Question 3

What was decided in August 1945?

Answer 3

Zionist conference decided on a policy of active opposition to British rule in Palestine

Question 4

What did Jewish leaders order Haganah to do after the conference?

Answer 4

Cooperate with Irgun and the Stern Gang and target British military bases, railway, bridges etc

Question 5

What was the Irgun?

Answer 5

Small secret Zionist organisation which had been formed in 1937 to protect Jewish settlements from attack during the Arab Rebellion of 1936-9

Question 6

What was the Stern Gang?

Answer 6

Zionist terrorist group founded in 1939

Question 7

Who did the Zionists decide they needed on their side?

Answer 7

The Americans

Question 8

What was the Biltmore Declaration?

Answer 8

Name of hotel in which American Zionists conference was held in May 1942 - declared support for a Jewish commonwealth in all of Palestine

Question 9

What did Truman do in April 1946?

Answer 9

Called on the British government to allow the immediate entry of 100,000 Jewish refugees to Palestine

Question 10

Name on example of an Irgun attack in 1946

Answer 10

Attack on King David Hotel in Jerusalem - killed 88 people including 15 Jews

Question 11

In the summer of 1947 what 2 incidents convinced the British they should withdraw from Palestine?

Answer 11

Hanging of 2 British soldiers by Irgun

British prevention of a boat of 4500 refugees from Europe landing in Palestine - gained wide sympathy for Jews

Question 12

When did Britain officially withdraw from Palestine?

Answer 12

In May 1948 - handed it to UN

Question 13

What was accepted in November 1947?

Answer 13

UN’s plan to partition Palestine was accepted

Question 14

According to the UN Partition Plan, how was Palestine to be split up?

Answer 14

Although Jews only made up 1/3 of population they were to be given 55% of overall territory
Holy city of Jerusalem was to be an international zone governed by an international force

Question 15

What was the Arab response to the 1947 Partition Plan?

Answer 15

Arab Higher Committee rejected the plan because Jews were given more land and many of the Palestinian cities containing large Arab majorities (such as Haifa and Jaffa) were part of Jewish state

Question 16

What was the Jewish response to the 1947 Partition Plan?

Answer 16

Jewish Agency officially accepted the plan but some not happy

Question 17

When was there another civil war in Palestine?

Answer 17

November 1947 - May 1948

Question 18

What did the Arab Higher Committee do after the UN voted for partition?

Answer 18

Proclaimed a 3 day strike which led to outbreaks of violence against Jewish civilians

Question 19

What happened in December 1947?

Answer 19

Britain announced that it was leaving Palestine in may 1948 and fighting between Arabs and Jews intensified

Question 20

In 1948 what did soldiers from Syria and Iraq do?

Answer 20

Began to cross into Palestine to help the Arabs

Question 21

What did the Haganah come up with in March 1948?

Answer 21

Plan D - aims were
Take over any installations evacuated by the British, especially military bases
Expel as many Palestinians as possible from the future Jewish state

Question 22

By February 1948 what had already happened?

Answer 22

Many of the Palestinian elite (such as landowners and businessmen) had left Palestine

Question 23

What began in April 1948?

Answer 23

Jewish forces began the forcible expulsion of Arabs from villages

Question 24

During the expulsion what happened in Haifa?

Answer 24

Explosions were set off by Jewish forces in Arab areas of the city and nearly 100,000 Arabs fled the city

Question 25

What happened if Arabs refused to leave their homes during the expulsion?

Answer 25

Forced onto lorries and driven away to Transjordan

Question 26

What happened in Dier Yassin in April 1948?

Answer 26

Dier Yassin was the last village on the western side of Jerusalem whose Arab inhabitants hadn’t fled. On the 9th April, Irgun fighters attacked the village and killed 245 inhabitants

Question 27

When did Britain finally withdraw from Palestine?

Answer 27

14th May 1948

Question 28

By the time Britain left and the state of Israel was proclaimed how many Arabs had left the state?

Answer 28

Over 300,000

Question 29

What do conventional Zionists believe about Jewish military actions?

Answer 29

That from November 1947 they were largely defensive

Question 30

What is the conventional Zionist argument for Jewish violence?

Answer 30

That Jewish forces were keen to keep open the roads to Jerusalem where about 2500 Jews were living. Many Arab villages surrounded these roads which can explain events such as Dier Yassin

Question 31

What is the Zionist belief as to why so many Arabs left?

Answer 31

Because they felt they would be able to return with invading Arab armies when the British had left and the state of Israel came into existence

Question 32

In the 1980’s what was published?

Answer 32

Emergence of revisionist interpretations for the Arab exodus, following the release of Israeli government documents

Question 33

What did Jewish loudspeakers do?

Answer 33

Broadcast into the Arab quarters news of what happened Dier Yassin