First Arab - Israeli War 1948-9

Question 1

What did David Ben Gurion do on the 14th May 1948?

Answer 1

Proclaimed the birth of the new state of Israel

Question 2

What happened after Israel was proclaimed?

Answer 2

The best day, armed forces from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, Transjordan and Egypt invaded

Question 3

When did the first phase of fighting in first Arab-Israeli War take place?

Answer 3

15th May - 10th June 1948

Question 4

In the first phase what happened in the south?

Answer 4

Egyptian army of 10,000 men crossed the border near the coast and attacked some isolated in what was to be the Arab state

Question 5

In the first phase what happened in the north?

Answer 5

Syrian, Iraqi and Lebanese troops crossed the border but were resisted by Jewish settlers and most of the invaders were forced to withdraw

Question 6

What was the major conflict in the first phase?

Answer 6

The battle for Jerusalem

Question 7

In the first phase what did King Abdullah of Transjordan do to fight for Jerusalem?

Answer 7

Moved his Arab legion to defend the Old City (eastern part of Jerusalem)

Question 8

Give 2 reasons why the Israelis were keenest to defeat Transjordan army?

Answer 8

Wanted to gain control of all the city of Jerusalem, including Old City which contained the Jewish holy places
They knew that if they could defeat it then other Arab armies would collapse

Question 9

What happened on the 10th June 1948?

Answer 9

The UN persuaded warring parties to agree to a ceasefire

Question 10

Who was willing to have peace talks?

Answer 10

Jordanians and Lebanese

Question 11

Who weren’t ok with potential peace talks?

Answer 11

Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis

Question 12

During the ceasefire what did Iraq do?

Answer 12

Secured fresh supplies and weapons mainly from the Czechs

Question 13

During the first phase who had Britain been the main supplier of arms for?

Answer 13

Egypt, Iraq and Jordan

Question 14

When was the second phase of the war?

Answer 14

9th - 18th July 1948

Question 15

During the second phase what was Israeli priority?

Answer 15

Try to widen the corridor leading to Jerusalem, taking land allocated to Arabs in the process and stall any UN peace plan that might force them back to the borders of the 1947 partition plan

Question 16

How successful were the Israelis in the second phase?

Answer 16

Largely successful but the Arab Legion held the Old City of Jerusalem

Question 17

When was the second truce?

Answer 17

September 1948

Question 18

What did UN mediator Bernadotte do during the second truce?

Answer 18

Produced a peace plan which gave added land to the Arabs in the south and more land to the Israelis in the north but Jerusalem was still to be an international city under UN control

Question 19

What happened to Bernadotte?

Answer 19

Assassinated next day by Stern Gang

Question 20

When was the third phase of fighting?

Answer 20

15th October 1948 - 7th January 1949

Question 21

Who started the third phase of the war?

Answer 21

Israel broke the second ceasefire and concentrated on defeating the Egyptians in the south

Question 22

What did the Israelis agree to in the third phase?

Answer 22

Under American pressure the Israelis agreed to withdraw from Egyptian territory but they remained in complete control of the Negev when the final ceasefire was arranged in January 1949

Question 23

How many Israeli lives were lost as a result of the war?

Answer 23

6000 which amounted to nearly 1% of the entire Jewish population of 650,000

Question 24

After the war how much land did the Israelis own?

Answer 24

Now controlled 79% of what had been the British mandate of Palestine instead of the 55% originally allocated

Question 25

By the end of the war how many Palestinian Arabs were refugees?

Answer 25

Over 700,000

Question 26

Where did most refugees end up?

Answer 26

In Gaza or what became known as the West Bank

Question 27

Between January and July 1949 what happened?

Answer 27

Armistice agreements were signed, under UN supervision, between Israel and neighbouring Arab states

Question 28

What did the armistice with Egypt entail?

Answer 28

Confirmed their pre-war borders while the Gaza area of Arab Palestine came under Egyptian military rule

Question 29

What did the armistice with Jordan entail?

Answer 29

The West Bank would now be governed as a part of Jordan
Much of Arab Palestine, including the Old City of Jerusalem, became a part of Jordan
Israel kept control of newer western part of Jerusalem

Question 30

What did the armistice with Syria entail?

Answer 30

At end of fighting Syrian forces were in control of some territory that had been allocated to the new Jewish state

July 1949 - UN negotiated that the Syrians would withdraw from the ceasefire lines if the vacated areas became a demilitarised zone. This meant that Israel couldn’t station any troops or weapons there

Question 31

What were the 2 key issues on which no agreement could be reached?

Answer 31

Borders and refugees

Question 32

How did other Arab states view refugees?

Answer 32

Using policy formulated by Arab League: Israel had created the problem and refugees had a right to return or be compensated

Question 33

What did Israel pass in 1950?

Answer 33

Law of return which granted any Jew in the world the right to become a citizen of Israel and, within 4 years, the population was to double

Question 34

What happened to Israel in the 50’s and 60’s?

Answer 34

Became richer, stronger and more highly developed. Large areas of desert were irrigated and cultivated

Question 35

What did the US gov and American Jews send to Israel?

Answer 35

A billion dollars a year

Question 36

What is the Zionist interpretation of the first Arab-Israeli war?

Answer 36

War was a struggle between tiny Israel and a huge Arab coalition

Question 37

How many soldiers did the Israelis have at the start of the war?

Answer 37

35,000

Question 38

By December 1948 how many soldiers did the Israelis have?

Answer 38

100,000

Question 39

How did Abdullah see the situation in Palestine?

Answer 39

Saw himself as the leader of a large Arab state and believed Palestine couldn’t stand on its own