First Arab - Israeli War 1948-9 Flashcards
What did David Ben Gurion do on the 14th May 1948?
Proclaimed the birth of the new state of Israel
What happened after Israel was proclaimed?
The best day, armed forces from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, Transjordan and Egypt invaded
When did the first phase of fighting in first Arab-Israeli War take place?
15th May - 10th June 1948
In the first phase what happened in the south?
Egyptian army of 10,000 men crossed the border near the coast and attacked some isolated in what was to be the Arab state
In the first phase what happened in the north?
Syrian, Iraqi and Lebanese troops crossed the border but were resisted by Jewish settlers and most of the invaders were forced to withdraw
What was the major conflict in the first phase?
The battle for Jerusalem
In the first phase what did King Abdullah of Transjordan do to fight for Jerusalem?
Moved his Arab legion to defend the Old City (eastern part of Jerusalem)
Give 2 reasons why the Israelis were keenest to defeat Transjordan army?
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
What happened on the 10th June 1948?
The UN persuaded warring parties to agree to a ceasefire
Who was willing to have peace talks?
Jordanians and Lebanese
Who weren’t ok with potential peace talks?
Egyptians, Syrians and Iraqis
During the ceasefire what did Iraq do?
Secured fresh supplies and weapons mainly from the Czechs
During the first phase who had Britain been the main supplier of arms for?
Egypt, Iraq and Jordan
When was the second phase of the war?
9th - 18th July 1948
During the second phase what was Israeli priority?
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
How successful were the Israelis in the second phase?
Largely successful but the Arab Legion held the Old City of Jerusalem
When was the second truce?
September 1948
What did UN mediator Bernadotte do during the second truce?
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
What happened to Bernadotte?
Assassinated next day by Stern Gang
When was the third phase of fighting?
15th October 1948 - 7th January 1949
Who started the third phase of the war?
Israel broke the second ceasefire and concentrated on defeating the Egyptians in the south
What did the Israelis agree to in the third phase?
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
How many Israeli lives were lost as a result of the war?
6000 which amounted to nearly 1% of the entire Jewish population of 650,000
After the war how much land did the Israelis own?
Now controlled 79% of what had been the British mandate of Palestine instead of the 55% originally allocated
By the end of the war how many Palestinian Arabs were refugees?
Over 700,000
Where did most refugees end up?
In Gaza or what became known as the West Bank
Between January and July 1949 what happened?
Armistice agreements were signed, under UN supervision, between Israel and neighbouring Arab states
What did the armistice with Egypt entail?
Confirmed their pre-war borders while the Gaza area of Arab Palestine came under Egyptian military rule
What did the armistice with Jordan entail?
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
What did the armistice with Syria entail?
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
What were the 2 key issues on which no agreement could be reached?
Borders and refugees
How did other Arab states view refugees?
Using policy formulated by Arab League: Israel had created the problem and refugees had a right to return or be compensated
What did Israel pass in 1950?
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
What happened to Israel in the 50’s and 60’s?
Became richer, stronger and more highly developed. Large areas of desert were irrigated and cultivated
What did the US gov and American Jews send to Israel?
A billion dollars a year
What is the Zionist interpretation of the first Arab-Israeli war?
War was a struggle between tiny Israel and a huge Arab coalition
How many soldiers did the Israelis have at the start of the war?
35,000
By December 1948 how many soldiers did the Israelis have?
100,000
How did Abdullah see the situation in Palestine?
Saw himself as the leader of a large Arab state and believed Palestine couldn’t stand on its own
