The Middle East: Chapter 2 [The Creation of Israel, The War of 1948-49 and The Suez Crisis of 1956] Flashcards
1
Q
START [14 MAY 1948]
A
- Ben Gurion announced Israel
- USA and USSR recognized it
- Arab states denounced
- British Mandate ended at midnight
- 15 May: Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Transjordan invaded with intent to destroy
2
Q
PHASE 1: MAY - JUNE 1948
A
- first 3 weeks: Israel struggled for survival
- 1/3 troops had weapons and total 5 field guns vs. Arabs’ 152
- Transjordan occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem
- Iraq invaded North
- Egypt attacked south
- 21 June: UN intervention whereby Count Bernadotte negotiated 1 month truce
- Israel used time to prepare: military with 4 regional commands established under leader Ben-gurion and UN weapons embargo ignored [US Zionist money used to purchase Czech weapons - 4,500 machine guns and ammunition rounds]
3
Q
PHASE 2: JULY 1948
A
- 2 days before truce end: Israel attacked
- Lydda and Ramleh occupied and expelled
- 2nd truce = 3 months
4
Q
PHASE 3: OCT 1948 - JULY 1949
A
- Israel attacked before truce end
- captured Lebanese Galilee and Egyptian Negev Desert
- war slowly ended with armistices
- Egypt [Feb], Lebanon [March], Transjordan [April], Syria [July] and Iraq [refused]
5
Q
REASONS FOR ISRAELI VICTORY
A
- 650,000 Jews vs. 41 million Arabs
- Arabs = overconfident and didn’t send entire armies [by end of war Israeli troops were 2x Arab troops at 108,000]
- Israelis were more experienced [fighting in WWII] and had 5,000 volunteer while only effective Arab army was Jordanian
- Israel worked hard during truce and Arabs didn’t
- Israel = co-ordinated and speedy while Arabs = un-coordinated with no communication, no singular leader and varying motives in fighting [Transjordan attacked no Israeli land but others did]
- Israelis = more motivated fighting for survival and Holocaust victims
- Jan 1949: Ben-Gurion elected 1st Prime Minister
6
Q
RESULTS OF WAR
A
- 1949: UNRWA and IDF created
- 1950: Law of Return
- 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled and 700,000 Jews migrated to Israel
7
Q
IMPACT ON PALESTINIANS
A
- 1948 = Al-Nakba
- 1947: 900,000 Arabs had lived in prospective Israel but 300,000 fled pre-war and 400,000 fled during
- land assigned to Palestine had been taken by Israel, Egypt and TJ
- Palestinians: leaving land wasn’t their choice, they had right to return, Israel’s aim was no Arabs [proved by Plan D and Israel deliberately used violence and threats to cause panic
- Israelis: had not started war, Palestinians chose to leave or were told to by leaders promising victory and Palestinians were a security threat so could not return post-war
8
Q
REFUGEE STATUS OF PALESTINIAN ARABS
A
- 100,000 middle class began new lives in Kuwait, Cairo, Damascus and USA
- majority became refugees in 54 tented camps in neighbouring countries with UNRWA providing relief
- members of Arab League told to deny refugees citizenship to preserve their identity and right to return
- BUT refugees found it hard to travel and work and so Jordan granted citizenship
- life in 8 Gazan camps = hardest because 190,000 refugees meant overcrowding, shortages, poor sanitation and economic collapse
- Israeli troops told to stop refugees collecting crops and stuff by any means necessary
9
Q
GROWTH OF PALESTINIAN RESISTANCE
A
- refugee returns turned into attacks on Jews
- 1950-53: Fedayeen killed 153
- Israeli retaliation = harsh killing 69 Arab villagers and destroying houses
- Jordan tried to stop infiltrations in 1954 but they continued from Egypt into Gaza
10
Q
IMPACT OF WAR ON ISRAELIS
A
- 1948 = Year of Liberation and War = War of Independence
- 6,000 died but Israel had kept all of its Partition land and gained 50% of Arab land
- new Israel = easier to defend with more fertile land and access to Jerusalem [declared by Israelis to be capital]
11
Q
LAW OF RETURN [JULY 1950]
A
- Israeli Jewish population doubled to 1.5 million in 3 years due to immigration [German Jews surviving Holocaust, Eastern European Jews escaping Soviet control and Arab Jews escaping growing anti-semitism]
- Knesset passed law to allow any Jew in world to come and become Israeli citizen
12
Q
DEALING WITH IMMIGRATION
A
- immigrants from diverse backgrounds
- no money, shocked, illiterate and spoke different languages
- ‘tent’ cities built with high unemployment and 350 showers and 56 toilets to 1
- assimilation needed
- Ashkenazi Jews had previously dominated all important positions
- newer Mizrahi, Sephardic, Arab and North African Jews felt excluded and rioted in 1959 Haifa
- religious leaders given high profile to exploit population’s 1 commonality of Judaism
- all students taught Hebrew
- Kibbutz created
- ancient and recent Jewish history used to motivate and unite
- IDF united because everyone had to serve
13
Q
ISRAELI-EGYPTIAN RELATIONS
A
- Arab League boycotted trade with Israel and foreign companies trading with Israel
- Israeli economic struggle worsened
- Egypt confiscated items on Suez ships from Israeli ports or for Israeli forces
- 1951: Egypt made it difficult for foreign ships in Gulf of Aqaba headed to Israeli ports
- Egypt didn’t stop Fedayeen raids into Gaza
- Nasser coming into power worsened relations
14
Q
SUEZ CRISIS [1956]
A
- previous King Farouk = lavish playboy leaving Egyptians in poverty
- Egyptians disliked corrupt gov, 80,000 British troops by Suez and British involvement in affairs
- 1948-49 War defeat triggered Farouk’s forced abdication by army officers
15
Q
NASSER AND EGYPT’S LEADERSHIP OF ARAB WORLD
A
- 1954: Colonel Nasser into power in Egypt
- wanted complete independence and freedom from British, prosperity for ordinary Egyptians and Arab pride and unity
- Britain removed Suez troops and agreed to return only if another country attacked Suez
- redistributed farming land from rich to peasants
- built schools and hospitals
- aimed to dam Nile to control flooding, provide HEP and provide water for irrigation
- USA and Britain opened talks with Egypt over loan for dam
- urged Arab states to remain neutral in Cold War [West = angered]
- angered, USA refused to sell Egypt weapons needed to unite and defend Arab world believing they would be used against Israel
