THE PARTITION OF PALESTINE Flashcards
What major global event created a surge of Jewish refugees seeking to immigrate to Palestine?
The Holocaust (1939-1945), in which 6 million Jews were murdered, left 200,000 survivors displaced across Europe, many of whom viewed the continent as a graveyard and wanted to leave.
What antisemitic attack in Poland demonstrated that Jewish survivors still faced persecution in Europe?
The Kielce Pogrom (1946), where 42 Jewish refugees were killed and a further 40 seriously injured by Polish soldiers and villagers.
Why was there strong international sympathy for Jewish refugees after WWII?
The horrors of the Holocaust generated widespread sympathy, especially in the USA, where the majority of the world’s surviving Jews lived. President Truman was a committed Zionist and supported the creation of a Jewish state.
What British policy limited Jewish immigration to Palestine, and why was it problematic after WWII?
The 1939 White Paper restricted Jewish immigration to 15,000 per year. After WWII, this policy made Britain look deeply unsympathetic as it denied Holocaust survivors a refuge.
Which Jewish militant groups resumed attacks on British forces in Palestine as WWII neared its end?
Irgun and Lehi, which resumed terrorist attacks on British targets in 1944, including bombings, assassinations, and destroying immigration records to hinder British control.
What was the role of Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir in the Jewish militant resistance?
Menachem Begin (Irgun leader) and Yitzhak Shamir (Lehi leader) led attacks on British forces. Both later became Prime Ministers of Israel.
What was the stance of Palestinian Arabs regarding Jewish immigration and political control?
Palestinian Arabs strongly opposed Jewish immigration and the expansion of the Yishuv. The former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Al-Husayni, had collaborated with the Nazis, though by 1945 he was exiled and politically irrelevant.
Why was Britain in a difficult position regarding Jewish immigration after WWII?
Allowing more Jewish immigration would anger Palestinian Arabs and violate the 1939 White Paper, but restricting immigration risked further violence from Zionist militants and damaged Britain’s global reputation.
How did the new Labour government in Britain initially attempt to manage Jewish immigration in Palestine?
The Labour government (PM Attlee, Foreign Secretary Bevin) introduced a quota of 1,500 Jewish immigrants per month while trying to maintain control of the Mandate.
Why did the Yishuv’s military forces unite in 1945, and what was the significance of this?
The Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi formed the Jewish Resistance Movement, ending Haganah’s previous cooperation with the British. This marked a turning point in Zionist opposition, leading to widespread violence.
What were key acts of Jewish insurgency against British rule in 1945?
208 illegal immigrants freed from Atlit Detention Camp
Railroads sabotaged
British policemen killed
Attacks on British Army camps and intelligence offices
What was Operation Agatha, and how did Jewish militants respond?
Operation Agatha (June 1946) was a British crackdown on Jewish insurgents, arresting 3,000 and raiding Jewish Agency HQ. Irgun retaliated by bombing the King David Hotel, killing 91 people.
What was Britain’s proposed political solution for Palestine in 1946?
Britain proposed dividing Palestine into Arab and Jewish provinces under a single British administrator, but both sides rejected this.
Why did Britain decide to refer the Palestine issue to the UN in 1947?
By 1947, maintaining control was too costly (£40m per year), there were 100,000 British troops deployed, and ongoing Zionist attacks made British presence untenable.
What two major events in July 1947 pushed Britain towards abandoning the Mandate?
Sergeant’s Affair – Irgun hanged two British sergeants in retaliation for the execution of Irgun militants. British soldiers rampaged through Tel Aviv and antisemitic riots broke out in the UK.
SS Exodus – A ship carrying 4,500 Jewish refugees was forcibly turned back by British authorities, leading to global condemnation.
What did the 1947 UN Partition Plan propose for Palestine?
Palestine would be partitioned into Jewish (55%) and Arab (45%) states
Jerusalem would be under UN control
A single economic union would be formed
150,000 Jewish immigrants allowed over two years
How did the Jewish and Arab communities react to the UN Partition Plan?
Jews celebrated the plan as a realization of their dream for a sovereign state
Arabs rejected it as unjust, giving Jews 55% of the land despite being only 1/3 of the population
What happened after Britain announced its withdrawal from Palestine in 1948?
A brutal civil war erupted between Jews and Arabs, with both sides committing massacres and fighting for control before the British departure.
What action did Jewish leaders take immediately after Britain left Palestine?
The Yishuv declared the establishment of the State of Israel, claiming the territories allocated to them by the UN Partition Plan.
How did neighboring Arab states respond to the declaration of Israel?
Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, and others invaded to destroy Israel, though they were more interested in claiming the land for themselves than supporting Palestinian independence.
How did Israel expand its territory during the 1948-49 war?
Israel defeated Arab forces and annexed West Jerusalem, Central Galilee, and nearly all of the coastline, gaining more land than allocated in the UN Partition Plan.
What happened to Palestinian Arabs as a result of the 1948-49 war?
Over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs were displaced, becoming permanent refugees. The West Bank was annexed by Transjordan, and Gaza was taken by Egypt.
What was the Israeli nationalist perspective on the Nakba?
Israel claimed that Palestinian Arabs were invited to stay as citizens but chose to leave, expecting a quick Arab military victory that would allow them to return. Later, they argued that Arab leaders ordered the Palestinians to leave via radio broadcasts to ‘clear the field’ for war.
What was the Palestinian nationalist perspective on the Nakba?
Palestinians argued they were expelled at gunpoint by Zionist militias as part of an intentional effort to ‘ethnically cleanse’ Palestine and transform it into a Jewish-majority state.
What is the transfer thesis regarding the Nakba?
The transfer thesis argues that Zionist leadership intentionally expelled Palestinian Arabs to create a Jewish-majority state, as Aliyah alone had not created a sufficient demographic shift.
Which Palestinian historian first articulated the transfer thesis?
Walid Khalidi in the 1970s.
Which Israeli historian later became a prominent advocate of the transfer thesis?
Benny Morris in the 1980s.
What was the Jewish Agency Executive’s stance on Palestinian Arabs before the UN Partition Plan?
In early November 1947, the Jewish Agency Executive decided it was best to deny Israeli citizenship to as many Arabs as possible to facilitate their expulsion if hostilities occurred.
What did Ben-Gurion’s ‘transfer committee’ recommend in 1948?
In October 1948, the ‘transfer committee’ recommended that no more than 15% of Israel’s population should be Arab.
Provide an example of Ben-Gurion’s private stance on the Palestinian exodus.
In May 1948, he stated, “it is not our task to worry about the return of the Arabs.”
What was Efraim Karsh’s counter-argument to the transfer thesis?
Karsh argued that ‘transferist’ thinking was a fringe ideology within Zionism and had no significant impact on the Nakba, citing Zionist statements supporting Arab rights.
What does the master-plan thesis argue?
It claims that the Palestinian exodus was premeditated by Zionist leadership and executed through extreme violence and terror.
What Zionist military plan is cited as evidence for the master-plan thesis?
Plan Dalet, devised in March 1948, which stated that Palestinian villages resisting Jewish forces should be expelled.
How did Ben-Gurion’s speech to Mapai support the master-plan thesis?
In February 1948, he predicted a major demographic shift, implying premeditation.
What large-scale expulsion event supports the master-plan thesis?
The expulsion of 50,000–70,000 Palestinians from Lydda and Ramle in July 1948.
How were Palestinian refugees treated in the Lydda-Ramle expulsion?
They were stripped of valuables, forced to march eastward, and many died from heat and exhaustion.
What role did massacres play in the master-plan thesis?
Historians like Ilan Pappé argue that massacres like Deir Yassin (by Irgun and Lehi) spread terror, encouraging Palestinians to flee.
How do critics challenge the master-plan thesis?
Critics argue that no written directive for expulsion exists in Israeli archives and that expulsions were tactical military decisions, not premeditated.
What caused the first wave of Palestinian exodus?
Fear of impending violence led upper/middle-class Palestinians in major towns to flee between December 1947 and March 1948. About 100,000 refugees.
What characterized the second wave of Palestinian exodus?
Between April and June 1948, major Zionist offensives (e.g., Haifa, Jaffa) caused 250,000 Palestinians to flee due to direct attacks.
What made the third wave distinct from earlier ones?
Between July and October 1948, Israel increasingly engaged in explicit expulsions, e.g., Lydda-Ramle ethnic cleansing. About 100,000 refugees.
What caused the fourth wave of Palestinian exodus?
From October to November 1948, Israeli military operations in the Negev and northern Palestine drove 200,000–230,000 Palestinians out, some by force, others in fear of massacres.
What is Gelber’s ‘Two-Stage Explanation’ of the Nakba?
Gelber argued that Palestinian society was too fragile after the failed 1936–1939 Revolt to withstand war, while the Yishuv had a well-organized ‘state-in-waiting.’
How did Peretz explain the Palestinian exodus?
He argued that Palestinian society had already collapsed due to internal instability, fear, and rumors of Jewish atrocities, making mass flight inevitable.
What does the ‘voluntary departure’ thesis claim?
It argues that Palestinian Arabs left willingly, encouraged by Arab states to clear the way for a military victory.
What quote from Syrian PM Khalid al-Azm supports the voluntary departure thesis?
He stated that one cause of the Arab defeat was “the Arab governments’ invitation to the people of Palestine to flee from it.”
What did Palestinian UN representative Jamal Husseini claim in August 1948?
He said that Palestinian withdrawals were ordered from Amman and that many evacuations occurred without fighting.
How does King Abdullah’s post-war actions support the voluntary departure thesis?
His annexation of the West Bank suggests that Arab leaders wanted to scatter Palestinians to serve their political interests.
How does Benny Morris challenge the voluntary departure thesis?
He argues that it only explains six of 392 depopulated villages, while most exoduses were due to fear, violence, and expulsion.
How did Syria and Lebanon challenge the idea of Arab leaders encouraging Palestinian flight?
They denied Palestinian men residency permits to force them to stay and fight.
What evidence undermines the idea of a coordinated Arab plan for Palestinian flight?
The chaotic and disorganized nature of the exodus suggests it was spontaneous rather than planned.
