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Unlock This CourseThe last lesson ended on 14 May 1948, when Israel was declared. The next day, 15 May, armies from neighbouring Arab states crossed into what had been Mandate Palestine. This was the First Arab-Israeli War. It is a key example of the theme of 'military conflicts' in this breadth study, and the UN, an outside body, was drawn in from the start.
Key terms:
The invading states were Egypt, Transjordan, Syria and Iraq, with a smaller force from Lebanon. They said they were protecting the Arabs of Palestine and opposed a Jewish state on land the Arab majority had refused to divide. Each leader also had his own aims. King Abdullah of Transjordan, for example, hoped to add the Arab part of Palestine to his own kingdom.
The Arab armies attacked on several fronts. Egypt advanced up the coast from the south, and Syria and Iraq pushed in from the north and east. The Arab Legion took the Old City of Jerusalem and held the road at Latrun. The new Israeli army, formed from the Haganah, halted most of the advances. A UN truce began on 11 June.
The truce, apart from a short break in July when fighting flared again, lasted into the autumn. Both sides used it to rebuild. Israel brought in weapons, including arms from Czechoslovakia, and trained more soldiers.
Israel attacked in October and drove Egyptian forces back in the Negev desert. It also captured Galilee in the north.
Israel pushed the Egyptians back further in the south, and the fighting wound down. Armistice talks began in early 1949.
The UN mediator Ralph Bunche brought the sides together on the island of Rhodes. Separate armistice agreements were signed in 1949: Egypt in February, Lebanon in March, Transjordan in April and Syria in July. Iraq did not sign one and simply withdrew. The line agreed with Transjordan is often called the 'Green Line'. Where the lines were drawn:
The armistice was not a peace treaty. The Arab states did not recognise Israel, so the dispute over land stayed unsolved. About 6,000 Israelis died, roughly one in every hundred of the Jewish population. The war also created the Palestinian refugee problem, which the next lesson covers.
The Arab states had no single plan or commander. Leaders were rivals, and they distrusted King Abdullah, who had talked secretly with the Jewish Agency. Armies often acted alone.
Israelis felt they were fighting for survival. One government gave orders to one army, and much of the population helped the war effort.
Israel used the truce to buy weapons, train and grow its army, and many of its fighters had served in the British army in the Second World War.
Only the Arab Legion was highly trained. Several other Arab armies had little experience of fighting, and their forces in Palestine were not as large as many people expect.
The big change was that a Jewish state now existed, on more land than the UN had offered, and that no Palestinian Arab state followed. What stayed the same was that the land was still disputed, borders were set by fighting, and outside bodies such as the UN could stop the fighting but could not solve the quarrel.
Explain TWO causes of Israel's victory in the war of 1948-49. [8 marks]
Remember: one cause on its own cannot score more than half marks. For each cause, give a precise fact and explain how it led to victory.
One cause was the disunity of the Arab states. When Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon invaded in May 1948, they had no single commander or plan, and they were rivals. King Abdullah of Transjordan wanted the West Bank for himself, so the Arab Legion held Jerusalem and the West Bank but did not drive on into Israel's heartland. This meant Israel could face each army separately and was able to turn back most of the advances.
A second cause was how Israel used the UN truce. During the pause that began on 11 June 1948, Israel obtained weapons, including from Czechoslovakia, and trained more soldiers. When fighting resumed, it attacked in October 1948, forced the Egyptians back in the Negev and took Galilee. Because the Arab armies had not strengthened themselves in the same way, Israel gained the upper hand and ended with far more land than the UN plan had offered.
What lifts this to the top level: both causes include precise dates, names or places, and each one clearly shows how it led to Israeli victory.
Start each paragraph by naming the cause, then add a fact, then end with 'this meant that Israel...' so you show the link to victory.