Created by Mr. C Wright, Dulwich College Shanghai

Why did Israel win the war of 1948-49?

•To examine the different causes of the Jewish victory in 48/49.

•To reach a view on how the Jews were able to defeat the Arab forces and secure the

state of Israel

What’s in a name?

• The War of Independence?

• Al Nakba - ‘the catastrophe’?

• The 1948 Arab-Israeli War?

The situation

• David Ben Gurion, leader of the Zionist has declared the ‘State of Israel’ on 14th May 1948

• There had been open conflict between the Jewish forces and the Palestinian Arabs for some time before this point as both attempted to ‘grab’ as much land as possible.

• The Jews had been successful in breaking a siege of Jerusalem.

• However the formal declaration of the state of Israel was the cue for the intervention of its Arab neighbours.

Enter the Arab states..

• Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq all launched an attack almost immediately after the declaration of the state of Israel by Ben-Gurion.

• At first they made significant gains. • There was a UN truce for 28 days in June

1948• This gave valuable breathing time for the

Israeli’s, who were able to rearm with massive new shipments from Czechoslovakia: authorised by none other than…

Yes me again! Whymight the USSR be getting

involved?

The tide turns…

• A newly equipped Israeli force, boosted by new soldiers (10000+ immigrants were arriving a month by this stage), was able to go on the offensive.

• There was a 2nd UN truce from 18th July-15th October

• The Israeli’s broke the truce, went back on the offensive and pushed the Arab armies back.

• The Arab countries had no choice but to agree ceasefires

Al Nakba!

• The Palestinians had started the war confident that the might of the combined Arab world would crush the resistance of the Jewish settlers

• Instead over 700,000 Palestinians had fled/been forced out of Israel and became refugees mainly in the Gaza Strip and West Bank

• Israel had created a state that was 50% larger than the UN plan had given it!

Why did Israel win?

• Using the sources your group has been given try and identify at least 10 different reasons.

• Write each reason on a piece of card and see if your group can organise them by

a) Jewish strengths/Arab weaknesses

b) Order of significance to Israel’s victory

So why did they win?

Impact of the 1948/49 war

• Initial thoughts: what were the immediate impacts of the war?

Impacts

• Israel has been confirmed, and is (temporarily) secure.

• 750,000 Palestinian refugees• Superpower involvement confirmed• Arab humiliation - leading to overthrow of Egyptian

government and long term resentment/anger• Israel has gained a far larger country than it had

originally been given by the partition plans• Jordan takes control of the West Bank & East

Jerusalem, Egypt takes the Gaza strip• Peace or simply the foundations for future conflict?• Israel’s Arab neighbours refuse to accept Israel’s

right to exist