The 1948 war

It is not my intention here to get into the details of that war; I am just providing information and interpretation that may not be widely known.

The Jews had their own underground army in Palestine, the Haganah (which simply means defense).  The British were aware of the existence of the Haganah, and so were the Arabs.  When the Jewish Agency was asked to explain itself, it stated that the Haganah existed for defense purposes only, by no stretch of the imagination was this a real army.  Perhaps this was true early on, however, subsequent events gradually changed it into a bona fide fighting force.

The relationship between the Jews and the Arabs had its ups and downs. In any given region of Palestine there were quiet periods followed by violent ones.  Thus, it became obvious to the early Jewish leaders that they needed to organize and arm themselves for otherwise they would be helpless if and when attacked by the Arabs.  And so gradually the Haganah came into being and, over time, it became a force to be reckoned with.

During World War II, Britain solicited Jewish volunteers, and many young men responded to this call.  Mind you there was no love lost between the parties; but Britain was in desperate straits; and the Jews didn’t want Nazi Germany to prevail in this war.  Another very important advantage was the chance to be trained by the British and confront a merciless enemy.

In addition to the Haganah, there were two other fringe goups:  The Irgun Zvai Leoumi; and the Stern Band, or Lehi.  The members of these two organizations caused a lot of trouble to the British, and indeed to the Jewish leadership.  They had their own organizations and leaders.  However, during the 1948 war, the three parties agreed to act in concert.

Many people were unaware that the Haganah was well prepared.  They knew that a war was inevitable.  Recruiting, training, and arming were happening apace.  However, despite all these careful preparations, they still, at times, run out of funds and armaments.  On more than one occasion this war was touch and go.  Only pure desperation on the part of the Jews allowed them to win that war; a defeat would have been a complete catastrophe; an end to their dream.  But despair alone could not give birth to the State of Israel.  There were other factors.

The Jewish diaspora helped with large donations and used what political influence they had in their own country.  This is especially true for the U.S.

America and surprisingly Russia (which was hoping for a communist ally in this part of the world) supported the Jews in this war.

On the Arab side, 5 countries declared war:  Egypt, Jordan (which was then known as Transjordan), Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.  Iraq sends a small contingent; Yemen did not send any army; and the role of Syria was limited.  In reality only Egypt and Jordan fought this war.  But the Egyptian army has been supplied with defective weapons by its corrupt regime; otherwise it would have been a formidable enemy.  Jordan though was another story; they had a well-organized and potent army that has been trained by the British; I heard many stories while I was in Israel of instances where the Jordanian army practically did them in.

Sources

1) Zionist Land Acquisition and Dispossession in Palestine

www.middleeastpiece.com/dispossession-jewishmethods.html

 

2) Theodor Herzl (Austrian Zionist leader) Britannica Online Encyclopedia

www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/264012/Theodor-Herzl

 

3) The British Mandate in Palestine. The emergence, structure, and function of the mandatory government from 1923 – 1948

www.myjewishlearning.com/israel/History/Before_the_State/Between_the_Wars/British_Mandate.shtml

 

4) United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine

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