Arab Israeli War of 1948

Malcolm Juring
Natalie Yanko
Causes:
In 1947, when the British realized that they were no longer able to control Palestine with
their mandate, they asked the UN to intervene. The UN’s solution was that Palestine should be split
with the Jewish population (32%) getting 56% of the territory, while the Palestinian population
(68%) would get 42% of the land. The Jerusalem area would be UN-controlled. The Palestinians
were very discontent with this partition because although they had the vast majority of the people,
they were getting significantly less land. When the plan was released sporadic violence began.
Attacks and retaliations killed hundreds.

Key Terms:
- UN Partition Plan – This Partitioning split the mandated Palestine into a separate Jewish and
Arab state. The Jews said that they wouldn’t accept any less than what they got, while the
Arabs were being robed of land.
- UN Resolution 194 – On December 11, 1948 the United Nations General Assembly passed
this resolution. It stated that along with peace all refugees should be aloud to return home
and that ones that didn’t must be compensated.
- David Ben-Guerin – He declared the state of Israel then become its first Prime Minister. He
created the IDF and commanded it through out the 1948 war. He often spoke to his country
and internationally fighting for Zionism.
- IDF – Form May 28, 1948 by Ben Guerin it combined the Lehi and Irgun. It was Israel’s official military. Once it
attacked an Irgun ship because it wouldn’t give up its weapons.
- Folke Bernadotte – A UN mediator who help to negotiate multiple truces in the 1948 war. Because of his negotiations
the Lehi, a militant Israeli group, assassinated him.

1st phase of fighting, May 14- June 11

The British mandate over Palestine was supposed to expire on May 15 but David Ben-Gurion declared Israel an
independent nation one day early on the 14th. In the next few days approximately 15,000 Lebanese,
Syrian, Iraqi, Egyptian, and Jordanian troops invaded Palestine. They claimed that the UN Partition
Plan was invalid because it went against the wishes of the Palestinian Arab majority. On May 26,
1948 the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was established, which was a mix of the Irgun, Palmach, and
Haganah, all of which Israel had disbanded because they were considered terrorist groups. Also, an
Israeli Air Force was formed on May 15, 1948. The bulk of the combat in this part of the war was
fought in and around the Jerusalem area, mostly in the Old City. At one point in the battle all of the
Jews living in the Jewish quarter of the Old City were moved out by the Jordanians.
1st truce, June 11- July 8
A UN mediator, Folke Bernadotte, oversaw this truce. Both the Israelis and the Arabs
violated the terms of this truce by using the 28 days to reinforce their lines with more troops and
obtaining more weapons from other countries. Israel for example almost doubled their army size
from 35,000 troops to 65,000. Once the truce was over however, the Arabs were not prepared to
continue fighting because the many countries had used the month mostly to argue about who would
get what parts of Palestine once the war end.
2nd phase of fighting, July 8-July 18
Most of the fighting during these 10 days took place around Tel Aviv. What was called
Operation Dani was Israel’s attempts to take the area surrounding Tel Aviv away from the Arab’s
control. The reason they wanted this territory was because the Arabs had launched attacks on the city
from its surroundings.
2nd truce, July 18-October 15
This truce was once again the work of the UN mediator Folke Bernadotte. He proposed a
new partition plan. Both sides rejected the new plan and Bernadotte was assassinated and his deputy,
American Ralph Bunche replaced him.
3rd phase of fighting, October 15-July 20 1949
The third phase of combat was fought all over Palestine. IDF forces fought to push the Egyptians back down out of the
Negev. Also the Lebanese forces were push north out of the Galilee area. Israel won almost all of the battles.
Affect of the War:
In the war 6,373 Israelis died, 4,000 were soldiers. And between 10,000 and 15,000 Arabs died in the war. The war
ended when Israel sign separate armistices with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria between February
and July of 1949. When it was over Israel had gained about 50% more land than was originally
allotted to it by the UN Partition Plan.
The war created about 726,000 Arab refugees who fled or were kicked off of their land. In
the area of Gaza Egypt assumed control, and Jordan took control of the West Bank area. The new
cease-fire line was called the “Green Line.” Two new organizations were form to try to maintain
peace, The United Nations Truce Organization, and the Mixed Armistice Commissions. Although
the huge number of refugees and new borders have contributed to the long running Arab-Israeli
conflict.

Timeline

- Nov. 29, 1947 – The UN Partition Resolution divided Palestine into an Arab And Jewish
state.
- Dec 30, 1947 – The Haifa Refinery attacks and massacre, six Arabs and 49 Jews killed.
- Jan 4, 1948 – Haganah blows up Semiramis hotel in Katamon, 40 killed 45 injured.
- May 14, 1948 – The State of Israel is declared in a speech by Ben-Guerin.
- May 15, 1948 – Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia declared war on
Israel. The Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, Iraqi and Lebanese invasion begins.
- May 28, 1948 – The Israeli Defense Force is formed, (IDF).
- Jun 28, 1948 – Count Folke Bernadotte's first peace, fighting reduces.
- Jul 8, 1948 – Fighting resumes, this is known as “the ten days.”
- Jul 18, 1948 – The second truce goes into affect ending the “ten days.”
- Sep 17,1948 – Swedish Count Folke Bernadotte, the UN mediator, was assassinated in
Jerusalem.
- Oct 14, 1948 – The second truce ends.
- Dec 11, 1948 – UN resolution 194 calls for peace and refugees to be able to return home.
- Feb-Jun, 1949 – Israel and Arab states agree to separate armistices.

Chronological Quotes:
“Finally, we must prepare to receive our brethren from the far-flung corners of the Diaspora; from the
camps of Cyprus, Germany, and Austria, as well as from all the other lands where the message of liberation has
arrived. We will receive them with open arms and help them to strike roots here in the soil of the Homeland. The
State of Israel calls on everyone to faithfully fulfill his duties in defense, construction, and immigrant absorption.
Only in this way can we prove ourselves worthy of the hour.” –Radio address from Ben Guerin to the Israeli
population on May 15, 1948.
“Now that the British mandate over Palestine has come to an end, without there
being a legitimate constitutional authority in the country, which would safeguard the
maintenance of security and respect for law and which would protect the lives and
properties of the inhabitants, the Governments of the Arab States declare the following…
‘The Arab States most emphatically declare that [their] intervention in Palestine was due
only to these considerations and objectives, and that they aim at nothing more than to
put an end to the prevailing conditions in [Palestine]. For this reason, they have great
confidence that their action will have the support of the United Nations; [that it will be]
considered as an action aiming at the realization of its aims and at promoting its
principles, as provided for in its Charter.” –A statement from the Arab League to the UN
Security Council on May 15, 1948.
"Let us not be intoxicated with victory. To many people and not only among ourselves, it would appear
to be a miracle: a small nation of 700,000 persons (at the outset of the campaign there were only 640,000) stood
up against six nations numbering 30 million. However, none of us knows whether the trial by bloodshed has yet
ended. The enemy forces in the neighboring countries and in the world at large have not yet despaired of their
scheme to annihilate Israel in its own land or at least to pare away its borders, and we do not yet know whether
the recent war, which we fought in the Negev and which ended in victory for the IDF, is the last battle or not, and
as long as we cannot be confident that we have won the last battle, let us not glory." –Ben Guerin in an address
to his country on January 12, 1949.
“The armistice agreements provide for a definitive end to the fighting in Palestine. Each agreement incorporates what amounts to a
non-aggression pact between the parties, and provides for withdrawal and reduction of forces. The agreements have all been negotiated at the
governmental level and signed for and on behalf of their respective Governments by delegations carrying credentials in good order. They are
agreements voluntarily entered into by the parties, and any breach of their terms would involve a most serious act of bad faith.” –A letter
from Ralph J. Bunche to the UN Security Council on July 21, 1949.

Works Consulted

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"1948 Arab-Israeli War." Wikipedia`. 4 May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab-Israeli_War>.

Thornton, Ted. "First Arab-Israeli War." 25 Jan. 2009. History of the Middle East Database. 5 May 2009
<http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/1948_arab.php>.

"Israel: War 1948 Table of Contents." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. 07 May 2009
<http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/1948toc.html>.

Welcome to Palestine Facts. 07 May 2009 <http://www.palestinefacts.org/index.php>.