The Creation of the State of Israel (Perspectives on Modern World
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Perspectives on Modern World History The Creation of the State of Israel 1st EDITION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Perspectives on 8 9 Modern 10 11 World History 12 13 The Creation of the State of Israel 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 pmwhcsi.indd 1 9/10/09 11:03:46 AM Master Final Pages 1st EDITION Perspectives on Modern World History The Creation of the State of Israel Myra Immell Book Editor pmwhcsi.indd 3 9/10/09 11:03:50 AM 1 Christine Nasso, Publisher 2 Elizabeth Des Chenes, Managing Editor 3 © 2010 Thomson Gale, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. 4 Gale and Greenhaven Press are registered trademarks used herein under license. For more information, contact: 5 Greenhaven Press 6 27500 Drake Rd. Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535 7 Or you can visit our Internet site at gale.cengage.com 8 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 9 No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, 10 stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, 11 information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written 12 permission of the publisher. 13 14 For product information and technology assistance, contact us at 15 Gale Customer Support, 1-800-877-4253. For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at 16 www.cengage.com/permissions. 17 Further permissions questions can be emailed to [email protected] 18 Articles in Greenhaven Press anthologies are often edited for length to meet page requirements. In 19 addition, original titles of these works are changed to clearly present the main thesis and to explicitly in- dicate the author’s opinion. Every effort is made to ensure that Greenhaven Press accurately reflects the 20 original intent of the authors. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrighted material. 21 Cover images copyright Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images and Bettmann/Corbis. Reproduced by permission. 22 23 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DaTA 24 The creation of the state of Israel / Myra Immell, book editor. p. cm. -- (Perspectives on modern world history) 25 Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7377-4556-6 (hardcover) 26 1. Israel--History--Declaration of Independence, 1948--Juvenile literature. 2. Palestine--History-- 1929-1948--Juvenile literature. 3. Israel--History--1948-1967--Juvenile literature. 4. Jews-- 27 History--20th century--Juvenile literature. 5. Israel--History--Declaration of Independence, 28 1948--Sources--Juvenile literature. 6. Palestine--History--1929-1948--Sources--Juvenile literature. 7. Israel--History--1948-1967--Sources--Juvenile literature. 8. Jews--History--20th century--Sources-- 29 Juvenile literature. I. Immell, Myra. DS126.4.C69 2009 30 956.94'04--dc22 2009024199 31 32 33 34 35 Printed in the United States of America 36 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13 12 11 10 09 pmwhcsi.indd 4 9/10/09 11:03:50 AM Final Pages Master CONTENTS 1 2 3 4 Foreword 1 5 Introduction 4 6 7 World Map 9 8 9 10 CHAPTER 1 Historical Background on the Creation 11 of the State of Israel 12 1. From Palestine to Israel: An Overview 13 13 14 Sara Pendergast, Ralph G. Zerbonia, and 15 Tom Pendergast 16 Excerpts from the Gale Middle East Conflict 17 Reference Library explain that after World 18 War I, the British had mandate power over 19 Palestine. Announcement of a plan in 1947 to 20 partition Palestine resulted in the end of the 21 British Mandate, the creation of the state of 22 Israel, and war between Arabs and Israelis. 23 2. Reactions to the 1947 UN Approval 24 of Partition 22 25 The Economist 26 27 In this 1947 news article the British, the 28 Arabs, and the Jews view differently the 29 United Nations approval of the establishment 30 of Arab and Jewish states in Palestine. For the 31 Jewish people, partition is a victory. For most 32 of the Arab population, it is not acceptable. 33 34 35 36 pmwhcsi.indd 5 9/10/09 11:03:51 AM Master Final Pages 3. The Future of Israel After the British Mandate Ends 28 The Times of London The ending of the British Mandate in Palestine and the withdrawal of British troops brings into question the new state of Israel and the future of Arab-Jewish relations. Concessions are called for on both sides in this London news article from 1948. 4. Three Days of Turmoil in Palestine’s History 33 The Jerusalem Post The English-language Israeli newspaper reports that the forty-eight to seventy-two hours immediately after Israel is proclaimed an independent state in May 1948 are chaotic. The new nation is in a state of emergency as it comes under attack from Arab snipers on the ground and Arab bombers in the skies. 5. Israel Becomes a State 39 The Jerusalem Post The day the state of Israel is officially pro- claimed, May 16, 1948, the Post reports that the new nation pledges to allow entry to Jewish immigrants from all countries and asks Arab citizens who have fled to return to their homes. 6. Israel Is a Model of Instant Democracy 44 I.D.W. Talmadge In this article published in September 1948, four months after Israel became a state, the foreign affairs editor of The Nation magazine reports that Israel’s democratic government is pmwhcsi.indd 6 9/10/09 11:03:51 AM Final Pages Master secure and has the full support of the people. Israel is seen as the most stable regime in the Middle East. CHAPTER 2 Controversies Surrounding the Creation of the State of Israel 1. The Jewish People Deserve a Home 52 A.J. Balfour The former prime minister of the United Kingdom argues in this 1922 speech that the Jewish people should have an opportunity to develop their culture and traditions free from unjust persecution. The Palestine Mandate makes this possible. 2. The British Plan to Partition Palestine Is Not the Best Solution 57 Herbert Samuel A British politician who is the high com- missioner to Palestine supports the British Mandate in Palestine and contends in 1937 that it should not be ended and that partition is not the best option to solve the Jewish-Arab problems in Palestine. 3. British Obligations to the Jewish People Are Not Legal 66 Higher Arab Committee In this 1938 report the Higher Arab Committee maintains that British obligations to the Jewish people and the Arab popula- tion are conflicting and cannot be reconciled and that obligations to the Jewish people are beyond the scope of a solution in Palestine. pmwhcsi.indd 7 9/10/09 11:03:51 AM Master Final Pages 4. Palestine Should Not Be Partitioned 74 Jamal el-Husseini A member of the Palestine Arab delegation to the UN General Assembly’s Committee on Palestine argues in this 1947 speech that Palestine is the birthright of the Arab people. Only an Arab state for all of Palestine is acceptable. 5. Palestine Should Be Partitioned 83 Abba Hillel Silver A spokesman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine contends in this 1947 speech that Palestine is the historic home of the Jewish people and that the Jewish people have been promised a national homeland there. 6. Arab States Have No Right to Intervene in Israel 93 Abba Eban An Israeli statesman asserts in this 1948 speech that Arab acts of aggression against Israel must cease and Arab states must agree that the doctrine of sovereign equality applies to Israel as well as to themselves. 7. Outside Factors Contributed to the Birth of Israel 102 Geoffrey Wheatcroft A British journalist and author makes the case in 1997 that Jewish politicians, Zionists, and settlers were not wholly responsible for the creation of Israel; world events over which they had no control played a major role. pmwhcsi.indd 8 9/10/09 11:03:51 AM Final Pages Master 8. The Connection Between the Holocaust and the Creation of Israel 108 Evyatar Friesel An Israeli academician argues in this 1996 paper that there was a point of contact between the Holocaust and the creation of Israel, but the Holocaust was not the basis for the creation. 9. Establishment of the State of Israel Was an Injustice to the Palestinians 117 Avi Shlaim A contemporary historian argues in 2008 that the 1948 establishment of the state of Israel resulted in considerable injustice to the Palestinians. He contends that Israel needs to end its opposition to an independent Palestinian state. 10. The Balfour Declaration Is Responsible for Instability in the Middle East 127 Peter Mansfield A Middle East expert argues in this 1967 magazine article that the ambiguous wording of the Balfour Declaration led Arabs and Jews to interpret it differently. The ambiguity has resulted in ongoing unrest. 11. The United States Has a Responsibility for the Israeli-Palestinian Problem 133 Richard H. Curtiss A former U.S. secretary of defense reflects on actions taken in 1948 and concludes that the United States should not have pushed for par- pmwhcsi.indd 9 9/10/09 11:03:51 AM Master Final Pages tition nor recognized the state of Israel until borders were officially agreed upon. 12. Palestinian Arabs Should Be Returned to Their Homes 142 Rafat Abu Ghali A Palestinian currently living in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip contends that refu- gees should be returned to their original land and repaid for their losses.