Friendship Reanimated The Israeli-Transjordanian Armistice Negotiations 1948-1949 Jørgen Jensehaugen MA Thesis in History Department of Archaeology, Conservation, and History (IAKH) University of Oslo (UiO) and International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) Spring 2008 Front Cover Pictures. UN Partition Plan: Foreign Office Archives King Abdullah: http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-70022/King-Abdullah-I-of-Jordan-with-his-younger- son-Naif (23.04.08) David Ben-Gurion: http://www.isracast.com/images/NewsImages/271106Bengurion.jpg (23.04.08) Ralph Bunche and Count Folke Bernadotte: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/articles/bunche/index.html (23.04.08) ii Friendship Reanimated The Israeli-Transjordanian Armistice Negotiations 1948-1949 Jørgen Jensehaugen MA Thesis in History Department of Archaeology, Conservation, and History (IAKH) University of Oslo (UiO) and International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) Spring 2008 iii iv PREFACE ...................................................................................................... IX 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Sources ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Primary Sources: ................................................................................................................................. 5 Secondary Sources ............................................................................................................................... 6 Literature ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Theoretical Approach ............................................................................................................................ 9 Value of Research in a Broader Perspective ...................................................................................... 11 2. PARTITIONING PALESTINE AND THE ABDULLAH-ZIONIST COLLUSION .................................................................................................. 12 Many Promises, Little Land ................................................................................................................ 12 Navigating Troubled Waters ............................................................................................................... 15 Which Partition? .................................................................................................................................. 19 War in Palestine .................................................................................................................................... 21 Collusion and Confusion ...................................................................................................................... 23 Recognition of Israel ............................................................................................................................. 26 War in Palestine – Round 1: 15 May – 11 June 1948 ........................................................................ 27 The First Truce: 11 June – 8 July 1948 .............................................................................................. 29 War in Palestine – Round 2: 8 – 18 July 1948 .................................................................................... 30 Second Truce: 19 July – 15 October 1948 .......................................................................................... 30 Towards the Best Animosity ................................................................................................................ 31 3. ISRAELI – TRANSJORDANIAN CONTACT REGAINED ......................... 32 Claiming the Palestinian Cause: Egypt and the All Palestine Government .................................... 38 Operation Yoav: 15 October – November 1948 ................................................................................. 40 Claiming the Palestinian Cause: Transjordan and the Jericho Conference ................................... 41 Secret Channels: Paris and Jerusalem ............................................................................................... 43 Abdullah Goes it Alone ........................................................................................................................ 46 The Jerusalem Truce ............................................................................................................................ 47 By-Passing the UN – Sidelining the British ........................................................................................ 51 v 4. CRUSHING THE RINGLEADER: REMOVING EGYPT AND ISOLATING TRANSJORDAN ........................................................................................... 51 Talks Upgraded Under Pressure ......................................................................................................... 52 Inter-Arab Developments .................................................................................................................... 53 Operation Horev: 22 December 1948 - 12 January 1949 .................................................................. 58 Britain Shows Muscle: Defensive Troops to Aqaba ........................................................................... 62 Egypt to Rhodes .................................................................................................................................... 64 5. THE ROAD TO THE KING’S PALACE ..................................................... 66 Stalling: Waiting for the PCC ............................................................................................................. 67 Development of Talks ........................................................................................................................... 72 The Iraq Problem: Neither Negotiation, nor Withdrawal ................................................................ 74 With Iraq Undecided ............................................................................................................................ 77 Egyptian Armistice ............................................................................................................................... 78 Slow Show at Rhodes ............................................................................................................................ 79 Off to Shuneh ........................................................................................................................................ 83 6. COERCION ON TWO FRONTS ................................................................ 84 Facts on the Ground in the Southern Negev ...................................................................................... 87 Blackmail on the Iraqi Front ............................................................................................................... 94 The Signing at Rhodes ........................................................................................................................ 102 7. RHODES VS. SHUNEH: ANALYZING THE DIPLOMATIC PREFERENCE ..................................................................................................................... 104 The Israeli Perspective ....................................................................................................................... 104 King Abdullah’s Perspective ............................................................................................................. 104 Ralph Bunche’s Perspective .............................................................................................................. 106 8. ARMISTICE – FROM TEMPORARY SOLUTION TO PERMANENT NON- SOLUTION .................................................................................................. 110 Evaluating the Armistice.................................................................................................................... 111 The Lausanne Peace Conference and the Abdullah Channel ......................................................... 113 Setting the Stage for the Future ........................................................................................................ 114 vi Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................. 116 APPENDIX 1: MAPS ................................................................................... 117 1: UN Partition Plan .......................................................................................................................... 117 2: Arab Invasion ................................................................................................................................. 118 3: Operation Uvda .............................................................................................................................. 119 4. Strip of land given to Israel on Northern West Bank .................................................................. 120 5. Armistice lines ................................................................................................................................. 121 APPENDIX 2: .............................................................................................. 122 Israel-Jordan Armistice Agreement, 3 April 1949..........................................................................