British Withdrawal

• WWII

  • Palestinian Jews
  • Chose to support Brit against Nazis and fought in their Army
  • Gave them military experience and weapons
  • Official Jew policy
  • Fight Germans like there is no White Paper
  • Fight White Paper as if there is no Germans
  • British announced ('45) no increased immigration or Jewish state
  • War toughened Zionists (6 mil Jews dead) and leaders opposed Brit rule in August
  • Terrorist groups targeted Brit military bases, railways, trains and bridges
  • Turned to US to pressure Brit (4.5 mil Jew Americans)
  • 1942 US Biltmore Declaration (support ‘Jew commonwealth’ in palestine)
• Post-WWII

  • American Zionists joined Palestinian Jews after War in propaganda offensive (rallies and advertisment, lobbied US gov)
  • '46 Harry Truman told Brit gov to allow 100,000 Jew refugees in
  • 6 months later supports palestinian partition
  • Brit stopped illegal immigration to lower Palestinian Arab violence
  • Haganah tried to obstruct British and assist immigration
  • Arabs felt
  • Increased immigration would raise demand for independent Jew State
  • Refugees were Europes responsibility
• Withdrawal

  • Terrorism weakened Brit morale; especially when seemed supported by US Zionists
  • King David Hotel
  • Brit military HQ
  • Jerusalem
  • Protected by machine guns, soldiers, etc
  • April '46 Irgun dressed as Arabs delivering milk churns
  • Contained explosives
  • Killed 88 (15 Jew)
  • Officers club
  • Jerusalem
  • Attacked feb '47
  • Bombs then guns
  • 20 dead
  • '47 summer
  • Irgun hung 2 Brit soldiers
  • Retaliation to execution of 3 members
  • Exodus ship (4,500 Jewish refugees)
  • Ilegal immigration
  • Brit apprehension led to displacement in camps in Brit German zone
  • Public embarrassment/condemnation