Palestinian Civil War

• Haganah


  Main Zionist paramilitary organization formed in 1920 to fight for an independent state
• After partition plan in 1947


  Jews were happy with "mini-State" but when fighting erupted started wanting more
• Jews sought to establish Jews in Jerusalem
• Arabs directly rejected "mini-state" and initiated the fighting
• Arab Liberation Army


  Formed after partition plan, had anti-Zionist beliefs
• Arab revolts against Jewish national home began

  1934
• Jews and Arabs fought in a "fit for fat" escalation, early April it descended into Total War "zero sum"
• Jewish National Council established provisional Council of State which became legislative body


  May 1st 1948
• UNSC believed partition was no longer possible, Palestine should be under a UN trusteeship
• Secretary of state believed chaos in Middle East would lead to Soviet intervention
• Haganah's Plan Dalet 1948


  Control of Hebrew state + defending borders, occupy in Arab towns, destroying + expulsing Arab forces
• Ben-Gurion


  National founder of Israel, not one Jewish settlement abandoned
• Haganah


  • Used leaflets + radio to spread cause
• Irgun + Lehi


  Against Haganah's policy of limited reprisal
• Arab states joined armies and formed Arab League in 1945
• Arab Liberation Army 1947, Armed by Syria, Lebanon, Trans-Jordan
• Mufti of Jerusalem rejected "mini-state"
• King Abdulah didn't recognise Jewish statehood, only Jewish autonomy under Jordan sovereignty
• British Mandate


  Was against Arab or Jewish national home, but allowed 100,000 Jews to enter between 1920-1947
• Britain began withdrawal after Resolution 181 until May 1948, helped Arabs flee + turn back refugee ships from Europe
• Soviet Union showed support to Ben-Gurion
• Czechoslovakia negotiated arms deal with Ben-Gurion in February, providing 200 rifles, no machine guns, 150,000 rounds of ammunition
• Yugoslavia provided arms to Jews, 500 rifles, 200 machine guns, 5 million rounds of ammunition
• 3 day general strike, Arabs attacked Jewish businesses


  December 1st
• 1069 Arabs, 769 Jews, 123 British Killed


  First week of January
• Massacre at Arab village Deir Yassin, 245 Arab killed (women + children)

  Early April
• Arabs started fleeing to Trans-Jordan, 300,000 left by May
• US called for 3 month restraint, Ben-Gurion's vote of 6-4 was against it, statehood would be declared