The War of 1948, also known as the War of Independence, was fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The war began May 15, 1948 when units from the armies of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq invaded Israel launching a war that lasted until December 1948.# The war resulted in the defeat of the Arab forces and the success of Israel as a newly established state. It is evident that the Arab forces were not successful in the first Arab-Israeli war because the Arab army lacked motivation, education, and proper equipment.# Despite the support from Arab states outside of Palestine, the Arabs were unable to gain enough strength to overcome the Israeli forces. In contrast, the Israeli army was able to succeed because they had unconditional support from the Jewish community, efficient infrastructures, and modern equipment. Israel also used significant strategies that proved lethal against the competing Arab forces. With the Arab communities unorganized attempt to go to war in 1948, it was inevitable that Israel would come out of the war as the victor.
One of the first recognizable problems that the Arab forces had when entering the war in 1948 was the insignificant amount of soldiers the army contained. At the beginning stages of the war, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria, did not send their full armies into Palestine. The combination of all five countries led to about 25,000 soldiers who were poorly trained, unorganized, and did not have a supply system that could function properly. By May of 1948, it is estimated that Egypt sent a total of 10,000 soldiers, Jordan 8,000 soldiers, Iraq 4,000-6,000 soldiers, Syria 1,500-2,500 soldiers, and Lebanon fewer than 1,000 soldiers to fight in the war.# The Arab army lacked the ne...
... middle of paper ...
...r under one leadership. The Arab forces were more so scattered and unable to join together under a single cause, creating instability within. The most effective strategy in war that helped the Israeli forces win was the occurrence of Plan D, which pushed thousands of Arabs out of zones that Israel deemed important. By executing Plan D, the Israeli forces were able to create a sense of fear throughout the Arab population, and ultimately lead the Palestinian Arabs to flee instead of supporting and fighting with the Arab forces. From being outnumbered to not pursuing the same goal, the Arab states were doomed from the beginning. Israel’s effective means of using every opportunity to grow and remain organized led it to win the War of 1948, thus creating a greater sense of pride within the newly established state, and creating a military that could not be tarnished.
The ideas of David, Reuven and other reform Jews sparked new interest in the notion of a Hebrew state in Palestine. Zionism was an idea with a long history, but it starts to involve the characters of The Chosen and picks up intensity after the Holocaust.
The word "privateer" conjures a romantic image in the minds of most Americans. Tales of battle and bounty pervade the folklore of privateering, which has become a cherished, if often overlooked part of our shared heritage. Legends were forged during the battle for American independence, and these men were understandably glorified as part of the formation of our national identity. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of these men were common opportunists, if noteworthy naval warriors. The profit motive was the driving force behind almost all of their expeditions, and a successful privateer could easily become quite wealthy. In times of peace, these men would be common pirates, pariahs of the maritime community. Commissioned in times of war, they were respected entrepreneurs, serving their purses and their country, if only incidentally the latter. However vulgar their motivation, the system of privateering arose because it provided a valuable service to thecountry, and indeed the American Revolution might not have been won without their involvement. Many scholars agree that all war begins for economic reasons, and the privateers of the war for independence contributed by attacking the commercial livelihood of Great Britain's merchants.
World War II was a global event that forever changed the world. From devastating events to heart wrenching stories, World War II bore witness to some of the most heinous acts against humanity. A debate exists over the differences between the history and the memory of the war. From historians to the way societies remember it, the war impacted everyone. Many argue that the United States entered the war for ulterior motives others remember its involvement as a necessity in order to prevent a more catastrophic outcome. Whether one remembers the war because they lived it or because they read about it differences of opinions still exist regardless of historical evidence or witness accounts.
This marked the beginning of the Palestine armed conflict, one of its kinds to be witnessed in centuries since the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War 1. Characterized by a chronology of endless confrontations, this conflict has since affected not only the Middle East relations, but also the gl...
Since the beginning of Thomas Jefferson's presidency, Britain has continually pushed the Jefferson administration to the limit. Britain's opinion of Americans has always been as being an inferior British colony, even though they won the revolution. Britain overstepped the boundaries and took advantage of the Americans once again and it was inevitable that the Americans would have to retaliate. They retaliated against the British colonies, in Upper and Lower Canada in the War of 1812. Americans view the War of 1812 as the second war for independence because of British threats on American sovereignty, prevailing attitudes of American congressman and the natives.
Israel’s involvement in war is not a new phenomenon. Military conflict has been true all through the history of the Jewish nation. In biblical times the Jewish people were continually engaged in military conflict, often times the aggressor, as Yahweh called them to fight in order to settle in the “promised land” (Joshua 8:1-2 New International Version). The children of Israel’s first military conflict came in 1445 B.C. against the Amalekites during the time of the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 17:10 NIV). Over the next two centuries, the Israelites conquered most of the land now known as Israel battling many different tribes in what was almost constant military conflict (NIV). The tribes of Israel were unified by the establishment of a monarchical system headed by Saul in 1020 B.C. (Benhaim np). David, the second king of Israel created a c...
Palestine (and Israel) is a small area in the Middle East that is on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea and borders the nations of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. On May 14, 1948, the state of Israel was declared by the Jewish Peoples council. Following this act, the Arab people of the surrounding countries attacked the new Israeli state. However Israel prevailed, and took almost all of the land previously designated to be ...
"Plutot mourir que faillir"("Rather dying than failing")and “UBIQUE! QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT" “Everywhere! Where Right and Glory Lead.” The Seven Years war, or the French and Indian war to Americans, was arguably the first true world. The Seven years war was a worldwide war fought in Europe, North America, and India between. It was France, Austria, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and (after 1762) Spain on the one side and Prussia, Great Britain, and Hanover on the other (the Americans where there only for the North American theater).This conflict was the result of the ongoing hostilities and the struggle of supremacy between France and Great Britain. In 1754, in North America, George Washington was defeated at Fort Necessity in western Pennsylvania. From that moment on, both France and Great Britain dispatched troops, although not in equal numbers. For France, the war in Europe was the top priority, so the country sent just a few troops. It also considered it was more important to protect its colonies in the West Indies, since sugar cane was more lucrative than the fur trade in New France (Canada). Great Britain on the other hand was determined to destroy France's colonial empire, and it sent more than 20,000 soldiers to America. It must also be noted that American colonists were unable to defend themselves against their Canadian counterparts, who, with the help the Native Americans excelled in the art of the guerilla warfare. For New England, it was imperative to obliterate New France and its Native allies, which were preventing the States from acquiring and occupying new land (New England had a very large population and sought new land to occupy and farm.) France waste no time in the war and attacked the British held island of Minorca. This island ended up in the hands of the French. Although France did well in the war until 1757, the tide proceeded to turn, in favor of the British troops, after William Pitt became Sec. of state for war. The British won several victories right including the battle on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, when James Wolfe defeated the army of Montcalm. Things were far from over, however, because the final result depended on whether France was victorious or defeated. In the end, France was defeated on all fronts (West Indies, the subcontinent of India, Europe and America). The Treaty of Paris, signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain on February 10, 1763, ended the Seven Years' War and its American counterpart, the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
The Israeli-Palestine conflict is an event that has been well documented throughout the course of Middle-Eastern history. The conflict dates back as far as the nineteenth century where Palestine and Zionist, will later be known as Israel, are two communities each with different ideologies had the same overwhelming desire to acquire land. However, what makes this clash what it is, is the fact that both of these up and coming communities are after the same piece of land. The lengths that both sides went to in order obtain they believed was theirs has shaped the current relationship between the two nations today.
The conflicting ideas of whose fault the crisis was or why it came to be can all be traced back to the Arabs opposition to live in a Jewish State or to make peace. Many Arabs inflicted refugeeism on themselves by fleeing. Nearby Arab countries rejected the Arabs, made the crisis worse because the Arabs had no place to go. The few Arabs who were expelled, were in strategically vital areas. CONCLUDING
Wars are good business. They create an immediate demand for a wide variety of materials needed by the government in order to fight the war. They create work opportunities for people that might not ordinarily be considered part of the normal work force. And, while not necessarily good for the soldiers engaged in the fighting, wars are always good for the businesses that provide the materials used in a war. The Second World War was very good for business.
Since the Arabs were living in Palestine when the Ottoman Empire control it. Since the Arabs defeated the Ottoman Empire with the help of from Germany, “Just short of 6 months the Palestinians were crushed, militarily and psychologically” (document 8) On the other hand, Israel grew beyond the partition lines, gained more defensible borders and they destroyed Arab homes reducing their population. The Palestinians rightly felt that the Israelis were taking over the area and were pushing out of lands promised to them in both the Balfour Declaration and the UN 1947 Partition.
After World War I, Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States of America, created fourteen points in order to develop peace throughout the European nations. The first five points stated general peace clauses between the warring countries. He put forth the five points to ensure a tranquil environment in which the European countries can function without trouble. The last point also dealt with sense of a peace intention. It asked for a general association of the European countries to confirm national integrity (Wilson’s Fourteen Points 1).
The Arab-Israeli conflict is perhaps the most complex political issue of our time. Many have resorted to simply blaming one side or the other. If people took the time to understand the history and correct the misconceptions a potential path forward for the Palestinians comes in place. The main reason as to why the conflict continues is because both Palestinians and Israelis have been fighting over land for the past 66 years.
Ben-Gurion, David. “Status-Quo Agreement.” In Israel in the Middle East: Second Edition, edited by Itamar Rabinovich and Jehude Reinharz, 58-59. Waltham: Brandeis University Press, 2008.