1948 Palestine war

The 1948 Palestine war (30 November 1947 – 10 March 1949) took place in the land that was once ruled by Britain called Mandatory Palestine. It started as a fight between Arab and Jewish people after the United Nations Partition Plan suggested splitting the land into two separate countries. The war later grew into a bigger fight when nearby Arab countries sent their armies into the area after the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel and the end of British rule.

During this time, many people were forced to leave their homes. Over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven away, and new borders were drawn that changed the shape of the land forever. The war ended with agreements in 1949, creating what we now call the Green Line, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. This war was the first in a long series of conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians and between Arab nations and Israel.

Background

Main article: History of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

See also: Intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine

The 1948 war began from long-standing tensions between Jewish and Arab communities living in Palestine under British rule. The British had promised to help create a Jewish homeland there, which led to more Jewish families moving to the area. This created friction because many Arab families also lived there and did not always welcome the new settlers.

Jewish immigration to Palestine

Main article: Zionism

Zionism was a movement that began in Europe, where many Jewish families wanted to return to their ancient homeland in Palestine. In the late 1800s, about 30,000 Jewish families moved to Palestine from places like the Russian Empire. They faced challenges, including unfair treatments in Europe, but they hoped to build a new home and community.

At first, the Arab families living there did not organize into a national movement, and Palestine was not seen as a separate country by its rulers. Over time, some Arab families began to oppose the new Jewish settlements, leading to small conflicts. By the early 1900s, tensions grew, and there were a few violent incidents between the groups.

World War I and the Balfour Declaration

Main articles: Sinai and Palestine campaign and Balfour Declaration

During World War I, Palestine was caught between fighting forces. The British fought against the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled the land for many years. The British were helped by Arab tribes, who were promised independence in return. However, Palestine was not included in that promise.

After the war, the British government issued a statement called the Balfour Declaration, saying they supported a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine. They also promised to protect the rights of non-Jewish families living there. Many factors influenced this decision, including support from Jewish leaders and Britain’s interest in protecting important routes like the Suez Canal.

Early years of the British Mandate

After World War I, Britain was given control of Palestine by an international group called the League of Nations. The British were supposed to carry out the promises made in the Balfour Declaration. As more Jewish families moved in, called the Yishuv, tensions grew between the Jewish and Arab communities. There were several violent events, such as riots in Jerusalem and other areas. Some Arab leaders still sold land to Jewish groups, even while opposing immigration.

Jewish leaders tried to reach agreements with Arab leaders, but they could not agree.

1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine

Main articles: 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine and Arab general strike (Mandatory Palestine)

In the late 1930s, many Arab families in Palestine began a large revolt against increased Jewish migration and changes to their land. The revolt started after three Jewish drivers were killed in 1936 and quickly grew into protests and fighting. The British tried to stop the violence, but their actions weakened the Arab families before the bigger 1948 war.

Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine

Main article: Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine

After 1939, some Jewish groups opposed British control of Palestine. They carried out attacks against British forces. One famous attack was on the King David Hotel in 1946, which caused many casualties.

The Arab states

After World War II, several nearby countries were becoming independent from British or French rule. Transjordan became independent in 1946 and was later called Jordan. Egypt had gained independence earlier but was still influenced by Britain. Lebanon and Syria also became independent. In 1945, several Arab countries formed the Arab League to work together on shared issues.

The 1947 UN Partition Plan

Main article: 1947 UN Partition Plan

In November 1947, the United Nations suggested dividing Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, along with a special international zone for Jerusalem. The Jewish leaders accepted this plan, seeing it as a starting point. However, Arab leaders rejected it, feeling it was unfair because they believed Palestine should be governed by its own people. After the plan was announced, violence quickly broke out between the Jewish and Arab communities, with attacks happening on both sides.

First phase: 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine

Main article: 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine

The first part of the war began after the United Nations voted to divide Palestine into separate areas for Jews and Arabs. This led to fighting between Jewish and Arab communities while British forces were leaving the area. During the early months, many people were hurt or killed, and the fighting grew more serious over time.

Arab fighters from nearby countries entered the area, and one group tried to block Jewish people in Jerusalem from getting supplies. Jewish leaders tried to send help, but it became very difficult. This made some Jewish communities feel very unsafe.

To prepare for more fighting, Jewish leaders made a plan called Plan Dalet in April 1948. This plan helped Jewish forces take control of several important towns. During this time, many people were forced to leave their homes. The fighting also caused some difficult moments, like when supply convoys were attacked, making life very hard for people in Jerusalem.

Second phase: 1948 Arab–Israeli War

Main article: 1948 Arab–Israeli War

On May 14, 1948, just before the British rule ended, David Ben-Gurion announced the creation of a new Jewish state called the State of Israel. Leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union quickly recognized this new state. However, the Arab League did not accept this and decided to protect Arab communities. Four Arab countries—Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, and Syria—sent armies into the area that had been under British control. They fought against the Israeli forces.

The United Nations called for a pause in the fighting, which began on June 11 and lasted for about four weeks. During this time, both sides were supposed to stop fighting and not bring in new weapons or soldiers, but neither side fully followed these rules. After the pause ended, fighting continued, and Israeli forces pushed forward on several fronts. By the time a second pause began on July 18, Israel had taken control of several important areas. The war continued with more pauses and fighting until March 10, 1949, when the conflict finally ended.

Aftermath

Armistice lines

In 1949, Israel made peace agreements with Egypt, Lebanon, Transjordan, and Syria. After these agreements, Israel controlled about 78% of the land that had been part of Mandatory Palestine. This line that separated the areas where fighting stopped became known as the "Green Line." Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip, and Transjordan took control of the West Bank. The United Nations set up groups to watch for any new fighting and to help keep the peace.

Casualties

Israel lost about 6,373 people during the war — around 1% of its population at the time. Most of these were soldiers, with some being civilians. The number of Arab losses is not exact, but estimates suggest it was between 4,000 and 15,000 people.

Demographic consequences

Main articles: 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight and Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim lands

During the fighting, around 700,000 Palestinian Arabs left or were forced to leave their homes. Many villages were left empty. At the same time, about 10,000 Jews had to leave their homes in Palestine or Israel.

Because of the war, many Jews living in Arab countries were scared and left their homes, moving to Israel. This brought many new people to Israel, changing its population. Over the next few years, large numbers of Jews moved to Israel from Europe and other places.

Historiography

Since the war, different ways of understanding the events of 1948 have developed. In Israeli history, the war is called Israel's War of Independence. In Palestinian history, the war of 1948 is tied to the Nakba, where the Zionist movement is seen as taking land, and Palestinians are seen as victims. These different views come from different feelings about what happened.

One challenge in studying the history of 1948 is that some records may have been lost, hidden, or hard to reach. Language also makes it difficult because much research is written only in the language of the person doing the research and not translated.

The way people write about 1948 affects current politics and the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The stories of 1948 also matter to Palestinian refugees and their families.

Israeli narratives

Because Israel won the war, its version of the story spread more widely than others. Only in 1987 did this story get challenged outside the Arab world.

Zionist narrative

One common Israeli story of the war says that after the United Nations voted in 1947 to split Palestine into two states—one Jewish and one Arab—the Jews accepted this plan, but the Palestinians and Arab countries did not. When the British left and Israel declared itself a country, seven Arab countries sent armies to attack. The new Israeli state fought hard and survived against much larger forces. During the war, many Palestinians left their homes, mostly because of orders from their leaders, even though Jewish leaders asked them to stay. After the war, Israeli leaders wanted peace, but Arab leaders did not, until many years later.

This story was mostly written by people who fought in the war, politicians, soldiers, and others who supported Israel. It showed Israelis as brave and moral, but did not look closely at politics or the experiences of Palestinians. This story was taught in Israeli schools and used to support Israel around the world.

New Historians

For many years, this Israeli story was not challenged outside the Arab world. But in 1987, on the 40th anniversary of the war, several books were published by writers known as New Historians. They disagreed with the Israeli story on several points, including how the war started, why many Palestinians left their homes, and why peace was hard to reach.

Some people strongly criticized these New Historians, saying their work was unfair to Israel and aimed to hurt the country’s reputation.

Neo-Zionist narratives

Around the year 2000, during a time of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, some Israeli writers began to tell the story of 1948 in a new way. They said that while the war was hard, some of the tough actions Israel took were necessary. These writers focused more on the fighting than on the effects on ordinary people.

Palestinian narratives

Palestinian stories about 1948 have stayed mostly the same. They focus on Palestinians’ rights to live in their homeland, the suffering they faced, losing their homes, being forced away, and being without a country. The word “Nakba” was used to describe this big loss and sadness for Palestinians.

Palestinian historians have worked hard to show that Palestinians did not leave their homes on their own. Some say there is no single, agreed-upon Palestinian story because the Palestinian community is spread out and many important papers were lost or taken.

Arab narratives

In the wider Arab world, the year 1948 is seen as a big mistake or failure, showing how the region had changed and was not as strong as before. Arab governments often talked about 1948 in ways that tried to defend themselves, while some writers focused on learning from the past to get ready for future conflicts with Israel.

United States narratives

A book written in 1984 by an American journalist had a big effect on how people in the United States understood the war of 1948.

Terminology

The 1948 Palestine war is also sometimes called the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, the First Arab–Israeli war, or just the 1948 war. The term "Arab-Israeli war" often refers to the part of the war that started on May 15, 1948, when Arab countries got involved in the conflict with Israel.

Many Palestinians and people in the Arab world call this event the Nakba, which means "the catastrophe." In Israel, it is known as the War of Independence.

In popular culture

Some movies and a documentary have told stories connected to this time in history. The 1960 movie Exodus shows a group of Jewish people being helped to travel to what would become Israel. The 1966 movie Cast a Giant Shadow is about a soldier who helped Israel during the war. Another 1966 movie, Judith (1966 film), follows a woman who helps find a former German soldier. A 2015 PBS documentary, A Wing and a Prayer, shows how people helped bring supplies to support Israel. The 2021 film Farha shares the story of a Palestinian girl during a difficult time.