Midterm Review
1936-1939 Arab Revolt
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1948 War
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Anwar Sadat
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Basic vs. Secondary Security
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Bombing of the King David Hotel
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Britain
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British Brutality
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British Mandate
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Defensive vs. Offensive Security
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Egyptian-Israeli War of Attrition
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Ehud Barak
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Eshcol's Radio Speech
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France
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Palestinian Refugees
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Paratroopers
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Pre-emption
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Role of Intelligence
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Role of Religion
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Role of Resources
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Role of Superpowers Pre-1930's
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Rotem 1960
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Kibutzim
Collective farm or settlement in Israel. See "Palmach"
Zionism
Began in Europe as a transition to modern political thought and ideas. Part of a process that happened all over the world
Abdullah Hussein
Born in Mecca. Son of Hussein ibn Ali. Became Sherif of Mecca. Represented Mecca in the Ottoman Parliament. King of Jordan, Planned the Arab Revolt with support of British, Captured West Bank and Jerusalem.
Yitzak Shamir
Famous leader of the Stern Gang (LEHI) that carried out the attack of the King David Hotel with the help of the Irgun. Later went on to become the Prime Minister of Israel.
Yitzhak Sadeh
First Jewish General. Assembled a group of men into an army and taught them guerrilla warfare techniques. Recognized the Jewish army's need to switch from defensive tactics to offensive tactics similar to the Arab armies. Was the first person to recognize that since the Jewish army was weak, they they needed to be militarily strategic to compensate. Realized that their army couldn't successfully attack their enemy's armies head-on, and that it was more effective to come behind enemy lines with paratroopers. Also emphasized nighttime attacks. This was the first time the Jews actually started attacking aggressively and progressively thinking ahead- defined Jewish fighting style up into the 60's. Fought in WWI, joined Haganah and formed the Nodedet in Palestine. Led the Palmach after the Arab Revolt. Helped create the first Jewish fighting force, turning the Jewish doctrine from defensive to offensive, turned Palmach into special forces.
Creation of the IDF
Formed in 1948. Known as "the cult of offense" because of the switch from passive to aggressive military tactics in the Arab Revolt of 1936-1937 Ben-Gurion didn't like Palmach, and thought of them as competition. Ben-Gurion blew up arms being sent to Palmach. Eventually, Palmach, Irgun and Haganah were integrated.
Nakba
Known as "the catastrophe" by the Arabs.
Balfour Declaration
A British agreement supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Drafted by Zionist leaders, passed by British war cabinet, and forwarded by British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Lord Rothchild, a leading Zionist and one of the drafters of the document. Promised British support of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, while also promising not to disturb the Arabs living there at the time. This was only one of the many contradictory promises made by the British in World War I. Needing support against the Ottoman Empire, the British had also promised the Arabs a homeland in Palestine (so the Arabs claimed, but Brits later denied) in the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence, and also needing French and Russian support, promised to rule Palestine with them in the Sykes-Picot Agreement. The British came up with this declaration in hopes of enlisting American and Russian Jews to convince America to join the war, and to keep Russia from abandoning it. The cabinet also hoped to prompt a similar German pro-Zionist document to get Jewish money to help them fund the war. England favored Zionist goals in Palestine, and even antisemitic Christians felt that it was their duty to help Jews establish a home in the holy land. Liberals like Balfour felt that the West had committed historical injustices towards the Jews that needed to be atoned for. Others argued that Jewish contributions to British society were disproportionate to their numbers, and deserved to be recognized, The war cabinet also felt that postwar strategic advantages could be gained from granting Jews a homeland in Palestine allied with Britain. The wording in the document was purposely ambiguous. Choosing to promise "a national home" was worded to pacify anti-Zionist Jews, who feared the establishment of a Jewish state would jeopardize their rights, but in private, it was clear that Britain's goal was to eventually establish a Jewish state. Little thought was given to the indigenous Palestinians who lived in the region, and constituted 90% of the population in 1917. The phrase, "non-Jewish communities in Palestine" conceals the fact that they were actually the majority. The British really did attempt to protect their rights though, even at the expense of Jewish interests, as when they allowed the Arabs to restrict visitation and prayer at the Wailing Wall even though it is one of the holiest sites in Judaism. However, British support for the establishment of the Jewish state worked against the Arabs' national interests by giving the Yishuv (Jewish community) time to grow through immigration from 50,000 in 1917 to over 600,000 in 1947, and a chance to establish a military. Palestinians feared domination or expulsion, and protested violently in 1920, 1921, 1929, and 1933, but were put down by British forces every time. The Palestinian Arab Revolt of 1936-1939 was aimed at Jewish and British forces, but were too weak and underdeveloped to stand up to the opposing armies. Ultimately, the declaration paved the way for the establishment of a Jewish state in 1948, and the exodus of over 700,000 Palestinians out of fear or expulsion by the IDF. The refugee's weren't allowed to return to their homes, and their lands were confiscated.
1956 Suez Crisis
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1967 War
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Al-Fatah
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Commando Operations
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First Arab Revolt
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French Mandate
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Golan Heights
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Iraq
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Jeruselem
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Jordan
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Lebanon
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Levi Eschol
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Modernization of the IDF
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Operation Focus
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Security Doctrine
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Soviet Union
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Straits of Tiran
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Suez Canal
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Syria
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The PLO
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U.S.A
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War Over Water
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Yasser Arafat
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Yitzhak Rabin
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Theodore Hertzel
1860-1904 Austro-Hungarian journalist and writer. He is the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the towards the foundation of the State of Israel.
"Last Line of Defense"
1941: Nazi power machine closed in on Palestine. They used their tanks to make advances in North Africa, and threatened to close in on Palestine. The British didn't have the manpower to defend Palestine. They needed people to join their army and protect Palestine, and they only had the Jews to depend on. They didn't necessarily prefer the Jews over the Palestinians, they just knew that the Jews had more of an incentive to protect their holy land. So although they were reluctant to collaborate with the Jews in Palestine, they trained the Jewish volunteers anyways, which would eventually undermine their rule in the region.
Stern Gang
Also known as LEHI. Openly considered themselves to be a terrorist organization. Carried out Dier Yassin with the help of the Irgun. Less ideological than the Irgun, just considered themselves to be Zionists. Believed that the state of Israel could only become an independent state through the use of violence. Considered the British to be their biggest threat. Led by Yitzak Shamir. Like the Irgun, used violence as their main weapon.
Avadian and Allon
Both noteworthy IDF commanders. The first advocated for direct attack and annihilation of the enemy, while the second supported indirect attacks by breaking up enemy formations by looking for weak links. The first was a sergeant in the British Auxiliary Force, and witnessed their advantages and disadvantages, and sought to pursue direct offensive even though the current situation was much different. Planned to directly annihilate the Egyptians and execute the operation successfully. The second hoped to drive out Egyptians from the Negev all together, and encircle the main Egyptian force from North to South to annihilate it while the IDF targeted troops from the Sinai to prevent reserves from coming into the South. Needed lots of troops in the Negev, and treated the operation as one style area, and made a plan to stretch Egyptian forces till the israeli troops could break in. Wanted to avoid direct confrontation. Needed time though, and they didn't have much.
Hussein-McMahon Correspondence
Correspondence between Sharif Hussein ibn Ali of Mecca (Faysal's father) and the British high commissioner in Egypt, who promised independence to Arab countries. Ten letters outlined the terms by which the Sharif Hussein would ally with the British in revolt against the Ottomans in exchange for Britain's support of Arab independence McMahon agreed to give Hussein most of the lands he requested, except for the Persian Gulf area of Arabia, Baghdad, and portions of Syria, which remained over British and French influence respectively. The areas that were to be independent remained somewhat vague. Nevertheless, the Arabs supported the British in defeating the Turks by starting the Arab Revolt of 1916, allowing the Brits to occupy what was formerly the Ottoman Empire. However, after the war, the Arabs found that they had been betrayed by the conflicting promises made in the Sykes-Picot Agreement and Balfour Declarations, and Britain claimed that Palestine wasn't even ever part of the possible deal in the McMahon pledges. Interpretations of the correspondence have been disputed by historians due to the deliberate vagueness of the British in an attempt to win the support of the French, Russians, Italians, Jews, and Arabs throughout WWI. Ultimately, the British made conflicting promises they were unable to keep.
Declaration of Independence
Established on 14 May 1948, the day before the British Mandate was due to expire. David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state. After the Declaration of Independence, 78% of mandatory Palestine belonged to Israel. The remaining 28% belonged to Jordan, where refugees were granted citizenship. 26% of Palestinians went to Gaza, 38% went to the West Bank, 10% went to Jordan, 10% went to Syria, and less than 50% stayed in Palestine. Palestinians that stayed and accepted Israeli citizenship were under military rule for the next 20 years, and were discriminated against.
David Ben-Gurion
Head of the Jewish Agency. Called for the reorganization of the Haganah in 1946 after the British withdrew from Palestine. Declared Israel as a nation in 1948, and became the first Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Leader of Israel during the first Arab-Israeli War, Joined Zionist Movement, Integrated Palmach in Haganah and opposed Irgun for their more extreme approach
Jewish Immigration
Jewish population went from 450,000 to 650,000 while Arab population went from 300,000 to 100,000 with the implementation of the resolution
Pan-Arabism
Movement and doctrine for Arab political unity. Product of WWI when much of the Ottoman empire was allotted to the French and British by the League of Nations. Over the next twenty years, Arabs fought to escape from European rule, and in the process, Arab nationalism and formations of Arab unity joined together to support the Palestinian opposition to the Jewish land purchasing and immigration under the British Mandate. Arab leadership organized to oppose British occupation, and fostered a debate over which Arab states should rule if they could combine into one unified coalition. As late as WWII, pan-Arabism remained centered in Iraq, Syrian, and Arabian Peninsulas, calling for a unification of an Arab state stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf. Neither Egypt or the western Islamic world would join the movement until after the war. In the 1950's, Nasser and the United Arab Republic (UAR) coopted the pan-Arabism of the Ba'th Party, and argued that Arab nations shared so much in language, religion, history, and culture that they should come together and use their power for cooperation and defense. The peak of Nasser's pan-Arabism movement was throughout the 1956 Suez-Crisis and the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The collapse of the UAR in 1961 and Arab defeat in 1967 dealt a significant blow to the prestige of Arab leaders and the morale of the Arab people, and is considered by many as the beginning of the downfall of the pan-Arabism movement. By the end of the 20th century, almost all of the movement had passed,
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Name given to the secret agreement written by Mark Sykes, a British diplomat, and Francois Picot, who had served as a French consul in Beirut. The agreement reached by France, Britain, the Soviet Union, and Italy in 1916 dividing the Middle East into different zones of influence. Originally just signed by Britain and France, the agreement gave France control of what is now Lebanon, the coast of Syria, and a part of southern Turkey. France also gained political influence over any potential Arab states that may have arisen in the Syrian interior after the war. Britain received control over Baghdad, Basra, and the Palestinian ports of Haifa and Acre. The rest of Palestine remained under international control. Soon, Russia found out about the secret agreement, so Britain and France let them in to have a piece of the land too. Later, Italy, who was also part of the Allied powers, wanted in on the agreement as well, so Russia, Britain, and France allowed them to keep some of the lands they had unofficially taken from the Ottomans in 1912. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Bolsheviks released the secret agreement, infuriating Arab provinces and Jews in the surrounding region. (The British had promised the Arabs a homeland land in the Hussein-McMahon correspondence in exchange for their support in the war, and they had promised the Jews a homeland in the same area in the Balfour Declaration, but the promises weren't upheld in the secret Sykes-Picot agreement.) Understandably, the British were mortified by the exposure of their secret agreement. Woodrow Wilson wanted the agreement to be nullified, and France bailed. Britain ultimately gained control over Palestine, and the Middle East Treaties made in the Paris Peace Conference almost looked exacltly the same as the ones established in this agreement.
Gaza Strip
Occupied by Egyp from 1948-1967.
West Bank
Occupied by Jordan from 1948-1967.
UN Partition Plan
Plan to create separate Jewish and Arab states after the British withdrew from Palestine. The U.S. and Jews supported it, but the Arabs didn't.
UN Trusteeship
Plan was dependent on the U.N. The U.S. ambassador said they supported the plan despite the president's opposition. The U.S. supported the plan.
Menachem Begin
Prime Minister of Israel. was an Israeli politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944, against the British mandatory government, which was opposed by the Jewish Agency. As head of the Irgun, he targeted the British in Palestine
Irgun
Right wing underground militant group. Planted bomb at the King David Hotel. Helped LEHI (Stern Gang) carry out Dier Yassin massacre. Became precursor of Israeli right winged political party. Led by Begin. Considered Arabs as their biggest threat. More ideological than the Stern Gang, but also considered violence as their main weapon.
Golda Meir
Signed the Israeli Declaration of Independence. In 1974, after the end of the Yom Kippur War, Meir resigned as prime minister.
Palmach
Summary: Last line of defense against Nazis. Put Jews in cooperation with the British. British later tried to ban them, but then dispensed to the Kibutzim. Israeli Special Forces. Trained by Italians. Led by Sadeh. 1941-1948. Details: Created by the British in 1941 to defend against German invasion into the Middle East. Led by Yitsak Sadeh- recognized the need for a Jewish army. Formed a group of volunteers that trained on the weekends to defend Palestine. Started out with nothing, and once the British removed the Nazi threat from Palestine, the British abandoned them. Took over Palestine without money or British support. Many of the volunteers were newcomers to Palestine who emigrated from Germany and Europe to the Middle East just months before the outbreak of the war. Easily assimilated back into European culture to carry out missions and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. Used farmers settled in the periphrases of Palestine for training space and weapons storage in exchange for protection and help in their fields. Sent Sadeh's troops to every corner of the country, which was essential for his success. Weren't extremely successful for Britain, but it gave the Jews a chance to establish an army. Took what they didn't have (weapons, training, uniforms, ect.), and turned it into the future core of the future IDF.
Haganah
Summary: Pre-cursor to the IDF. Used cult of offense (eventually). Created by Sadeh. Most closely associated with the Palmach. Led by Ben-Gurion, who didn't like the Palmach, placing the two organizations in conflict as rival militant groups. Formed the core of a conventional army, even though they retained their guerrilla fighting tactics. Lasted from 1920 to 1948. David Ben Gurion, self-organized originally, immigrants who were British trained, conventional Jewish "guerilla" army. 1948 Arab-Israeli War. During the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, worked to protect British interests and to quell Arab rebellion Details: Although Palestinian security was Britain's responsibility after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the Jewish people formed this police force by 1921. Was established to protect the Jewish people from Palestinian attacks. The British were okay with this organization during the rebellion of 1936-1939, but their support fell out after the British publication of the White Book, limiting Jewish immigration into Palestine, forbidding the sale of Arab land to Jews, and calling for the establishment of an Arab state in Palestine. The organization disappeared during WWII, but by 1946, Ben-Gurion, head of the Jewish Agency, called for reorganization of the group to defend themselves from Arab opposition to the formation of a Jewish state in the region. Semi-illegal militia operating with limited organization and spectrum. Couldn't grow beyond the size of a platoon and company formation. 1947: Order of National Structure issued by the command of the organization established the groupas an official army targeting armed forces. Was made from the Palmach, the group's elite force formed in 1941 Leaders were chosen based on experience and seniority. Many members later went on to join the IDF, and provided valuable information for the development of military concepts and practices they'd use later on, especially the nature of military activity, i.e. small scale guerrilla warfare. This type of warfare defined the organization for years to come, especially in the training of commanders, who they encouraged to be independent, take on responsibility, and to be capable of improvising and flexibility. Couldn't access military education (explains future failures in early history of IDF) to help them grow to a larger size, which actually helped them in the short term, because this placed the main burden of fighting the Palestinians fell on the British during the Arab Revolt, allowing the Jewish to operate as British support agents. Ended in 1948 with the creation of the IDF
Faysal ibn Hussein
Support Israel as a sovereign state if they help Arab countries, Syrians elected him as leader & French took him out by force.
Ariel Sharon
Supported the reprisal policy.
Gamal Abdul Nasser
The 1956 war ended only after the United States pressured its allies to withdraw. Egypt emerged from the war a hero of the non-alligned countries, having successfully resisted colonial powers and maintained its control of the Suez. Nasser's prominence suffered greatly from the debacle of the Six Day War. In it, the Israeli military completely destroyed the Egyptian air forces (mostly caught unawares on the ground) and swept through the Sinai to the Suez Canal routing the Egyptian army, killing at least 3,000 soldiers. The devastation also threatened to bankrupt the government. Internal squabbling among Arab nations and the growing Palestinian movement eventually strained Nasser's abilities to the limit. Under the strain, Nasser collapsed and died on 29 September 1970.
Deir Yassin
The massacre by Jews on an Arab village. Public relations nightmare for Jews. The Arabs still use this battle to form Anti-Israeli propaganda. Still brought up as evidence of "Zionist cruelty" Arabs galvanized Arab support in Palestine against the Jews. As a result, surrounding villages fled. This was the first wave of refugees out of Palestine.
Border Wars
The primary industry in Palestine through the 20's and 30's was agriculture. There were no economic opportunities for refugees in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, or other Arab nations after the war. Most refugees fled because they thought that Jews would massacre them. The minority were deported by the Haganah. But it didn't really matter why they left because none of them could go back after Israel closed their borders. As a result, Arabs lost all of their fields, and were left with no way to make any money. Many refugees tried to come back to go home to work in the fields, in search of economic opportunities, or political revenge. Some found jobs as thieves in Gaza making money by stealing things from travelers. Israel refused to open their borders out of fear of theft and terrorism as well as fear of demographic shift in the population, which still remains as a major concern today. For the first time in 1948, the Jews were actually the majority in Palestine, creating the possibility for a sustainable Jewish state. They feared that the slow influx of Palestinian refugees back home would result in a shift of demographic balance. This fear generated aggressive "shoot to kill" response policies on the part of the Israelis. Because the IDF didn't have the means to apply any other policies, they used threat as a deterrence. They tried to send the message to Arab state to protect their borders and keep refugees from crossing. Israel claimed that they were just trying to defend their border, but Palestinian refugees argued that they had just been uprooted from their home, lost all of their sources of income, and were left without any idea of what their future may hold. This fueled anger between the two groups that was already there before. As the leader of a young nation, human rights weren't high on Ben-Gurion's list of priorities- he was purely concerned about preservation and defense, out of fear of another Holocaust.
Algerian War
Up until this point, the British and French controlled pretty much everything. England and France had people from their countries settle in their colonies. The biggest French colony at the time was Alger: they had 1 million French settlers there, and their army was behind them. When Israel and Palestine were fighting their border wars, the U.S. and Russia were taking over.
Mosche Dayan
Wanted to rethink the reprisal strategy. Steped forward as the Minister of Defense after Eschol stepped down. Charasmatic and confident- people felt comfortable with him in charge.