THE YISHUV BECOMES A STATE

1. THE YISHUV BECOMES A STATE WORLD WAR II AND ITS AFTERMATH

2. WHAT WE OMIT • THE “NATIONAL” NARRATIVE • “LEGITIMATE” CLAIMS TO THE LAND • THE NORMATIVE CLAIMS OF ZIONIST (AND PALESTINIAN NATIONALISM)

3. MAMLACHTIUT • “STATENESS” • OR • THE PRIMACY OF THE STATE OVER INDIVIDUAL AND SMALLER COLLECTIVE CONCERNS • THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE UNITY AND COMPREHENSIVE CONTROL OF THE STATE

4. FRAGMENTATION • DIFFICULTY OF ESTABLISHING A CLEAR AND EFFECTIVE HIERARCHY WITHIN PALESTINIAN SOCIETY • ABSENCE OF A CLEAR PALESTINIAN POLITY

5. WORLD WAR II • THE SECOND DESTRUCTION OF EMPIRE • THE RECONSTRUCTION OF A BI-POLAR WORLD • US AND SOVIET ANTI(BRITISH) COLONIALISM • THE PHYSICAL ELIMINATION OF EUROPE’S JEWISH COMMUNITIES

6. STATES CAN EMERGE FROM AND ARE CONSOLIDATED THROUGH VIOLENCE • AND THE IMPOSITION OF THEIR SOVEREIGNTY OVER COMMUNITIES • AND IN OPPOSITION TO OTHER STATES.

7. INSTITUTIONS OF THE BI-POLAR WORLD • INSTITUTIONS BRIDGING THE GAP: • UNITED NATIONS • INSTITUTIONS WITHIN EACH SEGMENT • MILITARY: NATO, WARSAW PACT • ECONOMIC: WORLD BANK, COMECON

8. END-GAME ON THE GROUND • “THE SEASON” • IRGUN BET, HAGANAH AND LABOR ZIONISM • PREPARATION FOR A WAR OF POSITION • BRITISH DEMAND FOR GOODS

9. THE UN, DECOLONIZATION, AND PALESTINE • THE UN WINDS DOWN THE OLD WORLD—MANDATES AND COLONIES • INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

10. UNSCOP AND PARTITION • BRITAIN DECIDES TO WITHDRAW • UN SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PALESTINE RECOMMENDS PARTITION • A MINORITY REPORT RECOMMENDS A FEDERAL STATE

12. The Jewish statelet would have 5500 miles2 and a population of 537,000 Jews and 397,000 Arabs • The Arab statelet would comprise 4,500 miles2 and have a population of 804,000 Arabs and 10,000 Jews

13. THE ARAB COMMUNITY ASKED WHY 37% OF THE POPULATION SHOULD ACQUIRE 55% OF THE MANDATORY TERRITORY, INCLUDING THE NEGEV, WHEN THEY DID NOT, EVEN BY THE MOST GENEROUS ESTIMATE, OWN MORE THAN 7 % OF THE TOTAL LAND SURFACE OF PALESTINE

14. THE UN PARTITION PLAN FAVORED THE YISHUV IN SOME WAYS • IT LEGITIMATED SEPARATE STATES • IT LEFT RESOLUTION TO THE PARTIES • PARTITION FAVORED THE ARAB COMMUNITY IN OTHERS • IT REQUIRED THE “JEWISH” STATE TO HAVE A LARGE ARAB MINORITY

15. UNGAR 181 • WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY? • WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SECURITY COUNCIL? • WAS IT A GESTURE OF REPENTANCE?

16. THE RESPONSE OF THE ARAB STATES • JUNE 1946 INITIAL PLAN TO SEND ARMS AND VOLUNTEERS TO PALESTINE • SEPTEMBER 1947 ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ARAB LIBERATION ARMY • FAWZI AL-QAWUQJI • GENERAL ISMAIL SAFWAT AND THE ARAB LEAGUE’S MILITARY COMMITTEE

18. YISHUV’S PREPARATION FOR WAR • MILITARY PREPARATIONS BASED ON RETALIATORY CAMPAGINS • BUT BY 1946 HAGANAH HAD DESTROYED BRIDGES TO ISOLATE PALESTINE • HAGANAH=35,000+PALMACH, ITZEL AND LEHI • ESTABLISHED A CLEAR CHAIN OF COMMAND WITHIN HAGANAH

19. PALESTINIAN PREPARATION FOR WAR • ABD AL-QADIR HUSSEINI’S 300-500 MEN • HASSAN SALAME’S 300-500 MEN • ARAB LIBERATION ARMY WITH 5000 OR 6000 TROOPS • LOCAL, VILLAGE-BASED MILITIAS AVAILABLE ONLY FOR LOCAL ACTION

20. THE “CIVIL” WAR • A WAR FOR POSITION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES • PALESTINIAN POPULATION LARGER BUT YISHUV HAD MORE ARMY-AGE MEN • THE JEWISH COMMUNITY WAS HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO FIGHT

21. INITIAL FIGHTING • IN THE “MIXED” CITIES OF JERUSALEM, TEL-AVIV-JAFFA, AND HAIFA • LOCAL CONFLICTS BREAK OUT • ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL THE INTERNAL ROADWAYS

22. Mid-May 1948: the Hagana had effectively conquered most of the coastal plain and the eastern valley as well as a small corridor to Jerusalem • and the Arab population had begun to move out of the cities that would have fallen into Jewish hands under the partition arrangement.

24. TERROR AND RETALIATION • THE CIVIL WAR RAPIDLY BECAME UNCIVIL • BRITISH, JEWISH AND ARAB TROOPS BEGAN TO EMPLOY RETALIATION AND RANDOM VIOLENCE AGAINST THEIR OPPONENTS

26. THE PRIMACY OF THE STATE • The Altalena Affair • Dissolution of militias on the right • The incorporation of the Palmach • Incorporation of military force on the left