Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Israel - created by terrorism

By Anne Alexander and John Rose - posted Friday, 30 May 2008


By contrast, the Arab fighters were more defensive, attempting to keep control of Palestinian areas, but rarely counterattacking into Zionist-held territory. By the time the main Arab armies intervened in May 1948, around 250,000 Palestinian refugees had already fled.

Mobilised

In mid-May 1948 the combined forces mobilised by the Arab states in Palestine numbered only 25,000 compared to the 35,000 fighters commanded by the nascent Israeli Defence Force (IDF). The IDF rapidly brought more troops into battle, fielding 65,000 by mid-July and 96,441 by December.

Ben-Gurion announced the birth of Israel to the world on May 15, 1948. However, the expulsions and massacres continued to gather momentum. As many as 230 Palestinians were shot in cold blood at Tantura and buried in a mass grave on May 22.

Advertisement

Yitzhak Rabin, later prime minister of Israel, was in charge of military operations in the towns of Ramla and Lydd in July 1948. He estimated that his troops drove about 50,000 Palestinians in that area from their homes, forcing them to march to the West Bank without food or water.

Over the following months the number of Palestinian refugees swelled to about 850,000. Penniless and traumatised, they were housed in overcrowded camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling on Israel to allow the refugees to return - 60 years later they and their descendants are still waiting.

The disaster which overtook the Palestinians in 1948 has to be set in the context of a region in turmoil. One of the reasons why both the old colonial empires and the US saw a potentially valuable ally in the Zionist movement was the growth of a powerful anti-imperialist movement across the Middle East.

But the incompetence and treachery of the Arab leaders demonstrated the folly of leaving Palestine’s fate in the hands of the likes of King Abdullah of Jordan and King Farouq of Egypt.

However, 1948 also showed how the cause of Palestine could set the Middle East alight by strengthening and uniting a mass movement against imperialism and its local client rulers.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. Page 3
  5. All

This is an abridged extract of a new pamphlet, The Nakba by Anne Alexander and John Rose. Available from Bookmarks, the socialist bookshop. This article was first published by The Socialist Worker on May 17, 2008.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

68 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Authors

Anne Alexander is a co-author, along with John Rose, of The Nakba.

John Rose is a co-author, along with Anne Alexander, of The Nakba.

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 68 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy