Arab-Israeli Conflict: Focussing Questions

1) What were the significant events in Palestine due to the end of the Second World War?

The end of the Second World War saw an increase in the number of European Jews wanting to immigrate to Palestine- these Jews were the survivors of the Holocaust and they wanted to escape the lands in which they had been persecuted.

However, the pre-existing Arab Palestinian population of Palestine felt threatened and disliked the influx of immigrants, and there was fighting between the two parties. As a result of this fighting, the British who had the mandate over Palestine, placed restrictions on the amount of Jewish emigrants allowed into Palestine. This in turn made the Jews unhappy and Jewish militant groups such as Haganah, Irgun and Stern began a campaign of violence against the British in Palestine.

The Second World War was financially draining, and after the Second World War, the British found it hard to pay for the troops it had stationed all over the world- including Palestine. In addition to this, the violence that the Bristish was caught between in Palestine added to the pressure for Britain to withdraw from Palestine. In February 1947 Britain hands over its mandate over Palestine to the UNO (United Nations Organisation)

2) What were the causes of conflict between Jews and Arabs in Palestine?

The orginal and main conflict between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine was over Jewish immigration- the Jewish Zionists felt that Palestine was their rightful homeland, but the Arab Palestinian people had been living there for many many years and felt it was their home too. The Arab Palestinians felt threatened by the huge amounts of Jewish immigrants and so there was fighting between the two parties.

Another cause of conflict between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine was over the UN's partition plan of Palestine- the Jews had agreed to their allotment of land according to the partition plan, but the Arab Palestinians rejected the plan. The Arab Palestinians felt that it was unfair to give over half the land to the Jews who made up only a third of the population, and they were unhappy that many Arab Palestinians would come to live under Jewish control if the partition plan to effect.

Yet another source of conflict between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine was when the Jewish leader, David Ben-Gurion, declared the existence of the state of israel in 1948. The neighbouring Arab nations responded with immediate attack, but the Israelis were able to defend Israel, defeating the Arabs and establishing their border which excluded the West Bank and Gaza.

The final main source of conflict between the Jews and Arabs in Palestine was over the Arab Palestinians that were made refugees after the War of Independence 1948. Most of the Arab Palestinians had fled Palestine during the fighting and lived in the Refugee camps set up in neighbouring Arab nation, in particular Jordan. These refugees were a source of conflict as the Arab nations did not…