Topic 1: The birth of the state of Israel, 1945-63

Question 1

In July 1945, how many Jews were allowed to migrate to Israel-Palestine in a month?

Answer 1

1500

Question 2

How many people died in the King David Hotel bombings (22nd July 1946)?

Answer 2

91 people (41 Arabs, 28 Brits and 17 Jews)

Question 3

Who was the British Prime Minister in 1946?

Answer 3

Clement Attlee

Question 4

What was the pathway of the SS Exodus in 1947?

Answer 4

1. The Haganah picked up 4500 Jews from France in an American passenger ship.
2. The Exodus then sailed for Palestine.
3. It was stopped and turned around by the Royal Navy and the passengers went back to France.
4. The passengers refused to disembark the ship in France and went on hunger strike.
5. The British then took them to Hamburg in Germany where they were forcibly placed in refugee camps.
6. This caused worldwide outrage against Britain.

Question 5

In 1945 how much money did the US donate to the Zionist cause?

Answer 5

over $46 million

Question 6

What special committee was set up by the UN to investigate possible solutions to the Jewish/Arab problem?

Answer 6

UNSCOP - included delegates from 11 different nations

Question 7

What proportion of the land in the UN Partition Plan was given to the Jews?

Answer 7

The Jews had over half the land despite only having 1/3 of the population. Also there would be 400,000 Arabs living in the new Jewish state.

Question 8

What 5 neighbouring Arab countries invaded Israel on the 15th of May 1948?

Answer 8

Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon and Iraq

Question 9

What was included in Israel’s arms deal with Czechoslovakia?

Answer 9

30,000 rifles, 4,500 machine guns, 47 million rounds of ammunition and 84 aeroplanes.

Question 10

Why did Israel win the Arab-Israeli War (1948-49)?

Answer 10

-Israeli fighters had more experience as many Haganah members fought in WW2 alongside the British.
-Israel had a determined fighting spirit
-israel were more coordinated - David Ben-Gurion gave orders to 4 regional commanders
-The Arab states didn’t commit their whole armies
-The Arab states all had different goals.

Question 11

What was Al-Nakba?

Answer 11

The name given by the Arabs to the 700,000 Palestinian Arabs who fled or were expelled from Palestine during the Arab-Israeli War.

Question 12

How many Palestinians were massacred in Deir Yassin (April 1948)?

Answer 12

100 Palestinians

Question 13

What were 3 impacts of the 1948-49 war on Israelis?

Answer 13

-6,000 Israelis died
-Israelis had access to Jerusalem
-New land was captured for Israelis to live in

Question 14

What were 3 characteristics of the IDF?

Answer 14

-The IDF has a small core of professional soldiers.
- From 1949, every non-Arab 18-year-old male had to serve in the IDF for 30 months while females served for 18 months (this is known as conscription). Conscripted troops formed the bulk of the IDF.
- All ex-conscripts became reserve forces, expected to train for a month every year until they were 55.

Question 15

What was the Law of Return?

Answer 15

In July 1950 the Law of Return was passed which said any Jew in the world had the right to come to Israel and become an Israeli citizen.

Question 16

How long did every non-Arab 18 year old have to serve in the IDF?

Answer 16

30 months
Females had to do 18 months

Question 17

What was the increase in proportion of the the amount of government spending of defence in Israel from 1952 to 1956?

Answer 17

23% to 35%

Question 18

What were Nasser’s ambitious dreams?

Answer 18

Independence - he wanted to free Egypt from British ‘occupation’.
Prosperity - he wanted to improve the lives of ordinary Egyptians.
Pride - he wanted Arabs everywhere to be proud of themselves and to believe in their united strength.

Question 19

How many Egyptian soldiers were killed in the IDF raid on Gaza?

Answer 19

38

Question 20

What were some features of Nasser’s arms deal with Czechoslovakia?

Answer 20

-It was worth $300 million
-Nasser exchanged $300 million worth of Egyptian cotton
-Egypt was rearmed with Soviet firepower
-Egypt now had 100 self-propelled guns (for example)

Question 21

What year did Nasser nationalise the Suez Canal?

Answer 21

1956

Question 22

What was the Sévres protocol?

Answer 22

The Sévres protocol was a secret agreement reached between the governments of Israel, France and the UK. It involved Israel invading Egypt with the UK and France occupying the canal zone on the pretext of providing a peacekeeping force. President Eisenhower was in the middle of a re-election and didn’t want a foreign policy crisis.

Question 23

What were the impacts of the Sévres protocol on th UK?

Answer 23

-Collapse of influence in the Middle East and loss of international reputation.
-Demonstrated limited ability to act independently of the the US in future conflicts.
-Resignation of Anthony Eden as PM.