Topic and Questions We Can Help You To Answer
Paper Instructions:
We will discover in our class discussion, and in the readings, that although history is about facts, what constitutes an important fact, and how those facts are to be interpreted, are interpretive choices on the part of the historian. The purpose of this assignment is to put you into the position of the historian and ask you to write a history based on a number of sources, not all of which are in agreement.
The first part of the assignment involves reading a historical source packet. One half of the class will be assigned to read Packet A. The other half will read Packet B. As you read, you should focus on the following two questions:
Who was responsible for the outbreak of the hostilities in Palestine?
Why did the Palestinian Arabs leave their homes for the West Bank?
We will divide into 4 breakout groups. Each group will discuss the issues, decide what evidence is most important to support their argument, and select two speakers to represent them in debate. We will subsequently have a debate in class. Following the debate, students should read whichever packet they have not yet read. We will then discuss what we learned from the whole experience.
APPLYING LESSONS FROM HISTORY
Following the debate, students will write a historical account of the beginnings of the Israeli state that expresses their understanding of the situation. An A paper will be well-written, make good use of sources, and will cite all the sources used. An A paper will use words carefully (for example, “Jew,” Israeli” and “Zionist” all have different meanings). An A paper will show a careful balance of sources, include material that contradicts its argument and explain why the author chose to give less weight to this material.
Please note that you are writing a history of the origins of the Israeli state, not an essay about which set of perspectives you believe to be correct. In other words, like any historian, you must decide how to evaluate and make use of your sources in constructing a narrative account of this turbulent and confusing event.
Citation: One can cite sources from the packets as follows (Ben-Gurion, 67). No bibliography is required for readings from the packet. If you choose to go beyond the assigned reading to do additional research (which I encourage), you may cite your sources the same way, but a complete bibliographic reference is required. Additional research should focus on primary documents or historical argumentation—do NOT use pre-existing histories of Israel from Wikipedia or anywhere else.
Mechanics: Papers should be 3-7 pages, double-spaced. Papers should have a title. They should have your name, the class and my name at the top. The paper should be numbered on all pages after the first page.
TERMS
Haganah: Jewish Defense Forces.
Irgun: Jewish paramilitary group.
Lehi: Jewish paramilitary group.
Stern: Jewish paramilitary group.
Yishuv: Jewish community in Palestine.
Jewish Agency: Jewish community government before creation of Israel.
BACKGROUND to the ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT:
1516 Palestine, ancestral home to Arabs, Jews, and Christians, fell under Ottoman rule.
1882 Russian Jews begin first settlements in Palestine, and Zionist idea for a Jewish state in Palestine gains adherents in Europe. Almost 50 communities by 1918.
1914 Outbreak of World War I. Ottomans fight on the losing side of Germany and Austria- Hungary. Population of Palestine: 535,000 Muslims, 70,000 Christians, 85,000 Jews.
1914-1918 World War I. British capture Palestine from Turks in 1917.
British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour issues Balfour Declaration promising British support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
1919 At Paris Peace Conference, British try to secure mandate in Palestine through the League of Nations. Arabs disappointed at not receiving full independence.
1922 League of Nations gives final approval and terms of British mandate in Palestine. Mandate includes provisions for the development of a Jewish National Home. Almost 20,000 Jews had already arrived in Palestine, setting off sporadic Arab-Jewish clashes. British promise Arabs that a Jewish state would not encompass all of Palestine. Mandate comes into force in September, 1923.
1929 Communal clashes claim 250 Arab and Jewish lives.
1933-35 Jewish emigration to Palestine increases; over 130,000 new immigrants in these years.
1936 Arabs begin national uprising over the fear of a Jewish national home and demand Palestine's independence.
1937 British royal commission recommends partition, but in two years the British change their position. Arabs reject the idea. Zionists ambivalent. Arab revolt continues, and British exile Arab leadership.
May 1939 British promise Palestine's independence within 10 years. Five year limit of 75,000 Jewish immigrants. End of British-Zionist entente. Jewish population of Palestine 445,000 (30%).
1939-1945 World War II. Some Jews in Palestine help British war effort, making weapons. Some weapons fall into the hands of Zionists. David Ben-Gurion in U.S. to enlist support for Jewish army and a Jewish state. Jewish underground forces about 65,000, some of which are attacking the British.
1945 League of Arab States declare boycott of Zionist goods.
1946 Anglo-American commission recommends increasing the limits of Jewish immigration if Zionist underground disbanded. Plan of provincial Arab and Jewish autonomy drawn up.
1947 British refer Palestine question to U.N, which recommends partition into Jewish and Arab states
