Creation of State of Israel and the War of 1948-9

Key learning aims:
By the end of this section you should be able to:

• Explain the developments which led to the creation of Israel and the reaction of its Arab neighbours.
• Explain the key phases of the war of 1948-9
• Explain why Israel won the war of 1948-9
• Explain the consequences of the war of 1948-9

Key themes, concepts and processes:

• Awareness of British motives
• UN partition plan
• First Arab-Israeli War
• Reason for Israeli victory
• Palestinian refugee problem
• Law of Return

1. The Creation of the State of Israel
   Readings
   • Hodder, pp.13-15: Partition and the Birth of Israel;
   • Edexcel, pp. 13-14: Creation of the State of Israel

    

   Video
   The creation of the state of Israel and the War of 1948-49

   New video to appear here shortly.

    
   Tasks

   1. Video and hot seating task: found on BBC bitesize
   2. Read: chapter 5 of the Hodder textbook (pp. 13-15) and complete questions on p. 15.
   3. Group task: To produce a mind map showing the long and short term reasons for the eventual creation of Israel:
      • Rank order the reasons clockwise beginning with the most important at 12.0. clock
      • Draw lines to show links between the reasons. Explain links along lines
   4. Paired task: Produce two different newspaper headlines showing reactions to the creation of Israel:
      • One in the Arab world
      • Another in the USA
   5. Homework: Question C How far was WWII responsible for Jewish state? (click here for the full question and advice on how to answer C questions)

    

2. The War of 1948-9
   Readings
   • Hodder, pp. 16-17: The War of 1948-49;
   • Edexcel, pp. 15-20

    
   Tasks

   1. Watch the birth of Israel video in relation to the 1948-9 war and take notes
   2. Read: chapters 6 of the Hodder textbook (pp. 16-17) and complete questions on p. 17.
   3. Read: the Edexcel e-textbook, pp.15-19, and explain:
      • Why the Israelis were at a disadvantage
      • Why the Israelis won
      • What Israelis gained from the war
      • The results for the Arab states
   4. Homework: Question b Explain the key features of the formation of the state of Israel in the years 1948-50 (See Edexcel, p. 19 for advice)