The State of Israel - 1948
Israeli NarrativePalestine's protest against the Balfour Declaration and the loss of their resulted in multiple conflicts that led to the UN’s partition plan. Under this plan, Palestine was to be divided into Jewish and Palestinian Arab states. Palestinian Arabs disagree with the UN’s plan, and civil war erupts. Leaders over the Jewish communities implemented the partition plan for the establishment of a Jewish State, and the major groups who supported the Jewish community (also known as Yishuv) determined that Palestine was to be called Medinat Israel, or the State of Israel, and open to the immigration of all Jews [1] The formal statement, The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, 1948 read: “The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.” [2] Palestine did not agree to these terms, and so Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi armies joined the Palestinians to fight against the Jewish forces and the first Arab-Israeli war, known by Israel as the War of Independence was in full-swing. The Arab armies were unable to prevent the establishing of the Jewish State, and the war ended with the UN arranging ceasefire agreements.
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Palestinian NarrativePalestinian life was disrupted due to the results of The Balfour Declaration and their land continued to be taken over by Zionist Jewish settlements, who had little interest in the Palestinian well being. Palestine protested against the declaration and the loss of their land, which led to Zionist violence to run the non-Jews out. Many Palestinians loss life, homes, land, and were forced into refugee status. In an attempt to end this violence, the UN suggested a partition plan, to which Zionist leaders did not hesitate for approval and immediately implemented the establishment of a Jewish State. [3] The major groups who supported the Jewish community (or Yishuv) claimed that Palestine was to be called Medinat Israel, or the State of Israel, and open to the immigration of all Jews [4] With no intervention by international leadership, the Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi armies joined the Palestinians to fight against the Jewish forces and entered into the first Arab-Israeli war. The Arab armies were unable to prevent the establishing of the Jewish State, and this became known as the al-Nakba, or the Catastrophe. Under ceasefire agreements, the UN created resolutions that included provisions to protect all communities in Palestine suggesting, “all persons within the jurisdiction of the State shall be entitled to equal protection of the laws.” [5] They declared the right for Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and land. But these were never employed and the destruction of Palestinian life, family, land, and wellness persisted.
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