How far do you agree with the fact that the events of the Second World War were the most important factor in the creation of an independent state of Israel in 1948?

Israel was created in 1948 after World War Two (WW2), because Britain had become bankrupt and couldn’t maintain its global colonies. The end of the British mandate formally provided a homeland for the Jewish citizens in Palestine, although the events that occurred in WW2, such as the Holocaust can be seen as the most important factors in providing a homeland for the Jewish.

It can be seen that WW2 advanced the Jewish position in a claim for a homeland, more than the Palestinian position. This was boosted by the fact that an estimated 6 million Jews were persecuted by the Nazis in the Holocaust, which shocked the globe. This is one of the most important factors for a Jewish claim for a homeland, as the Jewish community felt worldwide sympathy as millions of Jews had died. Although the Holocaust was not only a Nazi persecution of the Jews, other leaders carried it out across Europe. During the war, thousands of Jews fled to Palestine to avoid the Nazi regime, and by the end of the war, Jewish population grew tenfold between 1919 and 1947, from 60 000 to over 600 000 Jews in Palestine. This showed the Jewish vulnerability as the wished for a place where they could avoid anti-Semitism a place they could feel safe in. During the war the Jewish community supported the British army, therefore they were able to gain weapons and valuable experience from them, which they were able to use against the Palestinians, when the British mandate finally ended. For these reasons WW2 can be seen as the most important factor in the creation of Israel as it improved international awareness for their community and bought sympathy, especially as the holocaust was not only carried out by the Nazis.

The British White paper in 1939 had back-tracked on many of the promises made to the Jewish and Palestinian communities made in the Balfour Declaration, and this led to a lot of violence and terrorism in the area, especially from the Zionists who now decided to attack the British, as they would no longer provide them with a homeland. Secret Jewish groups such as Irgun, Haganah and Stern Gang, cooperatively attacked British bases and infrastructure in Palestine, to try and gain a homeland by using force. In 1946, the Irgun attacked the King David Hotel, which was the British Military HQ, which led to 88 deaths, and earlier in 1944, the British Government Minister, Lord Moyne was murdered by the Stern gang. This proves that terrorism was a viable tactic used by the Zionists. as the terrorism undermined the British morale and resolve in Palestine, which resulted in the end of the British mandate in 147 and resulted in the Jewish having a homeland.

Another key factor which led to the creation of Israel in 1948 was the international support for the Jewish movement, especially from America. The ‘Biltmore Program’ held in 1942 saw the Zionist movement call for a Jewish state after WW2 as well as open immigration. This was an important factor and a symbolic shift by the Zionists, as they looked to the USA for help in the creation of Israel and not the British, as they believed there would be a better chance of this with American support rather than British. The Jews also had a powerful ‘Jewish Lobby’ in the USA, which enabled them to pressure the government. There were roughly 4.5 million Jews in New York, which was a substantial number, therefore they could be heard by the government, as they were not a minority. Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, was a supporter of the Zionist movement. The Rothschild’s were internationally known and they provided great support for the Jewish quest for a homeland in Palestine. There was also strong support from President Truman, who in April 1946 called on Britain to agree refuge fro 100 000 refugees. The Jewish community was also very wealthy, and they were able to use this to influence people in order to secure a homeland in Palestine. This shows that the Jewish community had a lot of support from important figures across the globe, especially from America, which is why international support for the Jewish community is another key factor in the creation of Israel in 1948.

The Jews were able to create their independent state of Israel after the British mandate had been withdrawn in 1948. This occurred as the British were effectively bankrupt, after fighting two world wars in under 50 years, and the could not afford to maintain their overseas colonies. This is a key factor in the creation of Israel, because the Jewish would not have a homeland if the British still had their mandate and controlled that area, especially as the White paper of 1939 went back on what was originally agreed to the Jews. The terrorism in Palestine had also affected the British mandate and was a cause to the removal of it as the British were not able to fight on the front line in WW2 and fight against the terrorists who were blowing up army headquarters, such as the attack on the King David hotel. Once the mandate had been handed over to the UN they came up with the UN resolution 181, which led to the petitioning of Palestine, giving the Jewish community 57% of Palestine, although the Palestinian community made up 70% of the population. Therefore this led to bitter in fighting as the Palestinians completely rejected the plan.

To conclude, WW2 was a major factor in the creation of Israel as this made the world know about the persecution of the Jewish community across Europe, which bought them worldwide sympathy and boosted their quest for a homeland. Although there was another key factor that helped the Jews obtain a homeland, and that was the fact that they had international support, especially from the Americans, who were a leading force across the globe. Therefore they were able to attract support and they had the wealth to influence other countries for support in the quest for the creation of Israel.