How far do you agree that US support in the years 1945-48 was the most important factor in the creation of an independent state of Israel?
How far do you agree that US support in the years 1945-48 was the most important factor in the creation of an independent state of Israel?
(Point 2) The German Nazis had killed more than six million Jews in the Nazi Holocaust. There was widespread sympathy in Europe and the United States for the Jews who had survived the Nazi centration camps.
(Explain & Example) The sympathy for the Jews in general and for Zionism in particular grew significantly as a result of what the Jews suffered under the Nazis. Many western countries wanted to create a homeland for the Jews where they could settle and feel safe. There was particularly strong support in the US where the Jewish population put pressure on the US government. President Truman called on the British government to allow 100,000 Jewish refugees to enter Palestine. But the British refused claiming that it would be unfair to the Arabs and lead to civil war in Palestine. When the British refused to allow the ship Exodus to dock in Palestine in July 1948 which was laden with Jewish refugees, there was widespread publicity, and the sympathy for the Jewish refugees increased significantly. As a direct result of this, the British faced much worldwide criticism. This eventually led the British to hand over the control of Palestine to the UN in November 1947.
