Among the historical accomplishments of the 20th century, significant is the act that became decisive for the Jewish people: after two thousand years of dispersion, in May 1948, the United Nations decreed the establishment of the State of Israel.
I think there will be readers, even quite knowledgeable ones, who would be interested to know (or remember) about the events in the Middle East around the creation of the Jewish state and its struggle for its existence. Moreover, we all know the foreign policy situation that prepared this act, and we know much less about the behind-the-scenes diplomacy that took place in those years on the sidelines of the UN.
All these events are seen in a new light thanks to a unique publication: a two-volume collection of documents "Soviet-Israeli Relations" prepared jointly by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Israel was published on a significant date.
On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations approved a plan to create two independent states in Palestine - Jewish and Arab.
Documents show that of all the great powers at that time, the Soviet Union took the most definite and clear position on the question of the division of Palestine.
Initially, the Soviet leadership was in favor of the creation of a single Arab-Jewish state, but then inclined to believe that the division of the mandated territory would be the only reasonable option for resolving the conflict between the Yishuv and the Arabs of Palestine.
The position of the USSR
Defending Resolution No. 181 at the Second Special Session of the UN General Assembly in April 1948, A. A. Gromyko emphasized: “The partition of Palestine makes it possible for each of the peoples inhabiting it to have their own state. It thus makes it possible to radically regulate once and for all relations between peoples.
Both the USA and the USSR voted for Resolution No. 181 in November. The position of the USSR remained unchanged. The US sought to delay and modify the text of the resolution before the vote. The “adjustment” of US Middle East policy took place on March 19, 1948, when at a meeting of the UN Security Council the American representative expressed the opinion that after the end of the British mandate in Palestine there would be “chaos and major conflict”, and therefore, he said, the United States believed that temporary guardianship should be established over Palestine. Thus, Washington actually spoke out against Resolution No. 181, which it voted for in November.
The Soviet representative S.K. Tsarapkin opposed: “No one can dispute the high cultural, social, political and economic level of the Jewish people. Such people cannot be patronized. Such a people has every right to its independent state.”
UK vs.
At this crucial moment Great Britain took a consistently anti-Jewish position. Forced to renounce the Mandate for Palestine, it voted against resolution No. 181 and then pursued an essentially obstructionist policy, creating serious obstacles to the settlement of the Palestinian problem. Thus, the British government did not comply with the decision of the UN General Assembly to open a port for Jewish emigration in Palestine on February 1, 1948. Moreover, the British authorities detained ships with Jewish emigrants in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea and forcibly sent them to Cyprus, and even to Hamburg.
On April 28, 1948, speaking in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, Foreign Minister E. Bevin stated that, in accordance with the Transjordan Treaty concluded in March, Great Britain "will continue to provide funds for the maintenance of the Arab Legion, as well as send military instructors" . The content of the Arab Legion cost the British two and a half million pounds a year; it was headed by the English General John Glubb ("Glubb Pasha"), the command staff was staffed by the British.
Why did the USSR defend the right of the Jews to their own statehood and why did the USA want to at least delay the adoption of Resolution No. 181?
The USSR wanted to remove imperialist Great Britain from the Middle East and strengthen its positions in this strategic region.
It is possible that Stalin saw in the struggle of the Jews for their statehood a “national liberation movement”, he hoped that the socialist settlers would establish a democratic (atheistic) state friendly to the Soviet Union in Palestine.
The fight against "cosmopolitanism" in the United States
There is an opinion that the US government, long before the events of the 1940s, took an unambiguously pro-Zionist position on the Palestinian issue. This is wrong. In fact, the United States showed serious hesitation in its approach to solving this problem due to strong pro-Arab and anti-Jewish sentiments in the ruling circles of the country.
Anti-Semitic sentiment prevailed in the United States at that time. Suffice it to recall the anti-Semitic campaign of Henry Ford, who circulated the Protocols of the Elders of Zion throughout America. Anti-Jewish sentiment was further intensified when, in 1947, the famous "Hollywood Ten" of film writers and directors was accused of "anti-American activities" - eight of them were Jews. So in the United States, in their own way, they also fought against “cosmopolitanism”.
Under these conditions, two powerful lobbies collided: the oil monopolies with multibillion-dollar investments in Arab countries and the Jewish lobby not only in the US, but also on an international scale.
The White House is faced with a difficult choice. The US presidential election is approaching. The five million Jewish electorate could not be ignored.
And, finally, the US could not afford to remain isolated when it became clear that at the UN General Assembly the majority of countries would vote for Resolution 181.
The British Mandate officially ended at midnight, 12:00 noon, 14 May 1948. At 4 pm in Tel Aviv, at a meeting of members of the Jewish National Council, the establishment of the State of Israel was proclaimed. On May 15, the Arab League declared that "all Arab countries from this day on are at war with the Jews." On the night of May 14-15, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen invaded Palestine from the north, east and south, and King Abdullah hurried to issue new banknotes with his portrait and the inscription: “Arab Hashemite Kingdom” .
Israel's foreign policy situation at the time was complex: a hostile Arab encirclement, an unfriendly British stance, erratic US support, and deteriorating relations with the Soviet Union.
Israel's pro-Western orientation
The latter was inevitable. The democratic political system of Israel and its pro-Western orientation were increasingly determined, which did not meet the hopes of the Stalinist leadership.
In 1951, a correspondent for the Novoye Vremya magazine visited Israel. He wrote: "Three years of Israel's existence cannot but disappoint those who expected that the emergence of a new independent state in the Middle East would strengthen the forces of peace and democracy."
And in 1956, the magazine "International Affairs" said: "Israel unleashed a war against the Arab countries literally the day after the English flag was lowered in Jerusalem on May 14, 1948 and the formation of the State of Israel was proclaimed."
And the United States concluded with Israel "Agreement on Mutual Security Assistance". And they provided Israel with a loan of 100 million dollars, which indicated that the young state had contact not only with American Jews, but also with the government of this country.
It became increasingly clear that Israel's future would depend more and more on friendly relations with the United States. But, on the other hand, it was necessary to maintain positive relations with the USSR. Not only the government, but also a significant part of the population of the revived Jewish state were interested in developing economic, cultural and military cooperation with a powerful state, which also had great authority in the world after the victory over Nazi Germany.
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the October Revolution, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion sent congratulations addressed to Stalin. On November 8, 1952, the House of Friendship between Israel and the USSR was solemnly opened in Tel Aviv.
US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, in a personal conversation with British Ambassador MacDonald in November 1948, said: “England has proved to be an unreliable guide in the Middle East - her predictions have so often failed. We must strive to maintain Anglo-American unity, but the United States must be the senior partner."
It was this division of roles that developed in the future - the United States gradually became the "guide" in the Middle East.
The creation of the State of Israel is a political process that began with the emergence of the movement of political Zionism in 1897 and ended after the Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, victory in the War of Independence and admission to the UN by mid-1949.
Declaration of IndependenceIsrael
The Israeli Declaration of Independence is a legal document that proclaims the establishment of the State of Israel and sets out the basic principles of its structure.
During the five months following the resolution of the UN General Assembly of November 29, 1947 on the division of Mandatory Palestine into two independent states - Jewish and Arab, intensive preparations were made for the proclamation of the state. Great Britain refused to cooperate in the implementation of the partition plan, and announced its intention to withdraw its armed forces and civilian personnel from the mandated territories by mid-May 1948.
American diplomacy tried to put pressure on the Jewish Agency and the Yishuv to delay the declaration of a Jewish state. The United States doubted the ability of the Yishuv to withstand the fight against the Arabs, and also refused to support the plan for the partition of Palestine, offering to transfer it under the tutelage of the UN until an agreement was reached between the Jews and the Arabs.
Despite the objections of the governments of Western Europe and pressure from the United States, and overcoming disagreements in the People's Government and within the Mapai party, D. Ben-Gurion insisted on declaring an independent Jewish state on the eve of the expiration of the British Mandate. On May 12, 1948, the People's Government, by a vote of six to four, decided to declare independence within two days. This decision was significantly influenced by the opinion of the leadership of the Haganah about the ability of the new state to withstand the expected armed invasion of the armies of the Arab countries.
The Jewish state was proclaimed on May 14, 1948 in the museum building on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, one day before the end of the British Mandate for Palestine. The timing was chosen so that the ceremony could end before Saturday. The choice of location was determined by a desire to avoid religious or party overtones and a preference for a less conspicuous and pompous building for fear of possible bombing. Invitations to the independence ceremony were sent out by messenger on the morning of 14 May, asking them to keep the event secret. The final text of the Declaration of Independence was approved an hour before the start of the ceremony, hastily printed and delivered by a passing car at 15:59. After the Declaration of Independence was read (4:00 p.m.), it was signed by 25 members of the People's Council, leaving room for the signatures of another twelve members of the council, locked up in besieged Jerusalem. The ceremony was broadcast by radio station Kol Yisrael.
Within five days, from May 9, 1948, several editions of the Declaration of Independence were considered by the members of the People's Board. The final version was adopted at a meeting of the People's Council at 15:00 on May 14, 1948, an hour before independence was declared. The subjects of discussion were: the inclusion of the issue of borders in the declaration (the original reference to UN borders was deleted, the wording proposed by the revisionists "within historical borders" was rejected); the name of the state (Eretz Israel (Land of Israel), Zion, Judea, etc. were also proposed, the name “State of Israel” was personally chosen by Ben-Gurion), the mention of God in the final part (it was decided to use the wording “Stronghold of Israel”, which allows non-religious interpretation) ; adding to the guaranteed freedoms freedom of choice of language.
The Declaration of Independence of Israel spoke of the emergence of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and their desire to return to their historical homeland. Mention was made of the Catastrophe of the Jewish people and the right they had suffered to have their own state. The declaration referred to the UN Resolution on the Establishment of the Jewish State, announced the formation of transitional authorities and guaranteed openness for the repatriation of all Jews on the planet, and guaranteed the inhabitants of the country “full social and political equality of all its citizens without distinction of religion, race or sex ... freedom of religion and conscience, the right to use one's native language, the right to education and culture”, as well as the protection of the holy places of all religions and fidelity to the principles of the UN. The Arabs were asked to stop the bloodshed, maintain peace and participate in the construction of a new state on the terms of civil equality.
The first state to recognize Israel de facto was the United States (May 14, 1948). G. Truman announced this at 18:11 on May 14, 1948, i.e. just 11 minutes after D. Ben-Gurion announced the Declaration of Independence. The first state to recognize Israel de jure was the USSR (May 17, 1948).
The very next day after the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, the troops of five of the members of the League of Arab States (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq) began military operations against the self-proclaimed country in order to prevent the partition of Palestine and the existence of an independent Jewish state. For the Palestinians, these events have become Nakba (Catastrophe) Day, celebrated on May 15th.
The day of the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence is a holiday in Israel. Israel's Independence Day, like other holidays, is celebrated not according to the Gregorian, but according to the Jewish calendar, on the 5th of Iyar.
The Jewish people arose in Eretz Israel. Here its spiritual, religious and political image was formed. Here he lived in his sovereign state, here he created the values of national and universal culture and gave the world an incorruptible Book of Books as a heritage.
Forcibly expelled from their homeland, the people remained faithful to it in all the countries of their dispersion, did not cease to hope and hope for a return to their native land and the revival of their political independence in it.
Full of awareness of this historical connection, the Jews from generation to generation tried to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland. The last decades were marked by a massive return to their native country. Pioneers, repatriates, who broke through all the barriers on the way to the Motherland, and its defenders revived the desert, revived their Hebrew language and built cities and villages. They created a developing society, economically and culturally independent, peaceful, but capable of defending itself, bringing the benefits of progress to all the inhabitants of the country and striving for state independence.
In 1897, at the call of Theodor Herzl, the herald of the idea of a Jewish state, the Zionist Congress met, proclaiming the right of Jews to national revival in their land.
This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, and confirmed by a League of Nations mandate that gave special force to the international recognition of the historical connection of the Jewish people with Eretz Israel and the right of the Jews to recreate their National Home. Comprehended in recent times by the Jewish people.
The catastrophe, the victims of which were millions of Jews in Europe, once again indisputably proved the need to solve the problem of the Jewish people, deprived of their homeland and independence, by restoring the Jewish State in Eretz Israel - a state that would open the gates of the fatherland to every Jew and provide the Jewish people with the status of an equal nations in the family of nations of the world.
Those who survived the terrible Nazi massacre in Europe, as well as Jews from other countries of the world, in spite of all the difficulties, obstacles and dangers, continued to illegally pave the way to Eretz Israel and seek the right to a decent existence, freedom and an honest working life in their native country.
During the Second World War, the Jewish population of Eretz-Israel fully contributed to the cause of the struggle of free and peace-loving peoples against the black forces of Nazism. With the blood of its fighters and military efforts, it has acquired the right to be listed among the peoples that laid the foundation for the United Nations alliance.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing a Jewish State in Eretz Israel. The Assembly has charged the people of the country with the duty to take all measures necessary for the implementation of this resolution. This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to establish their own state is irrevocable. The Jewish people, like any other people, has the natural right to be independent in its state. On this basis, we, the members of the People's Council, the representatives of the Jewish population of Eretz Israel and the Zionist movement, have gathered on the day of the expiration of the British Mandate for Eretz Israel, and by virtue of our natural and historical right and on the basis of the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations, hereby proclaim the establishment Jewish State in Eretz Israel - the State of Israel.
Decide that, from the expiration of the term of the mandate, tonight, on the eve of Saturday, 6 Iyar 5708, 15 May 1948, and until the establishment of elected and properly functioning state bodies in accordance with the constitution, which will be established by the elected Constituent Assembly no later than 1 October 1948, the People's Council will act as the Provisional State Council, its executive body - the People's Government - will be the Provisional Government of the Jewish State, which will be called Israel.
The State of Israel will be open to repatriation and the unification of Jews scattered throughout the world; it will make every effort to develop the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants. It will be based on the foundations of freedom, justice and peace, in accordance with the ideals of the Jewish prophets. It will achieve complete social and political equality for all its citizens without distinction of religion, race or sex. It will ensure freedom of religion and conscience, the right to use one's native language, the right to education and culture. It will protect the holy places of all religions and will be true to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
The State of Israel expresses its readiness to cooperate with the organs and representatives of the United Nations in the implementation of the General Assembly resolution of November 29, 1947, and will take steps to achieve the economic unity of the entire Eretz-Israel.
We call on the United Nations to assist the Jewish people in building their state and to accept the State of Israel into the family of nations of the world.
We call on the sons of the Arab people living in the State of Israel - even in these days of bloody aggression unleashed against us many months ago - to maintain peace and participate in the construction of the State on the basis of full civil equality and appropriate representation in all its institutions, temporary and permanent.
We extend the hand of peace and offer good neighborly relations to all neighboring states and their peoples and call on them to cooperate with the Jewish people who have gained independence in their country. The State of Israel is ready to contribute to the common cause of the development of the entire Middle East.
We call on the Jewish people in all countries of the Diaspora to rally around the Jews of Israel in the cause of aliyah and construction and to join their great struggle for the realization of the eternal dream of the people of Israel of deliverance.
Trusting in the Stronghold of Israel, we seal with our signatures what was said in this Declaration at the meeting of the Provisional State Council in our native land, in the city of Tel Aviv, on this day, the eve of Saturday, the 5th day of the month of Iyar in the year 5708, May 14, 1948.
David Ben Gurion and others
Jews have always dreamed of creating their own state in their historical homeland, which they considered Palestine. The territory of this state had no international legal status by the end of World War II. Until 1948, there was a British mandate to govern the territory of the country, and Stalin did not miss the opportunity to actively participate in the future fate of this state. An important, if not the main, role in this was played by the desire on the part of the USSR to belittle the foreign policy opportunities of Great Britain and its allies from the Arab countries.
Jews in Palestine constantly felt out of place - since the beginning of the 20th century, more than half a million Muslim Arabs, more than 70 thousand Christians and only about 60 thousand Jews have lived in this country. The number of Jewish immigrants was constantly limited, while the British Mandate to govern Palestine was in effect, conflicts regularly broke out between Arabs and Jews.
The Second World War provoked a large flow of illegal Jewish immigrants to Palestine. Mainly due to constant skirmishes between Jews and British troops, Great Britain was forced to abandon the mandate to own Palestine. By 1947, the number of Jews in this country, in comparison with the data at the beginning of the century, increased by more than 10 times.
The United Nations did not know what to do with this situation. The idea of creating a multi-ethnic state in Palestine, like in Lebanon, did not find tangible support. America and the USSR advocated the division of the country into two independent subjects of foreign policy. The opponents of this project were the United Kingdom, along with all the Arab and Muslim UN member countries.
The problem was the dominance of the countries that were members of the United Nations at that time - two-thirds of the votes were required to resolve the issue of creating Israel according to the project of the USSR and the USA. The future of Israel was discussed in an extremely tense atmosphere, and until the last moment it was not clear who would be taken.
In the post-war period, any religion was oppressed in the USSR, and the "Jewish question" became an international problem. First of all, this is due to the fact that the Jewish intelligentsia supported socialist ideals at a time when religious communities practically could not carry out their activities. In the USSR, there were no days off on days tied to religious holidays. Moreover, government offices worked six days a week and any traditional holidays fell on working days.
Joseph Stalin showed himself as an active supporter of the creation of the State of Israel. Since Britain ruled the territory of Palestine until 1948, Stalin's policy against the British Mandate and the Arab allies played a historic role.
The modern and independent State of Israel came into being in May 1948. On the day Israel declared itself a separate state, its territory was invaded by an army from Syria, Egypt and Jordan. Thanks to the effective and quick military assistance provided by the Soviet Union, the Israelis managed to repulse the attack, but the Arab-Israeli conflict is the main problem of the state at the present time.
After the end of the first war, Israeli policy was directed towards building the state for which the Jewish people fought so long and hard. During the general election process, two political leaders were chosen who later led the struggle for Israeli independence. Chaim Weizmann became the first president of the state, and David Ben-Gurion became the prime minister. In just the first ten years of Israel's existence, industrial output doubled and the number of workers quadrupled. The system of education, culture, art, construction - everything was in the development stage. On the tenth anniversary of Israel, the population has already passed the two million mark.
Israel today
Israel is a small country of amazing beauty, which is known throughout the world for its epochal history. At present, the independent state of Israel is famous for its great achievements in the field of medicine, economy, science and industry. Israel will soon become the world's leading tourism destination. Currently, the state is visited annually by more than two million people. In just 66 years, Israel has achieved such tremendous success despite difficult conditions and constant attacks from Palestine. Perhaps such a state level is due to the fact that the Jewish people honor their traditions and will not change their beliefs for anything, but will strive for a prosperous future and come up with new ideas aimed at
The fact that the State of Israel was formed in 1948 by decision of the UN is well known. But what is interesting is that it arose at the beginning of the 20th century as a suburb - 12 years earlier, in 1897, the Zionist Congress proclaimed the right of the Jews to revive their own statehood.
Confrontation with the Arabs at the state level arose as early as 1945 - neighboring states announced an economic boycott of Israel, which had not yet been formed de jure. In general, it all started much earlier, 25 years before that.
Let us omit the history of the first Israelite state, which was finally liquidated by the Romans at the dawn of our era as a result of the Israelis' attempt to gain independence from the Empire. A lot has been written about this page of Israel: about Egypt, from where the Jews made the Exodus, and about how they conquered these lands from the local peoples, and about the dominion here of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Macedonia.
A lot has been said about the disassembly in the family of the ancestor of the Jewish people Abram (between his barren wife Sarah until the age of 90 and the Egyptian concubine Hagar, who gave birth to Abram's son Ishmael - the progenitor of the Arabs - and was expelled for this at the instigation of a Jewish wife). Let's leave all this for historians and religious fanatics. Let's start with the 19th century AD.
By 1800, Jews in Palestine were less than 2% - almost the entire population consisted of Muslims. Jews lived compactly in Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias and Safed. By the 20th century, there were already more than 5% of Jews in Palestine: this resettlement was the result of pogroms in Eastern Europe. At the same time, the first kibbutzim appeared.
During World War I, the Jewish Legion was formed as part of the British Army to fight for Palestine. This was the reason for the emergence of a document (the Balfour Declaration), which gave a positive assessment of the idea of creating a Jewish community in this territory. Homes for Jews, not a Jewish state, Palestine was still predominantly Arab.
Since 1922, Great Britain had a mandate for Palestine, handed over to it by the League of Nations to create all the necessary conditions for the creation of a Jewish community. However, the assertive desire of the Jews for self-determination and the division of Palestine, their widespread oppression of the local population in the inhabited territories (rich Jews bought land from rich Arabs, driving away small tenants from them and leaving Arab laborers without earnings, preferring Jews to them), led to multiple interethnic conflicts. . It even served as a pretext for restricting Jewish immigration. But over the next 25 years, the Jewish population of Palestine increased to 33% - the reason for this was the events in Poland, Hungary, and then in Germany.
