War in Palestine, 1948: Israeli and Arab Strategy and Diplomacy

ISBN-13: 9780714652757 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 512 str.

David Tal;David Tal

Opis

This volume sheds new light on one of the most decisive moments in Arab - Israeli relations and the series of events that were to decide the modern borders of Israel after Egyptian forces crossed the borders into Palestine on 15 May 1948. Against all expectations, the State of Israel did not collapse in the face of its larger and more powerful opponent. Dr Tal examines the reasons behind the new state's victories against Egypt, as well as its failures, which were decisive in delimiting Israel's borders and were finally sealed in the Egyptian-Israeli General Armistice Agreement, signed on Rhodes, in March 1949.

Arab involvement in the Jewish-Palestine conflict had started during the late 1930s, but it was only in the wake of the UN Partition Resolution of 29 November 1947 that active military intervention was considered. The Arab League tried to form a unified army that would prevent the implementation of the Partition Resolution, but failed. In Egypt, the government and the army opposed the idea of dispatching an expeditionary force to Palestine, but the pressure of public opinion and King Farouq's insistence carried the day. The order was given and in May 1948, Egyptian forces crossed the international border with Palestine. The author analyses the reasons for the decisive victory enjoyed by Israel over a larger opponent; and the successes and failures that were sealed in the Egyptian-Israeli General Armistice Agreement signed in Rhodes in March 1948.

Recenzje

'War in Palestine is a thorough and most exciting study, combining good analysis of military strategy and diplomacy in a war that is relatively forgotten in the existing literature - a study which is highly recommended.' - Journal of Israeli History

Spis treści

Introduction 1. Towards Invasion 2. Communal War 3. Invasion 4. The Egyptian Invasion of Palestine: From Containment to the First Truce 5. The Israeli-Jordanian Front, 15 May-10 June 6. The Palestine Northern Front, 15 May-10 June 7. The First Truce 8. Ten Days of Fighting: The Egyptian-Israeli Front 9. Ten Days of Fighting: The Israeli-Jordanian Front 10. Ten Days of Fighting: The Northern Front 11. The Second Truce: Days of Diplomacy and Military Preparation 12. The Egyptian-Israeli Front: The Decisive Campaigns I 13. Jordan-Israel: A Permanent Cease-Fire Agreement 14. The Northern Campaign: The Decisive Stage 15. The Egyptian-Israeli Front: The Decisive Campaigns II. Conclusion

O autorze

David Tal is a lecturer at the Department of History and at the Security Studies Program, Tel Aviv University. He teaches modern military and diplomatic history and has published articles in various professional journals on Israeli security matters and international involvement in the Middle East. His book, Israel's Conception of Current Security: Origins and Development, 1949-1956, was published in 1998. He has also recently edited The 1956 War: Collusion and Rivalry in the Middle East.