http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_(Israel)
Eleven minutes after the Declaration of Independence was signed, President Truman de facto recognized the State of Israel, followed by Iran (which had voted against the UN partition plan), Guatemala, Iceland, Nicaragua, Romania and Uruguay. The Soviet Union was the first nation to recognize Israel de jure on 17 May 1948, followed by Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Ireland and South Africa.[11] The United States extended official recognition on 31 January 1949.[12] The declaration was followed by an invasion of the new state by troops from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known in Israel as the War of Independence (Hebrew: מלחמת העצמאות, Milhamat HaAtzma'ut). Although a truce began on 11 June, fighting resumed on 8 July and stopped again on 18 July, before restarting in mid-October and finally ending on 24 July 1949 with the signing of the armistice agreement with Syria. By then Israel had retained its independence and increased its land area by almost 50% compared to the partition plan. http://www.al-awda.org/zionists2.html The British role was significant in facilitating the Zionist project. Chaim Weizmann, the architect of the Zionist-British relationship, got acquainted with C. P. Scott, the editor of the Manchester Guardian. On 12 November 1914, Weizman wrote a letter to Scott stating, "…should Palestine fall within the British sphere of influence, and should Britain encourage a Jewish settlement there, as a British dependency, we could have in twenty to thirty years a million Jews out there, perhaps more. They would develop the country, bring back civilization to it and form a very effective guard for the Suez Canal". According to Weizmann, Herbert H. Asquith, then British Prime Minister, wrote the following in his diary on January 28, 1915. "I received from Herbert Samuel (who was later appointed as the first British High Commissioner for Palestine) a memorandum headed 'The Future of Palestine'. He goes on to argue at considerable length and with some vehemence in favor of the British annexation of Palestine… He thinks we might plant in this not very promising territory about three or four million European Jews and that this would have a good effect on those who are left behind… I confess I am not attracted to this proposed addition to our responsibilities…" Asquith later added, "Curiously enough, the only other partisan of this proposal is Lloyd George. And I need not say he does not care a damn for the Jews or their past or their future, but thinks it will be an outrage to let the Holy Places pass into the possession or under the protectorate of 'agnostic and atheistic' France". (A detailed account of the Zionist activities and contacts leading to the Balfour Declaration was given in: Chaim Weizmann, Trial and Error, Chapters 7-18, pp. 93-208) The Balfour Declaration, promising support for a "Jewish National Home in Palestine", which was issued on 2 November 1917, resuscitated the "Zionist Dream" and launched a state of cooperation between the World Zionist Organization and the Imperialist powers. This close cooperation was enhanced following WWII under U.S. patronage. U.S. relationship with the Zionist-Arab conflict started as early as WWI. Its position began as a neutral power interested in the application of self-determination to all ethnic groups as advocated by President Woodrow Wilson. This relationship developed into supporting Britain in its designs for control and hegemony in the Middle East as a result of the discovery of oil in the area. It was further developed into supporting Zionist plans in Palestine that gradually enhanced into a strategic alliance between the U.S. and Israel.. Palestine was not an empty land waiting for the Zionists to build up their contemplated state. Dispossessing the Palestinian Arabs of their lands and driving them out of their country provoked the inevitable reaction of a people attached to their land. The Palestinians realized the implications of the combined Zionist-Imperialist invasion and began a long and unrelenting resistance against the colonial settlers and their Imperialist supporters. _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
