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Israel and the Arab Coalition in 1948
Avi Shlaim
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| Seminar Introduction |
![[image]](72810001_bengurion.jpg) | | Kluger Zoltan, State of Israel National Photo Collection | | David Ben-Gurion attending a conference in Tel Aviv in 1947. |
In this seminar Avi Shlaim, professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford, launches into the heart of scholarly debate about the foundation of the state of Israel. Rather than accepting the Zionist account of what happened between the Arab states and Israel in 1948, Shlaim re-examines the traditional narrative about the birth of Israel. He suggests that the Zionist account of the first Arab-Israeli war is deeply flawed, as it places most of the responsibility for the conflict on the Arab side. For Shlaim, Zionist accounts portray Israel as the innocent victim of unremitting Arab aggression. In this controversial and political assessment, Shlaim suggests that it is time to reassess the portrayal of Jews as victims of the Arab coalition. Instead he argues that throughout the conflict Israel had the military edge over its Arab adversaries and Israeli leaders exploited divisions within the Arab coalition. Whether the reader agrees with Shlaim's appraisal or not, this seminar offers a crucial perspective on the defining moment in Arab-Israeli history. This seminar is based on Chapter 4 of The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948, which offers a full account of a momentous event in the history of the contemporary Middle East. Through existing primary and secondary sources, the book re-examines the role of all the participants in the Palestine War.
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| Learning Objectives |
- List key milestones in the progression of the Israel-Arab conflict of 1948.
- Survey Israel{A146}s strategy and tactics in dealing with the Arab coalition in 1948.
- Compare the heroic Zionist version of the War of Independence with a historical account that suggests the Arab coalition was badly coordinated and deeply divided.
- Evaluate the social and political forces involved in the construction of different historical narratives.
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| Sessions |
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| Credits |
This seminar is extracted from Chapter 4 of The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948, published by Cambridge University Press. (c) Cambridge University Press, 2001.
 | The Arab-Israeli conflict is one of the most intense and intractable international conflicts of modern times. This book is about the historical roots of that conflict. It re-examines the history of the 1948 war, in which the newly born state of Israel defeated the Palestinians and the regular Arab armies of the neighboring states so decisively. The book includes chapters on all the principal participants, on the reasons for the Palestinian exodus, and on the political and moral consequences of the war. The chapters are written by leading Arab, Israeli and Western scholars, who draw on primary sources in all relevant languages to offer alternative interpretations and new insights into this defining moment in Middle East history. The result is a major contribution to the literature on the 1948 war. It will command a wide audience of students and general readers with an interest in the region. The War for Palestine: Rewriting the History of 1948
Eugene L. Rogan and Avi Shlaim,
Paperback (2001) |
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| Technical Requirements |
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections. Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them. Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must be JavaScript-enabled and must be set to accept cookies.
Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56Kbps with a throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar.
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