Was Europe Against the Creation of Israel?
Taylor
White
POL 357
Professor
Shirk
25
February 2018
While in the Torah God promised the
Jewish people that they would receive a land of their own, they remained
stateless until 1948. Though they attempted to settle in various places in
Europe, including Spain, Germany, and France they were consistently expelled
from each state; yet the most significant displacement of Jewish people came in
the period after the Holocaust from 1945 to 1952 with more than 250,000
individuals left homeless. While there was growing Zionism among the displaced
persons, Europe and America were unwilling to form a nation for the Jewish
people. Instead, they found it easier to place these people in displaced
persons camps or even refuse them refugee status than help them for the country
they yearned for after the loss of so many of their people.
A majority of Britain’s policies
post WWII, primarily through its continued support of the Arab state of
Palestine, served to keep Jewish people oppressed. After 1945, British occupied
Palestine was unwilling to accept Jewish refugees. Meanwhile millions were in
need of a temporary home. In 1947, 4,500 Holocaust survivors who were aboard
the ship Exodus 1947 were sent back to Germany; while it was evident that
Palestine no longer accepted refugees, that did not deter people from
attempting to enter the state (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.) Those
who continued to try to enter Palestine, many of them Holocaust survivors, were
turned away or sent to detention camps. The detention of Jewish refugees, as
well as Britain neglecting to endorse the formation of Israel, led many states
to reject Britain’s presence in the Middle East. During a United Nations vote
on whether or not to form Israel, Britain is one of the thirteen countries to
object, only because the passage of the vote meant that Palestine would be
divided and a portion given to housing the Jewish people (Adelman and
Romirowsky). As Britain’s struggle to exert its influence in the Middle East
continued in the post-WWII era, its self-interested policies are to blame for
why the Jewish people were left without a state for much of history.
The US, a nation who prides itself
on the idea of nationalism, did little to aid the Jewish people as they fought
to create Israel. Much like the British in Palestine, the US limited the number
of refugees that it accepted. Also, while the US initially supported Zionism,
after being pressured by the British, the US under President Truman withdrew
its support of the movement afraid that continued support would increase
tension in the region. The opposition to the formation of Israel continued as
the UN vote on the creation of Israel drew near. In 1948, Secretary of State
Marshall argued that the US could not support Israel not only because it could
aggravate tension in the region, but because Arab state could retaliate and
deny the US oil (Israel Advocacy Movement.) While he and many top officials
argued against the US’ support of the vote in the UN, Truman disregarded their
claims citing the need to make amends for Hitler’s actions as cause for his
support. Afraid that the world was continuing to dwell upon the past and upon
the possibility of fighting between Muslims and Jewish people, Truman argued
that Israel was necessary for the Jewish people to continue a new era in their
lives (Israel Advocacy Movement.) While Truman’s words were touching and
although the US was the first nation to support Israel’s existence, it cannot
be celebrated for creating Israel. The US’ initial rejection of the possibility
of a Jewish state is to blame for why refugees were forced to live in camps for
years after the Holocaust as initially, the country believed that the Jewish
people did not need their own state, and instead would be fine with a
bi-national federation.
While states such as Britain and
the US are praised for their supposed creation of Israel, many of their
policies post-WWII are the reason why so many Jewish people remained displaced.
Although both states fought Hitler’s regime to liberate the Jewish people from
their nightmare, their turning away of refugees and placing them in camps kept
Jewish people oppressed. It was through Jewish Zionism in opposition to Western
power that the state of Israel was formed.
Works
Cited
"Did
America create Israel?" Israel Advocacy Movement. Accessed February 25,
2018. http://www.israeladvocacy.net/knowledge/the-truth-of-how-israel-was-created/did-america-create-israel/.
"Postwar
Refugee Crisis and the Establishment of the State of Israel." United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Accessed February 25, 2018. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005459.
Romirowsky,
Jonathan Adelman ; Asaf. "The Role of Foreign Powers in Israel's
Creation." Middle East Forum. Accessed February 25, 2018. http://www.meforum.org/6292/foreign-powers-didnt-create-israel.
Taylor,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post! I have never thought about this topic before and, to be honest, I didn't know a lot about the treatment of Jewish people after they were freed from the concentration camps. This post was really informative and brings attention to the continued suffering of such a traumatized group of people. Great insight!
Thank you, Rachel! I thought the topic was worth investigating because I always thought countries such as Britain and the US were the ones who after WWII were the catalysts behind the formation of Israel. After learning that they were vehemently against its creation, I felt like it was worth further investigating to find out what they did to attempt to prevent the formation of the state.
DeleteGreat post Taylor! I thought that this essay is part of an important conversation that is still relevant today. You did a great job at analyzing the policies that oppressed the Jewish people and the United States and the United Kingdom's positions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Drew! I found it interesting that two states, Britain and the US, who were fighting to stop the Nazis as they oppressed the Jews, were the same people who opposed the creation of a state for the people they fought for. I believe that it is extremely ironic, especially since so many Americans pride themselves upon winning WWII to stop the humanitarian crisis. I feel like this is something more people should mention in our history classes.
DeleteGreat job Taylor! This is a topic that people don’t really consider when learning about the Holocaust so I like that you chose to write about this. It was interesting to learn about what happened after the Jewish were freed & the creating of Israel. I wasn’t aware that Europe & the U.S. we’re partially responsible for the Jewish having no place to live.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cassie. I feel as though the way in which Britain and the US treated Jewish refugees post WWII is similar to the way both states treat Syrian refugees today. While the way in which Syrian refugees are treated is constantly discussed, I never knew about the British and American policies towards Jewish people after the war. I think it is interesting how this piece of history has seemingly been removed from our history books.
Delete