Ben Gurion's Role in Israel's Creation
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How important was Ben Gurion in the creation of the state of Israel? Explain your answer.
ESSAY
Ben Gurion played a crucial role in the creation of the state of Israel. As a Zionist leader, he advocated for increased Jewish settlement in Palestine and rejected attempts to appease the Arabs. He successfully convinced the World Zionist Organization to support a Jewish homeland after World War II and pushed for unlimited Jewish immigration. Gurion also gained support from the US Congress and President Truman, leading to the entry of 100,000 Holocaust survivors into Palestine. Additionally, he led the Jewish Agency, declared independence for Israel in 1948, and organized the Israeli Defense Force. While other factors such as the disintegration of the British Empire and the support from the international community and the Jewish lobby were also important, Gurion's leadership and strategies were instrumental in the establishment of Israel.
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How important was Ben Gurion in the creation of the state of Israel? Explain your answer. Yes Zionist leader who promoted support for the British in the Second World War; promoted increased Jewish settlement in Palestine and rejected the 1939 White Paper which attempted to appease the Arabs and did not promise partition in Palestine; 20 000 Palestinian Jews enlisted in the British Army in the hope of increasing their chances of creating a Jewish state after the war; Gurion convinced the World Zionist Organization in 1942 to support a Jewish homeland in Palestine after the war and push for unlimited Jewish immigration; Gurion pleaded for 100 000 Holocaust survivors to enter Palestine and gained support from Truman and Jewish Lobby in US Congress; helped persuade Bevin to hand the problem over to the UNO in 1947; led the Jewish Agency in Palestine and declared independence and a new state of Israel in 1948; organised the Israeli Defence Force, etc. No More important – Britain unable to maintain a large empire; formation of Arab League united Jews behind the goal of a state of Israel; role of Hebrew Resistance Movements, Haganah assisted Britain in Second World War and gained weapons and training; both Democrats and Republicans in the USA backed the Biltmore programme in 1944; Truman favoured the creation of a Jewish Homeland; Jewish lobby in US Congress and international sympathy for Jews after WWII; campaign of terror including King David Hotel attack in 1946 helped force the British to withdraw from Palestine; failure of the UNSCOP Partition Plan to appease Arabs and many Jews; British resistance against Jewish immigration, etc.