Partition: The First Arab-Israeli War and the Palestinian Refugee Problem - Essay Example

PARTITION: THE FIRST ARAB-ISRAELI WAR AND THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEE PROBLEM The defeat of the Palestinians in the 1948 war with the Israel was as a result of many factors, including lack of adequate training in war tactics. The Palestinian soldiers also lacked adequate weapons. The lack of enough weapons to use in battle was a big letdown at the battlefield1. The lack of good leadership among the Palestine also contributed to the biggest loss in the battle against Israel. The lack of good leadership compromised the coordination of the Palestine’s army2.

Lack of coordination during war translates to defeat in many wars, this was not an exception. Lack of readiness for the war also contributed to the defeat. The Palestine neighboring allies were not willing to enjoin them in the war against the Israelis. It implies that the nation had to fight with a giant of military prowess, Israel, independently. Mufti Hajj Amin, the head of the Arab higher committee failed to unite all the Palestinians. The unity of Palestine was needed to create a formidable force against their adversary, the Israelites.

The head of the Supreme Commission of the Arab League never had the support of the leaders of Palestine3. Consequently, the Palestinians were bound to loss in the war. Amin was also isolated from vital discussions on the welfare of Palestine. The isolation of Palestine by the neighboring countries was a bad gesture. In this regard, the Palestinian nation had an opportunity to establish its identity. The American arms embargo on Palestine also contributed to the defeat of Palestine in the war.

The military was ill-trained for the war4. The lack of efficient leadership also led to the coordination and adequate training for the Palestinian army. In this regard, Palestinians were only using obsolete artillery while Israelis were using modern, sophisticated weapons of war hence their win5. However, the failure of the neighboring allies of Palestine to support the Palestinians in the war culminated inflow of many refugees to the neighboring states. The countries faced socioeconomic challenges, which were never anticipated.

The neighboring states were focused on the acquisition of more land and were never worried about the situation in Palestine until they started receiving large numbers of Palestine refugees, which constrained the budget of the nations. It owes to the fact that the nations had to make reserves to cater for the refugees.Bibliography Ben-Joseph Hirsch, Michal. “From Taboo to the Negotiable: The Israeli New Historians and the Changing Representations of the Palestinian Refugee Problem” Perspectives on Politics 5.

2, 2007, 241-258 .Ovendale, Ritchie. “The Palestine Policy of the British Labour Government 1947: The Decision to Withdraw.” International Affairs 56.1, 1980, p. 73-93. Slonim, Shlomo. . “The 1948 American Embargo on Arms to Palestine.” Political Science Quarterly. 94.3, 1979, 495-514.Shemesh, Moshe. “The Palestinian Society in the Wake of the 1948 War: From Social Fragmentation to Consolidation.” Israel Studies 9.1, 2004, 86-100. Tal, David. “The Forgotten War: Jewish-Palestinian Strife in Mandatory Palestine, December 1947- May 1948.

” Israel Affairs 6.3/4, 2000, 3-21.