In 1948, Israel declared itself a free and independent nation following the conclusion of the British Mandate for Palestine. This immediately led to a bloody war between Israel, Palestinians within the former mandate, and the surrounding Arab countries. The British made no effort to maintain peace and hastily withdrew the small amount of British forces that remained. One way or another (the exact circumstances are hotly disputed), the war led the the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. Many Palestinians ended up in camps in neighboring Lebanon in Jordan, living in poor conditions for years. After the war, a number of Palestinians tried to return to their homes, though what they returned to was drastically different from what they left.
Returning to Haifa by Ghassan Khanifani and Lila Abu-Lughod’s “Return to Half-Ruins: Memory, Postmemory, and Living History in Palestine,” from Nakba: Palestine, 1948, and the Claims of Memory both deal with the way Palestinians left their homes but sought to return. Both works contain personal narratives that put a face to the large number of refugees created by the conflict. The conflict that killed and displaced thousands was caused, in part, by the vacuum that was left by the British following their hasty withdrawal form the territory. The pattern of violence following a colonial power repeated again and again throughout the 1950s.
This post is short but sums up the information well enough. Can you think of any more you could have added?
Christopher Jackson
Do you think the US leaving the area had a negative affect? Did the US leave for a legit reason?
Although this pull-out by the British was haste, was it truly the chief reason for this? Mind you, that there were Zionist who also attack British targets so that they would leave and allow them to do as they wish.