ABSTRACT
Although some historians would cite 14 May 1948 as the start of the war known variously as the Israeli War ofIndependence, an-Nakba (the (Palestinian) Catastrophe), or the first Palestine war, it would be more accurate to consider that war as beginning on 30 November 1947, with the Arab attacks which followed the passage of the historic United Nations partition resolution of 29 November. The initial pattern of the fighting was a civil war, which was followed, after 15 May 1948, by the entry into Palestine of armies from the neighbouring states. The ensuing inter-state war was punctuated by truces and Israeli counter-offensives spread over the next ten months, as follows:
(1) Arab armies advance, 15 May - 11 June 1948 (2) First truce, 11 June - 9 July (3) 'Ten Days' War', 9-18 July (4) Second Truce, 18July-15 October (5) Operation Yoav (Egyptian Negev front), 15-22 October (6) Operation Hiram (Galilee), 29-31 October (7) Operation Horev (Negev IEgypt), 22 December 1948 - 7 January
1949 (8) Operation Uvda (Negev/Transjordan), 5-10 March 1949.1
It was with great difficulty that the new Jewish state held its ground during the opening phase of the war. During the first truce the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) consolidated their positions and made significant advances during the 'Ten Days' War', following
which they enjoyed an increasing military predominance. But Israel would find it impossible to translate its obvious military advantage into a true victory or 'peace' with the defeated Arabs. The deepseated resistance of the latter to concede the establishment of the Jewish state oflsrael in place of the hoped-for Arab state of Palestine would make the achievement of peace elusive for decades to come.
