ABSTRACT
The first Arab-Israeli war, which erupted in mid-May 1948, was the culmination of an evolving conflict which traces its recent origins to 1882 - the first wave of modern Zionist immigration the aim of which was to create aJewish society and state in a part of the Ottoman Empire subsequently known as Palestine. l Between 1917 and 1948, during the period of the British military occupation and the subsequent League of Nations mandate, relations between the Arab majority and the growing Jewish minority in Palestine degenerated into a serious inter-communal struggle for paramountcy. The struggle was played out in several fields: a 'numbers race' Oewish immigration), control of territory through the purchase ofland, and an escalation of violent incidents (riots, attacks, counter-attacks) culminating in a widespread Arab rebellion against British rule and Zionism between 1936 and 1939.2 Even prior to the outbreak of war in 1948, the struggle for Palestine had already bequeathed its legacy of cynicism, mutual suspicion and hatred to Arabs and Jews. During and immediately following the fighting of 1947-49, popular resentment also grew among both peoples towards the alleged perfidy of outside powers whose support for the 'right' cause was found wanting.
