Israel's War of Independence: Transition to Offense

• Focus is on building a state in the Middle East
• Discusses the struggle to establish the state from 1945-1949
• Summarizes the War of Independence that includes the first stage of transitioning from defense to offense

Transition to Offense

• March 10, 1948, the Haganah's Operations Division issued Plan D
• Britain was preparing to withdraw its forces from Israel by mid-May
• A coordinated invasion by regular Arab armies was planned
• April 1948, the plan implementation shifted combat approaches from defense to offense
• Forces were redeployed as required by the Haganah headquarters to different brigades based on decision making
• Operations focused efforts to capture mixed regions and after a month, Jewish forces changed the circumstances
• Mixed cities were conquered, and efforts were directed to opening the road to Jerusalem, which improved the situation
• This period involved a mass exodus of the Arab population, supported by local leadership and neighboring Arab states

Plan D Objectives

• Take over territory allocated to the Jewish state and defend its borders per the UN Partition Plan, including Arab settlements within
• Take over mixed cities (Tiberias, Haifa, Acre, Safed, Jaffa)
• Take over transportation arteries and Arab settlements disrupting transportation
• Conquer police stations and bases in strategically important areas evacuated by the British
• Connect isolated settlements to the state (regardless of partition plan, e.g., Jerusalem)
• Create a defensible territorial continuity, adjust the Haganah structure into a regular army

Successful Implementation

• Haganah forces quickly seized the initiative, capturing Tiberias and Arab Haifa
• Jaffa was captured by the Haganah and Irgun, resulting in almost all Arab residents fleeing, with Safed and Acre in the Galilee also captured
• Territorial continuity was restored in the Negev settlements, and Haganah units captured neighborhoods in Jerusalem like Katamon and the Russian Compound

Operation Nachshon

• Operation Nachshon occurred on April 5, 1948, marking a turning point in the war
• Designed to break the siege of Jerusalem by capturing positions and villages overlooking the route to the city
• The operation included 1,500 soldiers, equipped with modern Czech weapons

Impact

• Symbolized the shift from passive defense to proactive offense
• Operation Nachshon breached the road to Jerusalem (at the Castel)
• Convoys of food, ammunition, and medicine were delivered, providing relief to residents and averting famine
• During the battles, the respected Arab commander Abdul Qader al-Husseini was killed

Capture and Massacre at Deir Yassin

• Refers to the capture of the Arab village of Deir Yassin, west of Jerusalem
• The village was captured on April 9, 1948, by Irgun and Lehi fighters in a difficult battle
• Operational errors led to the deaths of 81-110 residents
• Allegations arose of a massacre, which Arab propaganda used against Israel
• The incident sparked controversy in the Jewish community, with the image of the Jewish conqueror contributing to the Arab residents fleeing their settlements prior to their conquest

Plan D's Achievements

• Military Achievements
  • The initiative shifted to the Jewish community
  • Changed the mindset, rejecting the principle of not conquering enemy territory
  • Jewish community began conquering Arab-held areas
  • Jewish community succeeded in delivering convoys to Jerusalem and conquered neighborhoods within Jerusalem
  • Jewish community proved able to concentrate large forces in one location and achieve significant gains
• Political Achievements
  • The completion of Plan D's operations allowed the Jewish community to highlight the key achievement of territorial continuity from Metula in the north to the Negev settlements
  • Jerusalem was mostly under Haganah control
  • Victories strengthened the confidence of UN member states, who continued to support the Partition Plan, weakening the US stance
  • Arabs faced defeat, leading 300,000 to leave their homes, creating a Jewish majority in the country

Independence

• The changes in the Jewish forces' position enabled the declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, and the establishment of the State of Israel
• Nearing the end of the period (early May), forces from the Arab Legion (army of the Jordanian kingdom) entered Judea and Samaria
• They conquered the Etzion Bloc settlements just before the declaration