Student Question
Why did Israel's neighbors react militarily when it declared independence?
Quick answer:
Israel's declaration of independence in 1948 led to military reactions from its neighbors due to religious, historical, and territorial disputes. Arab countries viewed the creation of Israel as illegal, believing the land was wrongly occupied and should not have been given to the Jews. Additionally, the establishment of a Jewish state was seen as a threat to Arab and Islamic cultures, and control over Jerusalem, a significant religious site, was contested. These factors prompted military attacks to destroy the new state.
Israel was created by United Nations vote, and was done so without the support of any of the Arab states. So they felt the decision was illegal to begin with. The Arab countries and the Palestinian Arabs believed the land of Palestine had been wrongly occupied by the British, wasn't theirs or the world's to give away, and now was illegally occupied by the Israelis.
Once Israel received its independence in 1948, the Arab countries felt that, worse than being colonized, now the holy land had fallen into the hands of non-believers, infidels, and for good unless they acted. So they attacked militarily to attempt to destroy Israel immediately.
Why did Middle Eastern neighbors react militarily to Israel's creation as an independent nation?
The basic answer to this has to do with religion and with the history of the region in which Israel was created. As the link below tells us, the Arab countries attacked Israel because they
felt that Israelis had...
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stolen land from Arab Palestinians to create their country and that Israel was a threat to Arabic and Islamic cultures.
When Israel was created, land was taken from the Palestinians and given to a Jewish state that had not existed there in centuries. Not surprisingly, Arab states in the region were upset about this. For this reason, they attacked. In addition, the conflict had religious overtones. There was the issue, for example, of who would control Jerusalem which is one of the holiest cities in the Muslim faith as well as the holiest city in Judaism.
So, the military attack on Israel was meant to destroy the new nation because of the reasons outlined above.