American Diplomacy and the Israeli War of Independence

Events since the end of the Cold War have dashed hopes that the demise of the Soviet Union would ease the Arab-Israeli conflict and help bring about a more stable Middle East—the basic goal of American foreign policy toward that region. Far from that, the past two decades have seen an intensification of regional instability and have added further religious fuel to that conflict. Moreover, we have witnessed major new interventions by such non–Arab states in the region as Iran and Turkey.
The consequence of all this for the U.S. is that its long-term policy of seeking credible balance in its relations with the contesting countries is being tested as never before, and at the center of the problem is the need to find a peaceful solution to the imbroglio involving Israel and the Palestinians—an essential ingredient in any overall attainment of America’s regional aspirations. There is now a renewed focus on such categories of intra–Palestinian issues as were experienced in 1948 at the inception of the State of Israel, e.g., borders, return of refugees, status of Jerusalem, policy at the U.N., etc. It is the purpose of this book to give a fresh reading to these root issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict, mainly in the light of the most recently available primary sources from the U.S., U.K., Israel and the U.N.

The late Frank W. Brecher was a historian and former career senior officer of the U.S. Foreign Service. He lived in New York.

Frank W. Brecher
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: 20 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7426-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0278-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
One. Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s Losing Battles Against President Harry S Truman’s Palestine Policy, January–June 1948 5
Two. James G. McDonald’s Unusual Path to Appointment as America’s First Representative in Israel 33
Three. Truman Speaks Off-the-Record on Palestine to the State Department, July 1947–June 1948 41
Four. U.S. Policy Toward Israel and the Arab States, June–August
1948 57
Five. American Diplomacy at the United Nations, Mid–1948 77
Six. The Bernadotte Plan of June 1948 84
Seven. U.S. Policy During the Final Rounds of Fighting, Fall and
Winter 1948 128
Eight. The Diplomatic Consequences of Israel’s Military Victories
of 1948–1949, and Final Observations 149
Chapter Notes 171
Bibliography 199
Index 203