Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

To: Sam Gamgee; donmeaker
Sam Gamgee: "British officers fought with the Jordanians against Israel in the 1948 war for one example."

Here's what I know about that:

On the other hand, Israelies:

I don't know if actions of British lead Jordanian units were sanctioned by the British government, but I do know:

I also know that Britain formally recognized Israel on May 13, 1949, a year after the US and USSR, but about the same time as other European countries, like France and Italy.

Clearly the Brits were hoping to keep friends on all sides, and help make Britain's various partitions of the old Ottoman Empire work as nations.

The Brits also deserve some credit for the 1917 Balfour Delcaration, and for help to Jews in general.
Sure, if like many, you feel that such aid was grossly inadequate, the fact remains it compares favorably with aid from other countries -- Franklin Roosevelt's USA notably.

For a more favorable view of British relations to Jews, I recommend Martin Gilbert's "Churchill and the Jews, a Lifelong Friendship".

Yes, I have to recognize the following claim:

But first, I doubt if it's true, even today, and second to whatever degree true, it surely reflects influences of those countries' Muslim populations.
Or perhaps just of anti-Israel posters at Wikipedia!

Finally I don't see, how can this particular incident in 1948 cause you to blame the Brits for starting the First World War in 1914?

203 posted on 07/18/2013 6:58:01 PM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 200 | View Replies ]


To: BroJoeK

For a while France was a great friend of Israel. Many of Israeli Super-Shermans came from France, where the French built a copy of the Panther 75mm gun and mounted it onto the Sherman. (The Panther 75mm gun had better armor penetration than the German 88mm or the US 90mm guns.) They also provided Mirage jets, and would sell ships to Israel when the US wouldn’t.

The 1956 Suez Crisis had Israel invade Sinai while Britain and France invade along the Suez canal. At least in that part of the 1950s France was an Israeli Ally.


204 posted on 07/18/2013 7:03:53 PM PDT by donmeaker (Blunderbuss: A short weapon, ... now superceded in civilized countries by more advanced weaponry.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 203 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson