ISRAEL AND JORDAN, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1949

THE STATE OF ISRAEL

The situation in the State of Israel is – to say the very least – concerning. The Arab-Israeli War, which is still in limbo with a tenuous ceasefire, has resulted in around 19,000 military casualties with another 4,500 civilian casualties to boot. War photographers have published dozens of photographs of the battlefields. In particular, a photograph by Robert Capa depicted an Arab soldier’s silhouette with a bomb going off in the background. It won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize. Troops from both sides were suffering from a series of diseases, as well as physical and mental exhaustion. Aerial photographs often showed trenches being built, with the pockmarked landscape evoking the memories of the Great War. Attrition and material losses have culminated in the losses of thousands of equipment, from small arms to aircraft. Hundreds of tank carcasses decorate the landscape of Israel with its neighbors.

For all of this sacrifice, Israel has barely gained territory. It possesses neither Negev nor Gaza. The Galilean Panhandle, often seen as a security risk and, therefore, a key territory to be controlled, is out of Israeli hands. The firm control over Jerusalem and Jericho, up to the Jordanian-Iraqi border, is but a small victory. The loss of Negev and Gaza saw massacres of Kibbutzim. Soon after, Israel decided to approve the cease-fire. It was disastrous for Ben-Gurion.

On November 26, David Ben-Gurion received a letter written by one Yaakov Heruti. The letter was three pages long and it denounced Ben-Gurion, calling him a “traitor of the Israeli cause”. Heruti wrote that the Israeli leader had brought disastrous consequences to the nation by accepting a ceasefire and that “not a single inch of Israeli land should be given. Repercussions will occur in all of Israeli society for the crimes [Ben-Gurion] have perpetrated today.”

Soon after, on December 1st, Herut promoted mass demonstrations against Ben-Gurion. The population was profoundly frustrated as well with the overall situation and their echoes were being heard in the streets. Meanwhile, in the Israeli Armed Forces, a sort of ‘stab-in-the-back’ myth was already being formed. Soldiers and officers who missed the decisive political action of the likes of Irgun were arguing that what Israel needed was a robust leadership. One that would never compromise their homeland with perceived Arab invaders. Barracks, mess halls, and even patrol routines were becoming places where seeds of discontent were being planted. The events culminated on December 4, when one Amos Kenan was arrested after attempting to put a bomb near a podium where Ben-Gurion was going to speak about the circumstances of the ceasefire.

THE KINGDOM OF JORDAN

The situation in Jordan is, akin to Israel, far from ideal. Their military was the only professional force to fight in the war and King Abdullah I was an unwilling figure in the events that followed their participation in the war. The violence and material costs of the war were quick to sour the mood. Around 1,800 Jordanians were either killed or wounded in a war that, up to now, has led to nowhere.

The Jordanian army not only retreated following the Iraqi collapse – they also gave up Jerusalem. Many Jordanians saw the battle for Jerusalem as the most important battle in the war and, for the Kingdom of Jordan, it had, indeed, been the most costly and intense battle in the entire conflict. The army had toiled day and night, fighting in tight, trench warfare combat, to obtain the territory at great personal cost, only to let it all go to Israeli hands.

The fall of Jerusalem, combined with the breakdown of the talks in Nicosia – partially due to Jordanian inflexibility – and King Abdullah’s personal desire to subsume Palestine under his control, led to devastating political unrest. The war was extremely unpopular at home. The fact that Jordan had accepted a ceasefire along current lines, with no Arab access to Jerusalem and all the ground that was fought for was lost, meant that Jordanian Arabs and Palestinians were extremely unhappy with Abdullah, the government, and the armed forces. The streets of Amman witnessed daily protests and often weekly riots. The situation was growing unsustainable.

SUMMARY

• Israel has been suffering from immense unrest due to the current ceasefire. An attempt was made on Ben-Gurion's life. The IDF has been growing restless.

• Jordan has been suffering from immense unrest as well. Both Jordanians and Palestinians are frustrated with King Abdullah and the ceasefire.