CIA: UK Armed, Encouraged Arabs Against Israel in 1948

Declassified CIA documents provide evidence UK encouraged Arabs to oppose foundation of Israel, helped them acquire weapons

Editor David Rosenberg,

Israeli troops fight off Arab forces in Galilee 1948  REUTERS

New evidence has emerged to corroborate claims that Great Britain encouraged Arab resistance to the establishment of a Jewish state in 1948, and even helped arm Arab forces for what became the Israeli War of Independence.

A recently declassified CIA document dated January 27th, 1947 summarizes an interview agents held with a Lebanese newspaper publisher following a meeting with Grand Mufti Haj Ami El-Husseini, a Nazi sympathizer during World War II and one of the leading voices against the formation of a Jewish state in 1948.

According to the report, Afif Tibi, who is described as a former Nazi collaborator and owner of a Beirut newspaper, met with the Mufti in late 1946 to discuss the possible partition of the British Mandate for Palestine, established by the League of Nations as the future “national home” of the Jewish people.

During Tibi’s talk with the Mufti, the Mufti claimed that British authorities in the Mandate were “in continuous touch with” him, “and are actually encouraging him to denounce partition”.

“The Jews should not under any circumstances be allowed to assume real power in any section of the country, for the simple reason that they would immediately launch themselves on a program of armament, would attack neighboring land, and would face the Big Four Powers [US, UK, USSR, China] with the accomplished fact of a very much larger Palestine.”

According to the Mufti, the UK was enabling Arab forces to arm themselves against the possible establishment of a Jewish state.

“The British are making it easy for the Arabs to arm.”

In November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding motion supporting the partition of the Mandate into Jewish and Arab states.

The recommendation was rejected, however by the Arab League and local Arab leaders, setting off a wave of terrorism against the Jewish community in the Mandate. In May, 1948 the British army withdrew from the Mandate, and the state of Israel declared its independence.

The next day they were attacked by 5 Arab states with volunteers from several other Arab states. Somehow, by the grace of God, they are still here.

Kerry Just Beginning To Learn the Devil He Dealt With

DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a speech by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday vowing to defy American policies in the region despite a deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear program was "very disturbing".

From left to right: European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini, 

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Head of the Iranian 

Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, Russian Foreign Minister 

Sergey Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond 

and US Secretary of State John Kerry

Their expressions very much sum-up the deal

"I don't know how to interpret it at this point in time, except to take it at face value, that that's his policy," he said in the interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, parts of which the network quoted on Tuesday.

"But I do know that often comments are made publicly and things can evolve that are different. If it is the policy, it's very disturbing, it's very troubling," he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei told supporters on Saturday that U.S. policies in the region were "180 degrees" opposed to Iran's, at a speech in a Tehran mosque punctuated by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".

"Even after this deal our policy toward the arrogant U.S. will not change," Khamenei said.

Ayatollah Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran

Several Gulf Arab states have long accused Tehran of interference, alleging financial or armed support for political movements in countries including Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon. You can add Gaza to that list.

Kerry said the U.S. believed its Arab allies had the ability to confront Iranian interference in the region.

"I think President Obama's belief and our military assessments, our intelligence assessments, are that if they organize themselves correctly, all of the Arab states have an untapped potential that is very, very significant to be able to push back against any of these activities," he said.

Pretty big 'if' statement on its own, but when you work in the rapid reduction of sanctions resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into Iran, Israel and the Arab states problem has just gotten a whole lot worse. This is yet another, and possibly the most disturbing case of America funding both sides of a war. America and Europe have absolutely no business supporting a terrorist, apocalyptic regime like Tehran. This will end very badly.

(Writing By Noah Browning; Editing by William Maclean, Andrew Heavens)