“The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 was the result of tensions and instability in Palestine following the Second World War.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that the creation of Israel was the result of tensions and instability in Palestine following the Second World War. Candidates may agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement. In their arguments, they may focus on tension between Jews and Arabs after the war and the declaration of open war on the British by Jewish underground groups. Candidates may note how this instability led the British to hand the decision of the future of the territory over to the United Nations. The UN ruled that it should be partitioned, a decision rejected by the Palestinians. When the British officially terminated its mandate, David Ben-Gurion declared an independent Israeli state. While the focus of candidates’ responses must be on post-war factors, to contextualize their arguments, candidates may refer to pre-1945 evidence. This may include the creation of the World Zionist Congress, the Balfour Declaration, the Peel Commission and the mass murder of European Jews during the Third Reich.