Welcome to this deck on the birth of the state of Israel. We'll cover the crucial period from 1945 to 1963, a time that shaped the modern Middle East. You'll learn about the end of British rule in Palestine, the creation of Israel in 1948, the war that immediately followed, and the major international crisis over the Suez Canal in 1956. Understanding these events is essential for your GCSE History exam.

After the Second World War, Britain controlled a territory called the Mandate of Palestine. This was a deeply divided land. The Jewish population, many of whom were survivors of the Holocaust, sought to establish a national homeland. The majority Arab population also wanted independence and strongly opposed the creation of a Jewish state on land they considered their own. Britain was caught in the middle, unable to satisfy either side.

Frustrated by British limits on Jewish immigration, some militant Zionist groups began using violence to drive the British out. The most dramatic example was in 1946, when a group called the Irgun bombed the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which housed the British military command. The attack killed 91 people. For your exam, the significance of this event is that it demonstrated Britain's loss of control and massively increased the pressure on them to leave Palestine.