The US State Department Has NEVER Been A Friend Of Israel, From The Days Before It Was A State!

This Week in Israel’s History: David Ben-Gurion Stands Up to US State Department!

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This week in Israel’s history, David Ben-Gurion tells the US State Department he 
will declare independence for the Jewish state; France, Great Britain and the 
US sign the Tripartite Declaration.

March 23, 1948

Against the objections of the US State Department, David Ben-Gurion, first prime minister
 of the Jewish state, made it clear that the Jewish people had no intention of backing down
 from the establishment of the State of Israel.

During World War II, the US State Department enacted policies making it very difficult for
Jewish refugees from Europe to obtain entry visas to the United States. In spite of the clear
 danger to the lives of millions of Jews in Europe, and specifically Germany, the State
Department further limited entry visas through a severely restrictive Immigration Law that
 had been passed by Congress in 1924.

Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion (left) and Ambassador Abba Eban (right) with US Secretary of State George Marshall. (Marshall Foundation)

Fueled by a combination of anti-Semitism, isolationism and a concern of being flooded by Jewish refugees, the State Department created policies which obstructed rescue possibilities during the war.

Immediately prior to the UN vote to partition British-mandated Palestine, the State Department issued a warning that voting in favor of the partition would lead to “untold troubles in the future.” Although President Truman eventually supported the vote for partition and the creation of a Jewish State, the State Department continued to protest the decision and, according to some sources, attempted to sabotage the creation of the Jewish state.

March 25, 1950

The United States, Great Britain and France issued a joint declaration promising to 

“take action against any aggression designed to alter the frontiers in the Middle East.”

Referred to as the Tripartite Declaration of 1950, this joint declaration by the three 

powers was issued in response to a growing concern that the Arab states would 

attempt again to attack Israel.

Shortly before the declaration was issued, the foreign ministers of the three countries

 met in London to discuss what could be done to prevent yet another conflagration

 in the area. They hoped not only to promote peace, but also to prevent an escalating

 arms race.

In order to achieve their goal, the agreement provided the sale of arms to Middle 

Eastern countries on a basis of parity between Israel and the Arab states. It allowed 

countries to purchase arms only if they agreed not to use the armaments for

 aggressive purposes. In addition, the United States, France and Great Britain 

further pledged to take joint action within and outside the United Nations if a

 threat to peace emerged in the Middle East.

It was only a short few years before the declaration would be tested as Arab 

aggression against Israel once again escalated.

By: Penina Taylor, United with Israel