The late 1940s was a period of escalating violence.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] e.g. 'At the end of the First World War, control of Palestine passed to Britain.'
2. [1-4] 'It was held under a League of Nations mandate.'
3. [1-4] 'Britain was to be in control until Palestine could be granted self-government.'
4. [1-4] 'It lasted from 1923–1948.'
5. [1-4] 'The Mandate sought to limit Jewish immigration into Palestine.'
6. [2-3] 'The London Conference could not find a solution acceptable to Jews and Arabs.'
7. [2-3] 'The British government sought advice from the United Nations.'
8. [2-3] 'The British wanted to leave Palestine.'
9. [2-3] 'The USA and USSR favoured partition.'
10. [2-3] 'The UN Special Committee on Palestine made recommendations.'
11. [2-3] 'The UN General Assembly voted to accept its recommendations.'
12. [2-3] 'The UN thought it would force the Jews and Arabs to co-operate.'
13. [4-5] e.g. 'The United Nations drew up a partition plan to try and find a solution to the issue of the future of Palestine. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) was established to investigate the situation and make recommendations for the future of Palestine. UNSCOP reported that the solution should be to divide the land between the Jews and the Arabs. They felt this system would be fair to both sides.'
14. [2-3] 'The Arab countries were too confident to co-ordinate their efforts.'
15. [2-3] 'Arab forces were outnumbered.'
16. [2-3] 'Syria and Lebanon provided limited support to the Arabs.'
17. [2-3] 'Israel could not afford to lose because it was fighting for its survival.'
18. [2-3] 'Israeli morale was boosted by support from the US.’
19. [2-3] 'Israel was well organised and well led.'
20. [4-6] e.g. 'It is not surprising that Israel won this war as they had long been determined to establish a homeland. Since the First World War there had been strong Jewish groups demanding a separate state for Jews. In the war of 1948–49, Israel was fighting to keep this dream alive. This gave them the determination they needed to win.'
21. [4-6] OR e.g. 'It is not surprising that Israel won the war because the Arabs were not united. There was limited support from Syria and Lebanon, and the King of Jordan tried to negotiate secretly with Israel to take over parts of Palestine himself. This meant there was mistrust between the Arab forces which undermined their determination to win.'
22. [4-6] OR e.g. 'It can be seen as surprising that Israel won the war because the Arabs appeared to be in a strong position at times, with, in May 1948, a coalition of six Arab states involved in an invasion of Israel from different directions. A third of Israel's territory was occupied before the June 1948 ceasefire and the Arabs made some territorial gains.