Grandma's army

THE INTERVENTION OF WORLD POWERS IN ISRAEL’S WARS From the end of World War I, both the US and the UK played a significant role in Israel’s struggle for Independence. The isolationist  policy which the United States exhibited towards Israel prevented any significant relations being fostered – even before the War of Independence. The exception was the American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgentau, who sympathised with the plight of the starving Jewish population in the Old Yishuv. It was due to his efforts that Jewish organisations abroad established a special Fund, which eventually became the JOINT. Following WWI, and the forming of the British Mandate in Palestine, relations between the US and the Palestinian Jews were weakened even further. The only activities which remained were the Jewish Hadassah medical establishment and the recruiting of funds by the Zionist organization in America. With the Nazi persecution of the Jews in the end of the 1930’s, the US again

                                                                                                           Unfortunately, no country which is surrounded by hostile forces can survive without an army. Sadly, the world has yet to accept the Jewish nation’s full return to their ancient Homeland. Until they are fully accepted by the world, they must be ready to defend their country. The Jews went from being a defenseless people, before modern Israel existed, to now having a state with an amazing capacity to defend itself. The Israeli army can best be described by its contrasts. On one hand, it is a modern army, founded in 1948. On the other hand, it traces its earliest traditions, roots and symbolism, to the days of the Biblical ancient Israelites. The technology-driven Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of the twenty first century is a far cry from the volunteer soldier farmers during the fight for Jewish independence in Palestine, from the 1940s. The founders of the IDF were so desperat