What are the consequences of Truman not recognizing Israel in 1948? George Marshall was against it and Forrestal had his reservations. There was concern that it would completely destabalize the middle east and put the security of the oil reserves there in peril. Truman decided it was worth the risk, but what if he listened to his advisors and didn't recognize Israel?
Truman Doesn't Recognize Israel
- Thread starter achilles483
- Start date
To a certain extent, I think the situation would be inverse of what it is now. The Middle East would be stable and properous, save for an on-going Jewish insurgency in Palestine, while Jews around the world would hate the United States from now until the end of time.
The USSR, instead of being the second country to recognize Israel, becomes the first country to recognize Israel.
That means a lot of cossack-types will need to undergo "De-pogrom-ing"
That means a lot of cossack-types will need to undergo "De-pogrom-ing"
no. just no.
while US recognition was a moral boost to the Israelis it was not key to Israeli's victory in 1948, the USSR becomes first country to recognize Israel, it might lead to a very different cold war in the mid-east.
It will be very, very interesting.
As is, Israel was dominated and led by a socialist party into the 1970s.
We're talking Israeli leaders going to Socialist International meetings.
Israel didn't have television until 1967. Why? Because David Ben Gurion thought it would deprive Israeli youth of their pioneering spirit.
With that kind of strong leftist impulse as is in otl, ittl, I reckon Israel goes red big-time.
If a number of Jewish people in the United States may have been uncomfortable at best during the red scare/McCarthy era, it'll go double in this timeline.
Here's a fun thought:
in otl, Israel rapidly put together one of the finest intelligence services in the world.
in this tl, well, KGB is going to have someone to work with in The Mutual Respect Society. (in other words, I don't think anyone is going to try to teach Grandma to suck eggs.)
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I bet this helps the USSR in a lot of ways.
In Israel, arguably, you had some very effective examples of functional collective agriculture.
One might also find the combination of dedication to socialist principles with willingness to sit and debate for freaking hours and not behead folks for disagreeing having perhaps at least a scintilla of influence on Soviet officials dealing with the Jewish state.
Considering the potential cultural overlap between East European intelligentsia and Israelis of similar background... it could be the beginning of a frighteningly beautiful friendship.
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well till 1954 Israel and the USSR were very friendly, Jewish Communists of Eastern Europe were the back bone of much of the New Eastern block Communist Parties (Poland) feeling that Communism would save them from a second Holocaust, post-1954 colonialism in the Mid-east was more or less done so the USSR's anti-colonialism support for Israel was done, the US's support for Arab Conservatives and Israel more or less handed Arab states to the USSR (all the Arab leaders of 1948 were dead with-in 10 years by violent means) Syria would become a radical Socialist country and Egypt... yeah, if the US backs the Arabs (politically) and the USSR backs the Israelis I think we see longer last Arab Monarchies, the Israelis are friendly but never controlled by the USSR much like the Israeli-US relationship pre-1980, maybe Russians Jews stay in the USSR where as American Jews make the Aliyah....
If the US supports any Arab nationalist movements, it sets a precedent for cooperation with other anti-colonial, but not necessarily Communist, movements. This could have happy implications when it comes to dealing with Vietnam.