Military Leadership and the 1948 Expulsion of the Palestinians

David Ben-Gurion directed the military operations of the young state during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. He ordered the Israel Defense Forces to take the place of all guerrilla groups in the first few weeks following Israel's declaration of independence (IDF). With regard to the Altalena Affair, a weapons ship bought by the Irgun, Ben-Gurion ruled with an iron fist. He emphasized that the IDF must be used for all armament deliveries. He gave the order to take it by force and started shooting at the ship as a gunfight broke out on the Tel Aviv shore. In this incident, three IDF soldiers and sixteen Irgun fighters perished. To the chagrin of many Palmach members, he also ordered the dissolution of the Palmach headquarters and the incorporation of its battalions into the IDF as part of his goal of a single military force.

Before the creation of the state, David Ben-Gurion served as the de facto leader of the Palestinian Jews in his capacity as chairman of the Jewish Agency. Ben-Gurion was instrumental in the 1948 War and the subsequent deportation of the Palestinians in this position. Scholars started evaluating the events and responsibilities of Ben Gurion after more IDF files and papers were disclosed in the late 1980s. Military Leadership and the 1948 Expulsion of the Palestinians is considered one of the interesting facts about David Ben-Gurion.