I asked chatgpt the following, "What role did Russia play, if any, in the establishment of the State of Israel?"
[Chatgpt] Russia (specifically the Soviet Union, as it was known at the time) played a significant but often underappreciated role in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. While it wasn't the primary driver of the Zionist movement (which was mostly Western European and Jewish-led), the USSR made key decisions that helped Israel come into existence:
### 1. **Support for the UN Partition Plan (1947)**
* **The Soviet Union was one of the first major powers to endorse the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine (UN Resolution 181)**, which called for the creation of separate Jewish and Arab states.
* Soviet Ambassador **Andrei Gromyko** gave a notable speech at the UN supporting the right of Jews to have their own state after the horrors of the Holocaust.
* The USSR and its Eastern Bloc allies voted **in favor of the plan** on November 29, 1947, helping it pass.
### 2. **Early Diplomatic Recognition**
* The **Soviet Union was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Israel** de jure, doing so on May 17, 1948, just three days after Israel declared independence.
* This recognition gave legitimacy to the new state at a crucial moment.
### 3. **Military Assistance via Czechoslovakia**
* The USSR permitted **Czechoslovakia (then a Soviet satellite)** to sell arms to the Jewish militias (Haganah) in 1947–1948.
* This was critical: the **Czech arms deal** provided rifles, machine guns, planes, and ammunition that **helped Israel survive the 1948 Arab-Israeli War**.
* At the time, Western countries, including the United States, had imposed an arms embargo on the region.
### 4. **Strategic Motives**
* Stalin and the Soviet leadership initially hoped that a socialist-leaning Jewish state might undermine British colonial influence in the Middle East and challenge Western power in the region.
* However, when Israel aligned more with the West during the Cold War, Soviet policy shifted, and the USSR became more pro-Arab and anti-Israel in the following decades.
### Summary:
The Soviet Union—contrary to popular assumptions—played a **crucial supporting role in the diplomatic and military emergence of Israel** in 1947–1948. However, its support was driven by strategic interests rather than ideological alignment with Zionism or long-term commitment to Israel.
Let me know if you want more on the Soviet-Israel relationship after 1948.
