From refugees to statehood: the United States and the formation of Israel, 1945–1948

The article explores the transformation of U.S. refugee policy in the aftermath of World War II and its role in the creation of the State of Israel. While the initial American approach was shaped by humanitarian concerns, particularly the crisis of Jewish displaced persons (DPs) in Europe, the issue gradually evolved into a matter of strategic diplomacy. The article highlights the impact of the Harrison Report (1945) and President Truman’s directive (December 22, 1945), which marked a significant departure from existing immigration quotas and prioritized the resettlement of Jewish refugees. Despite domestic resistance and isolationist sentiment, Jewish organizations mobilized illegal migration routes through Austria and Italy, often supported tacitly by Czechoslovak and Soviet authorities. The research also examines the diplomatic dynamics between the United States and Great Britain, particularly in the context of Palestine. It analyzes the failure of joint Anglo-American efforts, such as the Morrison-Grady Plan and the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, to reconcile Arab, Jewish, and British interests. The article argues that these failures contributed to the internationalization of the “Palestine question” and the eventual adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 (1947), which proposed the partition of Palestine and laid the groundwork for the Jewish state. The study underscores the dual function of Jewish refugees as both a humanitarian concern and a political instrument. Their displacement catalyzed policy shifts, tested transatlantic relations, and legitimized the Zionist project in the eyes of international actors. The American response to the refugee crisis, thus, became a lens through which broader postwar transformations in global order, migration policy, and nation-building were enacted.