WHEN WORLD WAR II ended, Nazi atrocities against the Jews were revealed. The world was horrified to learn that six million European Jews—one-third of the world's Jewish population—had been murdered. The Jews in Palestine became more determined than ever to establish a Jewish state, and they won international support for their aims. The British were pressured to allow more Jews to immigrate to Palestine. However, at the same time, the Arabs warned that they would not tolerate a Jewish state in Palestine.

Many Jews were determined to use whatever means necessary to achieve a Jewish state. In July 1946 members of the Irgun bombed the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, which contained the offices of the British administration. Eighty-eight people were killed. Meanwhile, the Haganah was attempting to illegally transport Jewish refugees from Europe into Palestine. Britain...