A State Is Born : The Establishment of the Israeli System of Government, 1947-1951

Comprehensive historical study of policy planning and implementation during the crucial formative years of the Israeli government system. Although Israel was not the only country that emerged during the postcolonial era following World War II, it was very different than others in the British Empire such as India, Iraq, Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria. In A State Is Born, Jonathan David Fine uses newly discovered archival materials to reveal the complex challenges Israeli decision makers faced during the transition from British colonial rule in Palestine to Israeli sovereignty in the newly founded State of Israel. Including discussions of topics such as the Va’adat HaMatzav (special Committee for the transition period) and the formation of the ministries of Interior and Labor, Fine focuses on the planning policy and implementation behind the establishment of the Israeli governmental system during its most crucial formative period, 1947–1951, a dramatic transitory phase for both Jews and Arabs that continues to reverberate to this day. Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 A Bi-National Society......Page 15 Bureaucratic Mindset versus Political Party Experience......Page 16 Definition of Terms......Page 17 May 1948 to January 1949......Page 19 Main Questions......Page 20 Planning......Page 21 Implementation......Page 22 The Ministries of Interior and Labor as Case Studies......Page 23 Bureaucrats and Politicians......Page 24 Model 1: Policy and Administration......Page 25 Model 2: Facts and Interests......Page 26 Model 3: Energy and Equilibrium......Page 27 Model 4: The Pure Hybrid......Page 28 Introduction......Page 30 Changes in British Foreign Policy on the Question of Palestine Following WWII......Page 32 Formulation of the British Evacuation Policy......Page 34 The Attitude of the Yishuv Leadership toward the British Evacuation Policy......Page 38 The Attitude of the Yishuv Leadership to the Issue of the Transition Period......Page 40 C. The Structure of the Yishuv Establishment......Page 42 Knesset Yisrael......Page 43 The Histadrut......Page 44 D. The Political Status of Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 47 E. The Working Relationship between the Executive Bodies of the Va’ad HaLe’umi and the Jewish Agency......Page 50 Mapai: The Land of Israel Workers’ Party......Page 54 Mapam: The United Workers’ Party......Page 57 Mizrahi......Page 58 Party Politics during the Period of Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 59 A. Structure of Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 62 Studying the British Mandate System in Palestine......Page 63 B. The Future of the Jewish Mandatory Officials......Page 64 D. Intelligence-Gathering Methods and Approval of Departmental Plans......Page 65 A. Management of Essential Services......Page 68 B. Fuel Supply......Page 70 C. Transportation......Page 71 Defining Basic Transportation Issues......Page 72 Shortage of Armor for Vehicles......Page 73 Ports......Page 74 The Rail System......Page 75 D. Food Supply......Page 77 Dependence on the Transportation Network for the Transport of Food......Page 78 Management and Inspection: Basic Problems......Page 79 Supervision of Animal Slaughter and Distribution of Meat......Page 80 Organization on the National Level: The Council for Control of Food Supply and Distribution......Page 81 E. Contribution of the Experience Managing Essential Services to the Establishment of the Government System......Page 82 B. Establishing a Judicial System for Counsel and Oversight of Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 84 C. Defining the Legal Status of the Government during the Interim Period......Page 87 Voting Age......Page 89 Citizenship......Page 90 The Preferred Electoral System......Page 91 Division into Electoral Districts......Page 92 1. Government Ministries that Needed to be Rebuilt, as their Mandatory Precursors did not Meet the Needs of the New Government......Page 94 2. The Special Case of the Defense Ministry......Page 95 3. Government Ministries Based on the Mandatory System, According to Four Variables......Page 97 E. Significance of Va’adat HaMatzav’s Final Report......Page 98 B. Challenges in Ministry Organization: Between Administrative Centralization and Decentralization......Page 102 Planning of the Interior Ministry in Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 104 The Status of the District Commissioner in the Jewish State......Page 105 Division into Districts......Page 106 Buildings and Documents......Page 107 Staffing the Ministries......Page 108 The Information Department......Page 109 Police and Prison Services......Page 111 Planning and Construction Department......Page 112 The Mandatory Labor Department......Page 113 Va’adat Hamatzav Planning for the Labor Ministry......Page 114 Documents and Buildings......Page 116 Structure of the Ministry in Va’adat HaMatzav’s Summary Report......Page 117 Introduction......Page 120 A. Minhelet Ha’Am (People’s Administration) and Moetzet Ha’Am (People’s Council)......Page 122 B. “Law and Administration Ordinance No. 1 of 5708/1948” and Its Alternatives......Page 125 Drafting the Ordinance......Page 126 Continental Law and Jewish Law as Alternatives to the Ordinance......Page 128 C. The Effect of the War on the Government’s Powers: The Emergency Regulations......Page 130 D. Differences of Opinion over Law and Administration Ordinance No. 1 of 5708/1948......Page 135 E. Powers of the Government Ministers and the Distribution of Portfolios......Page 139 F. The Political Struggle over Ministerial Portfolios......Page 143 B. Planning the District Administration: Establishing the General Administration Division......Page 146 Authorities of the District Commissioner......Page 148 The Jewish Mandatory Clerks in the District Administration and the Israeli Government......Page 150 Va’adat HaManganon and Its Decisions......Page 152 C. Roles of the General Administration Division......Page 154 The Jerusalem Municipality......Page 155 The Special Status of Tel Aviv......Page 156 D. Establishing the Local Government Division......Page 157 E. National-Level Oversight and Registration: Establishment of the Department of Population Registration......Page 158 Registration of New Immigrants......Page 160 F. The Effect of the War on the Implementation of the Recommendations of Va’adat HaMatzav for the Interior Ministry......Page 162 Problems in International Law: Western Galilee......Page 163 Problems with International Law: The Negev......Page 164 Problems with International Law: Jerusalem......Page 165 Disputes between the Military Administration and the Civilian Administration......Page 166 G. Damage to Public Structures and Archives and Its Impact on Effective Governance during the War......Page 167 H. Staffing the Interior Ministry during the War......Page 169 I. Consolidation of the Interior Ministry during the War: Interim Summary......Page 171 A. Distinctive Issues of the Labor Ministry......Page 174 B. Structure of the Labor Ministry during the Provisional Government as Reflected in the Final Report of Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 175 C. The Political Context of the Establishment of the Labor Ministry......Page 177 D. The Establishment Stage: Specific Problems during the War......Page 180 Locating, Mobilizing, and Regulating Manpower for the Wartime Economy......Page 181 The Need to Prioritize National Production during the War......Page 184 Maintenance of Essential Infrastructure during the War: The Department for Public Works......Page 187 E. The Struggle between Mapai and Mapam over Centralized Planning, and Yaakov Reiser’s Dismissal......Page 190 F. First Signs of Routine in the Ministry’s Activities – Housing......Page 194 Building Inspection......Page 200 National (Amami) Insurance......Page 201 Staffing in the Labor Ministry during the Provisional Government......Page 202 G. Intermediate Summary on the Establishment of the Labor Ministry during the War......Page 203 Introduction......Page 206 A. Background and Basic Problems......Page 208 B. Major Issues during the Election Campaign......Page 209 C. The Results of the Elections and the Coalition Negotiations......Page 212 Placement of Party Members in the State Apparatus......Page 217 Organizing the Local Party Branches......Page 219 Special Target Populations (Youth, Women, and Intellectuals)......Page 220 E. The Transition Act......Page 221 F. Collective Responsibility as a Factor in Proper Governance......Page 224 B. Partisan Considerations in Transferring the Interior Ministry to the Mizrahi Movement......Page 228 C. Structural Reorganization within the Ministry......Page 231 Strengthening the Authority of the District Commissioners......Page 232 The Budgets of the Local Authorities......Page 233 Expansion of Local Government......Page 234 Registration and Census Data Collection for the Entire Population......Page 235 Marriage Registration......Page 237 Immigrant Registration......Page 239 Fundamental Problems in Formulating Israeli Policy toward the Arabs in the State of Israel......Page 240 The Military Administration......Page 242 The Police and Minorities Ministry......Page 243 International Law, Security, Economic Affairs, and Party Issues......Page 244 The Interior Ministry’s New Role in Dealing with the Arab Population......Page 245 Friction between the Interior Ministry, the Military Administration, and the Prime Minister’s Office......Page 246 The Registration of Arab Inhabitants......Page 248 Disputes over the Treatment of Arabs within the Interior Ministry......Page 249 F. The Division of Urban and Rural Construction......Page 253 G. Information: The Division of Press, Information, and Cinema......Page 254 Establishing a Supervisory Committee and Preliminary Recommendations......Page 257 The Local Government Division......Page 258 The Divisions of General Administration and Local Government: Committee Conclusions......Page 259 Intermediate Summary of the Management of the Interior Ministry: January 1949– November 1951......Page 261 A. Reorganizing the Labor Ministry following the Elections......Page 264 B. Between Centralized Planning Initiatives and Routine Planning: Relocating the Planning Division......Page 267 Finding Employment for Immigrants......Page 271 The Challenge of Training Decommissioned Soldiers for Integration into the Job Market......Page 278 Labor Relations......Page 279 D. Housing: Immigrant Camps to Transit Camps, Transit Camps to Housing Projects......Page 282 E. Public Works and Technical Services......Page 288 F. Inspection and Research......Page 290 Productivity......Page 292 Trade Unions......Page 293 G. National Insurance......Page 295 H. Interim Summary of the Activity of the Labor Ministry (January 1949–November 1951)......Page 296 I. Zeev Sharf’s Final Report on the Professional and Administrative Management of the Government Ministries (1950–1951)......Page 297 The Powers of the Ministries......Page 298 The Internal Structure of the Government Ministries and Recommendations for Reform......Page 301 The Contribution of Va’adat HaMatzav......Page 304 The Impact of the War of Independence in Shaping the Government System......Page 306 Party Politics......Page 307 Defining Powers......Page 308 Divisions of Power between Government Ministries......Page 309 The Interior Ministry......Page 310 The Labor Ministry......Page 312 Involvement in Politics and Policy-Making......Page 314 Lessons Learned from the Findings......Page 315 Summary of the Findings of Aberbach et al.......Page 316 Differences between Politicians and Bureaucrats in terms of Academic Training, Socioeconomic Status, and Professional Training......Page 317 Involvement in Politics and Policymaking......Page 319 Mediation between Interest Groups......Page 320 Which of the Models Best Fits the Israeli System of Government between 1947 and 1951?......Page 322 Biographical Appendix......Page 324 Map Appendix......Page 341 Notes......Page 344 Primary Sources......Page 394 Published Books and Articles......Page 397 Index......Page 414 "Although Israel was not the only country that emerged during the postcolonial era following World War II, it was very different than others in the British Empire such as India, Iraq, Egypt, Kenya, and Nigeria. In A State is Born, Jonathan David Fine uses newly discovered archival materials to reveal the complex challenges Israeli decision makers faced during the transition from British colonial rule in Palestine to Israeli sovereignty in the newly founded State of Israel. Including discussions of topics such as the Va'adat HaMatzav (special Committee for the transition period) and the formation of the ministries of Interior and Labor, Fine focuses on the planning policy and implementation behind the establishment of the Israeli governmental system during its most crucial formative period, 1947-1951, a dramatic transitory phase for both Jews and Arabs that continues to reverberate to this day"--Back cover