Rus: Israel was shooting at everybody at that point (1947). Most people don’t realize it, but the Israelis had their own terrorist organizations during that period; groups like Haganah (“The Revionists”), Irgun (militant offshoot of Haganah) and the Stern Gang. Menachem Begin was a member, and is considered to be the brains behind the bombing of the King David Hotel, which killed a large number of British soldiers and diplomats.
The Stern Gang’s central tenet was the expulsion of the British authorities (the Palestine Government), in order to make way for the formation of a Jewish state. They were responsible for the assassination of Lord Moyne, as well as countless attacks on Arabs in the occupied territories.
The Israelis have a tendency to gloss over this part of their history (for obvious reasons).
My personal feeling is that the British felt some measure of guilt over what happened to European Jews during the Holocaust and, in concert with the other Western powers (including the US) implemented the Balfour Doctrine, and then got the hell out of there.
