Historiography
After the war, Israeli and Arab historiographies differed on the interpretation of the events of 1948. In the West, the majority view favored the Israelis, in part because of the events of the Holocaust that had destroyed six million Jews in Europe during World War II. Supporters thought that a tiny group of vastly outnumbered and ill-equipped Jews had fought off the massed strength of the invading Arab armies. It was widely thought that the Palestinian Arabs had left their homes on the instruction of their leaders, rather than being forced out by the Israelis.
In 1980, with the opening of the Israeli and British archives, Israeli historians started giving new insights on the history of this time period. In particular, the roles played by Abdullah I of Jordan and the British government, the goals of the different Arab nations, the balance of force, and the events related to the Palestinian exodus have been expressed in more complexity or given new interpretations. Some of the issues continue to be hotly debated among historians and commentators of the conflict today.
Read more about this topic: 1948 Palestine War