"you should consider what happened to the Jews who were expelled from the Arab countries to be a direct result of the ethnic cleansing that was being done on the Palestinians (which, by the way, began several months BEFORE Israel's war of independence)." - CarolC

Ah, that would explain the dates then CarolC, because you think that this all started in the months "BEFORE" Israel's war of independence.

The time-line was as follows and includes the bit that you and your fellow travellers conveniently forget:

1920 - Arab attacks on Jews
1921 - Arab attacks on Jews
1923 - Mandate split into Transjordan and Palestine
1929 - Arab attacks on Jews
1936 - Arab attacks on British and Jews (Arab Revolt)
1937 - Peel Commission & start of Jewish retaliation
1939 - Arab Revolt ends. Jewish self-defence organisations are now experienced and in place.
1944 - Irgun attacks on British begin because of the terms of the "MacDonald White Paper".
1947 - Mandate draws to a close UN propose partition, 29th November 1947. Jews acccept the solution the Arabs reject it. Arab attacks on Jews begin 30th November 1947. This was the Civil War Period completely forgotten about by CarolC it lasted from 30th November 1947 until 15th May 1948 when the Mandate expired. If CarolC, or anybody else, attempts to convey the idea that this period consisted solely of attacks on Arabs by Jews then they deluding themselves and ignoring documented historical fact by the following organisations - UN, British Administration, numerous Jewish and Arab Historians.

15th May 1948 - 20 July 1949 - Israeli War of Independence, in which the Jewish settlers of Palestine fight the Palestinian Arabs assisted by the forces of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

1949 - 1956 - Arab attacks on Israel supported and mounted from Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

1956 - Suez Crisis and Sinai War

1956 - 1967 - Sporadic attacks on Israel but threats of extinction continue.

1967 - Six Day War. The pan-Arabic nations camp five Armies on Israels borders and threaten annihilation. Israel launches precision pre-emptive attacks and take out her enemies air forces. Israel then uses her air superiority to defeat her enemies ground forces in detail

1973 - Yom Kippur War. Arabs launch surprise attack on Israel on two fronts from Syria and from Egypt. Israel after suffering initial reverses fights back and regains the situation forcing yet another UN Cease-Fire.

"Land for Peace" deal with Egypt still holds to this day

"Land for Peace" deal with Jordan still holds to this day