Breakdown:

1. Introduction:
   • Israel was founded in 1948, with strong backing from Britain and the United States.
   • Its establishment was largely driven by geopolitical interests, particularly the desire of these Western powers to secure a strategic foothold in the Middle East.
2. The Context of Post-World War II:
   • Coming out of World War II, the U.S. and Britain were focused on containing the influence of the Soviet Union.
   • The Middle East, with its vast oil reserves, was a key region for both economic and strategic reasons.
   • The U.S. and Britain sought control over Middle Eastern oil to support their containment policy and prevent the Soviet Union from gaining access to these critical resources.
3. Zionism and the Jewish Homeland:
   • The Zionist movement, which advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, was aligned with these strategic goals.
   • Although multiple locations for the homeland were considered, the choice of Palestine was ultimately made, in part because it could serve as a useful strategic asset for Western powers in the region.
4. Israel and Iran: Dual Pillars of Containment:
   • Israel, along with Iran, became central to the U.S. and British policy of containing Soviet influence in the Middle East.
   • Both countries were seen as key allies that could help control access to the region’s oil.
   • In Iran, a few years after Israel’s founding, the U.S. and Britain orchestrated a coup to depose Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and install the Shah, furthering their control over Middle Eastern resources.
5. Israel’s Role in the Region:
   • From the outset, Israel’s creation was not an organic development by the indigenous population, but rather a project supported and facilitated by global powers with military and strategic interests.
   • The establishment of Israel as a state was closely tied to the broader goals of Western dominance in the Middle East, particularly in controlling the flow of oil and countering Soviet influence.
6. Conclusion:
   • The founding of Israel in 1948 was part of a larger geopolitical strategy by the U.S. and Britain to secure their interests in the Middle East.
   • It was not simply a humanitarian effort to create a Jewish homeland, but a calculated move to control regional resources and advance their Cold War objectives.