The War of Independence didn't seem to have an end. Ceasefires were signed only to attack again. But eventually the war ended because both sides came to a stalemate. Modern Israel was still very small and young, yet it advanced against the many attackers; the arabs failed to destroy Israel and were being driven back by the defenders. Thus the war came to an end, because the arabs lost and Israel wasn't ready to posses all its Land. Besides, it was really a miracle that Israel even survived.

But this is important to note, because these events would set a precedent for the rest of the wars. The arabs have never abandoned their plot to destroy Israel and Israel hasn't exactly regained its Land. Things were just left out in the open, and the story would later pick up where it left off. It has nothing to do with the arabs and everything to do with Israel; because while the arabs would destroy all of Israel, Israel is only worried about its survival. The war always ends when Israel backs out of success, and it always begins when Israel is standing on the edge.

The First Truce
(June 11-July 9, 1948)

The first truce was supervised by count folke bernadotte, (the un mediator for Israel who had been appointed by the un general assembly on May 21), together with teams of un observers made up of army officers from Belgium, France, Sweden, and the United States. It was to last 28 days, and the observers were to ensure that no side would gain a military advantage during this period by purchasing additional weapons. However, both sides succeeded in bypassing the limitations imposed on them by the truce and used the time to improve their positions. The IDF took advantage of this time to reorganize the army and give basic and more rigorous training to its men as materiel arrived from Europe (particularly Czechoslovakia). Towards the end of the truce period, it became clear that the truce would not be extended. At the end of the truce count bernadotte presented a plan according to which the Galilee would be given to the Israelis and the Negev to the arabs, with Jerusalem remaining under un authority. Both sides rejected this plan, and began to prepare themselves for the inevitable clash that would come on the conclusion of the truce, which ended on Friday, July 9. As this date drew closer, the IDF planned to take the offensive. Hostilities resumed and lasted ten days followed by a second truce.

The Second Truce
(July 18, 1948)

The second truce went into effect on July 18 at exactly 1900 hours. As in the first truce, violations from both sides were being made already on the day of its commencement. The arab legion, for example, intensified its bombardment of the New City [of Jerusalem] and continued to do so, well into the months of July, August, September, and October. The city of Jerusalem suffered extensive damage as a result of the shelling, mortaring, and machine-gun fire it fell victim to almost nightly. On August 12, the legion demolished the Latrun pumping station, despite the fact that it was under un control. In response, Israel speedily laid a pipeline along the Burma Road in order to supply Jerusalem with water. The attacks stopped only on November 30, when both sides agreed to a "sincere" cease-fire.

Israel-egypt Armistice Agreement
(February 24, 1949)

On 6 January 1949, Dr. Bunche announced that egypt had finally consented to start talks with Israel on an armistice. The talks began on the island of Rhodes on January 12, and, shortly after their commencement, Israel agreed to the release of a besieged egyptian brigade in faluja. At the end of the month, the talks foundered.

Israel demanded that egypt withdraw all its forces from the former area of Israel, while egypt insisted that arab forces withdraw to the positions which they held on October 14, 1948, as under security council resolution S/1070 of November 4, 1948.

One reason for the deadlock was the mounting tension in egypt, which culminated on February 12, 1949 in the murder of hassan el-banah, leader of the ultra-nationalist moslem brotherhood. In early February, Israel threatened to abandon the talks, whereupon the United States appealed to the parties to bring them to a successful conclusion, and on February 24 the Israel-egypt armistice agreement was signed in Rhodes.

Israel-jordan Armistice Agreement
(April 3, 1949)

At the beginning of March 1949, talks began on the island of Rhodes between Israeli and jordanian representatives under the chairmanship of Dr. Bunche. The major issues raised by Israel were free access to Jewish Holy Places in Jerusalem, border rectification, and the presence of iraqi forces in the West Bank. jordan sought to raise the arab refugee question and the question of passage from the Old City of Jerusalem to Bethlehem. On 3 April, the agreement was signed, fixing the armistice line of the West Bank, transferring to Israel a number of arab villages in the central part of the country and providing for a mixed committee to work out arrangements in Jerusalem (Article VIII).

Israel-lebanon Armistice Agreement
(March 23, 1949)

The negotiations took place in Rosh Hanikra, the border station on the Israel-Lebanon frontier. There were few problems, progress was rapid, and on March 23 the agreement was signed. It ratified the international border between former "palestine" and Lebanon as the armistice line. Israeli forces withdrew from a number of lebanese villages seized during operations in October 1948.

Israel-syria Armistice Agreement
(July 20, 1949)

In April 1949, talks started at Gesher B'not Yaacov, on the River Jordan. The major problem was areas occupied by the syrian forces during the War of Independence. Israel demanded that syria evacuate them. syria in the end concurred, provided that certain areas were demilitarized. Israel accepted this and, on July 20, the agreement was signed. In an Explanatory Note and in a letter to the Israel Minister for Foreign Affairs, dated June 26, Dr. Bunche defined the arrangements pertaining to the demilitarized zones. [It basically stated that local arab towns would rule ("police and administer") themselves.]