November 29, 1947 – The UN approves the partition plan for Palestine
The UN offered a proposal for the partition for Palestine (Map 8)which the UN General Assembly subsequently approved on November 29, 1947. The Palestinian Jews accepted the plan, whereas the Palestinian Arabs rejectedit. The Palestinian Arabs took issue with what they felt was the unfairdivision of Palestinein relation to the Arab-Jewish population ratio. The Jews made up 32% of Palestine’s population butwould acquire 56% of the land. The Arabs, who comprised 68% of thepopulation, would gain 43% of Palestine. The lands proposed for the Jews, however, had a mixed population composed of46% Arabs and 54% Jews. The areas of Palestine allocated to the Arabs consisted of99% Arabs and 1% Jews. No population transfer was proposed. Jerusalem and itssurrounding areas, with their mixed population of 100,000 Jews and an equalnumber of Arabs, were to be administered by the UN.
(Taken from 1947-1948 Civil War in Palestine – Wars of the 20th Century – Volume 2)
Background Through a League of Nations mandate, Britain administered Palestine from 1920 to 1948. For nearlyall that time, the British rule was plagued by violence between the rival Arabsand Jewish populations that resided in Palestine. The Palestinian Arabs resented theBritish for allowing the Jews to settle in what the Arabs believed was theirancestral land. The Palestinian Jews also were hostile to the British forlimiting and sometimes even preventing other Jews from entering Palestine. The Jewsbelieved that Palestinehad been promised to them as the site of their future nation. Arabs andJews clashed against each other; they also attacked the Britishauthorities. Bombings, massacres, assassinations, and other violentcivilian incidents occurred frequently in Palestine.
By the end of World War II in1945, nationalist aspirations had risen among the Palestinian Arabs andPalestinian Jews. Initially, Britainproposed an independent Palestineconsisting of federated states of Arabs and Jews, but later deemed the planunworkable because of the uninterrupted violence. The British, therefore,referred the issue of Palestineto the United Nations (UN). The British also announced their intention togive up their mandate over Palestine,end all administrative functions there, and withdraw their troops by May 15,1948. The last British troops actually left on June 30, 1948.
The UN offered a proposal for the partition for Palestine (Map 8)which the UN General Assembly subsequently approved on November 29, 1947. The Palestinian Jews accepted the plan, whereas the Palestinian Arabs rejectedit. The Palestinian Arabs took issue with what they felt was the unfairdivision of Palestinein relation to the Arab-Jewish population ratio. The Jews made up 32% of Palestine’s population butwould acquire 56% of the land. The Arabs, who comprised 68% of thepopulation, would gain 43% of Palestine. The lands proposed for the Jews, however, had a mixed population composed of46% Arabs and 54% Jews. The areas of Palestine allocated to the Arabs consisted of99% Arabs and 1% Jews. No population transfer was proposed. Jerusalem and itssurrounding areas, with their mixed population of 100,000 Jews and an equalnumber of Arabs, were to be administered by the UN.
