Many may take for granted the historic passing of UN General Assembly Resolution 181. Many may not know of the pressures for and against this resolution that served as the catalyst for the resolution that gave birth to the Jewish state.
The Historical Precedent
An earlier plan to divide Palestine into two states was proposed in July 1931 by the British Peel Commission. This plan recommended splitting Palestine into a smaller Jewish state which included the Galilee, Jezreel valley, and the coastal plain. The Arabs were going to get the rest of Palestine connected with Transjordan, Jerusalem and Bethlehem with a few areas remaining under the British Mandate zone. This plan only allotted 20 percent of Palestine.
Both in the 1937 and the 1947 Jewish community accepted the plans. The Palestinian Arab leadership rejected the plan.
The Competing Forces within the Arab Leadership
In 1937, most Palestinians turned down the plan. In 1947, the Palestinian Arabs rejected the 1947 UN partition plan because the leadership, was controlled by the Husseini family, rejected both plans. In 1947, the Arab League also backed the Husseini family. The Husseini family intimidated its more moderate Palestinians who felt they could co-exist together and supported the budding Zionists.
They maintained their uncompromising position against the Jews. This extreme policy against a two-state solution ignored the will of the UN and World powers. This stance led the Palestinians into war and tragedy and created the struggle that still exists today.
The Nashashibi family was the opposing faction within the Palestinian camp. They preached for co-existence between Jews and Arabs. They were politically backed by King Abdulla of Transjordan and for a short time the British government. But neither the British, nor King Abdullah, could do anything tangible to help the Palestinian moderates. These moderates were not strong enough to consolidate power to counter the militant, no two-state stance of the Husseini’s. They eventually were not able to counter Anti-Zionist feelings. They were overshadowed by the political and military power that the Husseini family mustered. Despite that, it is important to note that prior to the resolution, there were actual Palestinians who did seek conciliation with the Jews.
Additionally, King Abdullah tried to annex Arab Palestine into his Kingdom when the UN Partition was objected to the UN proposal of 1947.
Other Arab Countries reinforced this militant, negative Palestinian attitude to the 1947 resolution and to any Jewish-Zionist national ideals.
Arab Sentiment
Muslim Arabs could accept a small Jewish religious presence with no political aspirations but could never accept Jewish sovereignty. Jewish purchasing of large tracts of land, building villages and towns, and establishing self-governing and effective independent institutions. They saw this as a threat to their survival.
Jewish Nationalism
Jewish nationalism sought to create a national homeland and restore the Biblical promises of the prophets and the demand to home Jewish refugees pouring out of Europe after World War II.
So How Did It Occur
The Jewish Yishuv leader at the time, David Ben Gurion, agreed to the creation of a Jewish state in a part of Palestine as defined by the 1947 partition plan.
International sympathy for the Jewish plight after the Shoah and the backing of the plan by the two new superpowers, the US and the USSR, the two acquired the consent and vote of the nations in the UN that passed the iconic UN resolution 181. This resolution finally crafted a Jewish and an Arab state in Palestine that would lead to the creation of the fledgling state of Israel.
Opposition to the Plan
It should be noted that the mainstream Yishuv was not totally onboard with the outline of this partition plan, citing the fact that the Arabs had a population majority and held many key cities that potentially could be exploited militarily to surround and destroy Jewish populations.
Great Britain also objected to the partition resolution and refused to help implement it or even permit UN observers from entering and preparing the ground for the eventual partition.
Prelude to War of Independence
In early, 1947, the Arab League started to undertake military preparation to prevent the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.
In late 1947, a pan-liberation army comprised of volunteers from several Arab counties and commanded by regular Arab Military, invaded Palestine to expel the Jews. Additionally, irregular Palestinian Arab militiamen, waged armed attacks on Jewish towns, villages and blocked intercity traffic. The Jewish militia groups of the Haganah and the Irgun retaliated. This civil war turned into the Arab-Israel war on May 14th, 1948, which was won by Israel, creating the beginnings of the state of Israel.
The UN partition plan was the culmination of many historical events, opposing forces and ideas and historical players at the time. It is both humbling and incredulous to see how the quiet beginnings of Israel’s settlement by early Zionist pioneers would be legitimized by the majority of the nations of the world. Despite the naysayers and the historical war of Independence that was fought, would create the legacy that we now call Israel today.
