SHAPING BORDERS: UN Partitioning plan (1948)
The midpoint of the 20th century emerged as a pivotal juncture in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reaching a climax with a momentous event on the global stage — the United Nations Partition Plan of 1947. This development unfolded in the aftermath of World War II, which spanned from 1939 to 1945. Post the war’s conclusion, the world grappled with the aftermath, seeking a new global order rooted in principles of self-determination and human rights. Against this backdrop, the predicament of Palestine took center stage, presenting an urgent and complex challenge.
The conclusion of World War II ushered in a transformative shift in the worldwide political terrain. The atrocities of the Holocaust underscored the pressing need for a homeland for Jewish survivors, prompting a reevaluation of their historical connections to the land of Palestine as claimed. The British Mandate over Palestine proved unsustainable, fraught with escalating tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations. The circumstances necessitated a fresh approach to address the ongoing crisis and establish a stable governance structure in the region.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine Resolution 181 — a critical moment that would significantly shape the course of events. This plan advocated for the establishment of independent Jewish and Arab states, designating Jerusalem as an international city due to its religious significance across various faiths. The proposed partition allocated approximately 56% of the land to the Jewish state and 44% to the Arab state, a distribution that stirred significant reactions from the Arab population due to its perceived unfairness as the Arab population is twice the population of the Jews.
While the Jewish leadership, represented by the Jewish Agency, embraced the plan as an opportunity to establish a Jewish state, the Arab league vehemently opposed the partition. They contended that it violated the rights of the Arab majority in Palestine and favored the Jewish minority.
On 14th of May, 1948, at exactly 5:00pm in New York and 12:00pm in Tel Aviv, David Ben Gurion, a notorious Zionist leader, stood before a special meeting of the National Council in the Museum of Modern Art and announced the establishment of a Jewish State to be known as Israel. A mere sixteen minutes later in Washington, President Truman of the United States extended official recognition to Israel. In this diplomatic gesture, the United States outpaced the Russian government by a margin of only three days. Remarkably, Britain and France had already acknowledged the existence of Israel, even in its nascent stage, underscoring the swift and widespread acknowledgment of the new reality in the international arena. Clearly, this shows the hidden plan and enthusiasm the West showed towards establishing a Jewish land in Palestine and displacing the rightful owner.
The implementation of the UN Partition Plan exacerbated existing tensions, triggering a series of conflicts and episodes of violence. This turmoil culminated in the Arab-Israeli War, also known as the War of Independence, which erupted in 1948. The war involved not only the newly established State of Israel and neighboring Arab states but also various local factions.
The aftermath of the war ushered in significant territorial changes and laid the groundwork for the enduring conflict that persists to this day. The United Nations Partition Plan of 1947, while mischievously perceived to be well-intentioned, emerged as an imperfect attempt to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite its outward goal of providing a peaceful framework, the plan paradoxically became a catalyst for war, exacerbating the already profound divide between the Jewish and Arab communities.
In the war’s aftermath, a substantial displacement of Palestinians occurred, setting in motion decades of hostility that would shape the trajectory of the conflict in the years to follow. The repercussions of this conflict linger on, leaving an indelible mark on the region and its people.
In the next episode, we will explore how this plan triggered the Arab-Israeli war in 1948 and examine the far-reaching repercussions that continue to reverberate, influencing the course of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into the contemporary era.
