Why Palestine Was Not Created in 1948

After WWII was over, everyone realized what happened in the Holocaust and the British wanted to find a resolution for Palestine so that Jews could have a homeland of their own. They tried to work out an agreement with the Arabs and Jews. the Arab would not make any concessions. The British then turned the problem over to the UN in February 1947.

They in turn created a Special Commission of Palestine to find a solution. 11 nations's delegates went to Palestine and thought the problem could not be found. The Arabs were unsure of the justice of their cause compared to the Jews or were afraid to go along with the judgment of the nations.

The delegates returned to the UN and 7 nations, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, The Netherlands, Peru, Sweden and Uruguay recommended the establishment of 2 separate states, Jewish and Arab, joined by economic union with Jerusalem being internationalized. 3 nations: Indian, Iran and Yugoslavia, recommended one state with Arab and Jewish provinces. Australia did not vote.

The Jews living in Palestine were not happy with the condensed piece of land from the Commission or were they happy about Jerusalem cut off from the Jewish State, but...they welcomed the compromise. The Arabs rejected the recommendations.

The UN General Assembly's ad noc committee rejected the Arabs who wanted a unitary Arab state. The recommendation for partition was adopted 33 to 13 with 10 nations not voting on November 29, 1947. Voting against the partition was: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and Yemen. The nations that did not vote at all were Argentina, Chile, China, Columbia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, UK and Yugoslavia.

I am really surpised that the UK did not vote and vote for the partition. They had written the Balfour Doctrine giving a much larger portion of land to be the future Israel. I suppose they were trying to appease the Arabs, who had power in oil. They say that everything is planned, and that things happen for a purpose. I am happy that we Israelis accepted what little we got in an almost done deal of the Balfour Doctrine. Our leaders figured that something was better than nothing and made the most of what they received. After 60 years we see that the Palestinian Arabs still have not accepted a deal and go without the state they had in mind. If this were an Aesop's fable, I would say that it doesn't pay to be so greedy and hateful.

Resource: Mitchell Bard: did the United Nations Unjustly Partition Palestine?