So what was the plan? UN agreed resolution 181: the UN partition plan The plan called for the partition of Palestine into an Arab and an Israeli state. This was to occur by 1st August 1948 at the latest.

The resolution attempted to divide the area according to the concentrations of Arabs/Jews in each area. ‘Kissing points’ were to be created between the West Bank and Gaza and the North. Jerusalem was to become an ‘international’ city controlled by neither side.

Population of the proposed states Note: The total population of pre-partition Palestine as a whole was 67% non-Jewish and 33% Jewish

Who has gained the most? Who has lost the most? One side accepted the resolution, the other rejected it? Who did what? Why do you think one side rejected the plan? (hint there is more than one reason)

The Vote Which 2 very significant countries vote YES? Which country that ‘abstains’ most surprises you? What do you notice about most of the countries that vote NO? What do you think happens next? (if you can’t hear the audio just go on to next slide for the full list)

Voting Yes The 33 countries (58%) that voted in favour of the partition were: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussian SSR, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, South Africa, Ukrainian SSR, United States of America, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Voting No The 13 countries (23%) that voted no were: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen.

Abstain The 10 countries (17%) that abstained were: Argentina, Chile, Republic of China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia.

What happens next? The British pull out as planned On 14th May 1948 David Ben Gurion, leader of the Zionists, announces to the world the creation of the ‘State of Israel’

What will be the reaction of the Arabs in Palestine and Israel's Arab neighbours? The First Arab-Israeli war: May 1948-February 1949 For Israelis they were literally fighting for their survival Whilst the Arab states were far bigger and had a large number of superior weapons the Israeli’s did have some advantages…

Task Grab a copy of the UN partition plan from the net Put the title ‘UN partition plan’ and copy and paste the map underneath it. Then underneath the map write down short answers to: What was the reaction of most Jewish groups to the plan? What was the reaction of local Arabs and the neighbouring Arab states? Do you think the plan is ‘fair’? Explain your answer. You will want to refer to specific evidence