The United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 (UN Resolution 181) proposed to divide British-controlled Judea/Palestine into two states: one Jewish and one Arab. The plan allocated 56% of the land to the Jewish state and 43% to the Arab state (with Jerusalem as an international city under UN administration).

This division has raised questions as to why the Jewish state was allocated more land than the Arab state, especially when the Jewish population was smaller than the Arab population at the time. There are several factors that explain this allocation:

1. Geographical and Demographic Considerations: The Desert vs Fertile land

The Jewish state’s territory included large areas of the Negev Desert, which was sparsely populated and less suitable for agriculture. Though the land area was larger, much of it was arid and less fertile compared to the land allocated to the Arab state. The UN aimed to give Jews a larger area to accommodate future Jewish immigration and to compensate for the desert land that required significant development.

The Arab state was allocated more of the fertile areas in the central and northern parts of Judea/Palestine, including prime agricultural land, making its smaller size more viable in terms of population and resources.

2. Jewish Immigration and Population Growth:

In the decades before the partition plan, the Jewish population in Palestine had grown significantly due to Jewish immigration, particularly during the British Mandate period. By 1947, Jews made up approximately one-third of the total population of Palestine (around 600,000 Jews and 1.2 million Arabs).

The UN was aware of ongoing Jewish immigration, especially in light of the Holocaust, which had decimated European Jewry. There was a strong push from the international community, particularly from Holocaust survivors, to provide a homeland for Jews. The UN therefore factored in the expectation of continued Jewish immigration when allocating land, considering that the Jewish population was likely to expand rapidly.

3. Jewish Development of the Land pre-Partition:

Jewish communities had already developed significant infrastructure in the region, including towns, agricultural settlements (kibbutzim), and economic projects. Jewish agricultural and industrial development had transformed certain areas that were previously underutilized or undeveloped.

The UN took into account the level of development and investment by the Jewish population in the land allocated to them, particularly in regions where Jewish communities had already established agricultural areas and modern cities, such as Tel Aviv.

Part of a larger forthcoming series on The Partition

A reminder: Deligitimizing Jewish or Palestinian connections to the homeland is a bad look. Peace is the right look. Let’s focus on that.