A Milestone in Zionist History and The Sate of Israel: 77 Years Since the UN Partition Plan

Last Friday marked 77 years since November 29, 1947, when the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of the Partition Plan for Palestine—a decision that ultimately led to the establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948.

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly resolved to terminate the British Mandate and establish two independent states in Eretz Israel: Jewish and Arab. Additionally, it was decided that Jerusalem and its surrounding area would be designated as an internationally supervised territory.

The Zionist Organization and the leadership of the Jewish Yishuv supported the committee’s recommendations despite the challenges and the limited territory allocated for the Jewish state. In contrast, Arab representatives declared their opposition to the resolution and warned that this opposition would escalate into violence.

Upon the decision’s announcement, a wave of joy swept through the Land of Israel and the Jewish world at large. Crowds poured into the streets, singing and dancing through the night in the cities and settlements. “They knew that the resolution paved the final stretch of the long road to establishing the Jewish state,” Haaretz reported.

“We will no longer stand as beggars at the gates, pleading to admit the survivors of the slaughter into our homeland. We will no longer need the consent of foreign and hostile authorities to cultivate the soil of our land and settle its desolation. We will no longer be helpless onlookers. Our destiny will be in our own hands.”