What Was Israel Before 1948, and How Was It Created?

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Britain took control of the territory known as "Palestine." This region of the Middle East had long been under Ottoman rule.

At that time, Palestine was home to a majority Arab population, a minority Jewish population, and other ethnic groups.

During World War I, Britain assumed control over the Palestinian territory. Later, they agreed in principle to establish a "national home" for the minority Jewish population in that land. This commitment eventually became known as the Balfour Declaration.

Tensions between the Jewish minority and the Arab majority deepened when, on November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur Balfour sent a letter to Zionist leader Baron Rothschild. In that letter, he recognized the ideology of Zionism—a form of Jewish nationalism. This opened the door to a major catastrophe.

Through this recognition, Britain committed in principle to the establishment of a "national home" for the Jewish people in Palestine. Though the Jews had a historical connection to the land, the Palestinian Arabs' claim to it had stood for centuries. The Arabs rejected Britain’s initiative. Britain justified its plan by claiming that the rights of the local Arab population would be protected.

With Britain's support, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased from the 1920s to the 1940s. Many Jews, especially those expelled from Europe, fled to Palestine. The turmoil of World War II (1939–1945) and Adolf Hitler’s virulent anti-Semitism in Germany provided a significant opportunity for the Zionists.

Just hours before British rule over Palestine ended, Jewish leaders in the territory unilaterally declared the establishment of the independent state of Israel. U.S. President Harry Truman immediately recognized the state. This marked the beginning of unending catastrophe for the Palestinians. The following year, the United Nations officially recognized Israel as a state.

During the war, around six million Jews were killed in Europe (known in history as the Holocaust). After the war, the Holocaust was used as justification for establishing a safe and separate homeland for Jews in Palestine. As a result of the Zionist movement and the Holocaust, by 1947 the Jewish population in Palestine rose to 630,000, making up a little over 30% of the total population.

As more European Jews migrated to Palestine, conflicts with local Palestinian Arabs escalated. In 1933, when Palestinians launched major protests, the British government suppressed them harshly. Meanwhile, plans and actions to establish a separate Jewish state in Palestine continued.

In 1947, due to increasing violence between Arabs and Jews and the impending end of British rule, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states—one Jewish and one Arab—and proposed Jerusalem as an international city.

Under the British Mandate, the plan allocated 56% of the land to Jews and 43% to Palestinian Arabs. No Arab country accepted the plan, arguing that it was unfair to give the Jewish minority a larger portion of the land. The partition plan passed in the UN General Assembly by a 33-13 vote, with 10 countries including China abstaining, and Thailand absent from the session.

Britain also abstained from the vote. Eventually, on May 14, 1948, Britain withdrew and handed over the Palestine issue to the United Nations.

Just hours before the end of British rule, Jewish leaders unilaterally declared the independence of Israel. U.S. President Truman immediately recognized it. This declaration marked the beginning of an ongoing catastrophe for the Palestinians. The following year, the United Nations granted official recognition to the state of Israel.