This Week in History: A leap toward the Jewish State

Sixty-seven years ago the United Nations General Assembly adopted a partition plan to separate Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.

By CAROLINE FRANK
Jews crowd onto a British army armoured car as they celebrate in downtown Jerusalem the morning after the United Nations voted on November 29, 1947 to partition Palestine which paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Jews crowd onto a British army armoured car as they celebrate in downtown Jerusalem the morning after the United Nations voted on November 29, 1947 to partition Palestine which paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
With the turbulent political climate, terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and Tuesday's announcement by the Palestinian envoy to the UN that it will set a date for establishing a Palestinian state, this week marks 67 years since the first steps toward the State of Israel's establishment.
The controversial  "Jewish state" bill has heightened political welter in recent weeks. The law proposed before Knesset aims to define the Jewishness of the country, yet some MKs refer to the bill as abandoning the idea of balancing Zionism with democratic principles.
Further, some Israelis say that the initiation of this bill has only come about in light of ongoing deliberations from various European countries over recognizing the West Bank and Gaza as Palestine.
Sixty-seven years ago, on November 29, 1947 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a partition plan to separate Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.
The Partition Plan provided for the termination of the British Mandate, the progressive withdrawal of British armed forces and the demarcation of boundaries between the two States and Jerusalem which was to be controlled by the UN.
November 30, 1947, was an important date for the Jewish people. It was the first moment Jews around the world would have heard of the decision that would lead to Israel's independence. At the time, The Palestine Post reported: "Partition approved by more than 2/3:"
The UN General Assembly accepted the partition resolution, 33 to 13 with 10 abstaining.
In the article below, in fine italicized print, the Post reported that "An extraordinary tension gripped the Assembly when it met again in the terrifying realization that for once history was to be made visibly."
In a separate article, also on the front page, an article titled "Song and Dance Greet News", highlights the "unrestrained joy" prevalent in the country when the Partition plan was approved.
The article states that "about a third of Tel Aviv's population were out in the streets, about 25,000 of them in Magen David Square where the strains of Hatikvah roared forth as soon as the vote had been taken."
The article continues: "In Jerusalem knots of people danced the hora round Police armored cars and then marched up to the Jewish Agency building where a huge hora danced in the courtyard."
November 29, 1947, was a significant date for the Jewish nation across the globe, however, the joy was short-lived since the Arabs rejected the Partition Plan and the 1947–48 Civil War broke out. Six months later, when the British Mandate of Palestine expired, the Jewish world again rejoiced on May 14, 1948, when the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was announced.