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| 1947, Feb |
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| Britain put the Palestine question before the UN and requested advice on the administration of the mandate. On Aug. 31, the UN. Special Committee on Palestine declared its support for a three-sided partition: a Jewish zone (half Jewish and half Arab in population), an Arab zone (fully Arab), and an international zone around Jerusalem. A minority on the committee endorsed a proposal for a single federal state. The UN ultimately approved the majority's recommendation (Nov. 29). | 1 |
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| Dec. 11 |
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| The British announced the timetable for their withdrawal, which was scheduled to be completed on May 15, 1948. A full-blown CIVIL WAR immediately erupted between the Palestinians and the Zionists. Over the following months, the British refused to intervene on behalf of either side and prohibited outside forces from entering Palestine. | 2 |
| During the first months of the civil war, Zionist forces stayed on the defensive, protecting Jewish villages from Arab attacks. By April 1948, the tide had turned and the Zionists had seized the offensive, wresting towns of mixed population, such as Haifa and Jaffa, from Arab control. Throughout the fighting before May 1948, the two sides enjoyed a rough equality in the number of men under arms. But the Zionists built a far better military organization and were therefore able to coordinate their attacks more effectively. Palestinian fighters were further weakened by factional squabbles, which, in a few notable cases, led to battles among their own forces. | 3 |
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