Back in the Day: the UN divides Palestine

November 29, 1947 The UN adopts resolution 181 and its plan to divide Palestine – until then under British control – into “independent Arab and Jewish states”, with Jerusalem remaining under international administration. The plan was accepted by Jewish leaders but rejected by the Arab League. 33 nations voted in favour of the division, while 13 (including several Middle East and Gulf states as well as Cuba, India, Afghanistan, Greece and Turkey) voted against; 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, abstained. The British government ceded its mandate on August 14, 1948 and the following day regional Arab states invaded Palestine. The conflict remains unresolved despite over 60 years of diplomatic and military efforts and ongoing humanitarian crises.

Also on November 29: the tomb of Tutankhamun is opened to the public (1922); declaration of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia (1945); The UK and France sign a treaty agreement to build Concorde (1962).

Born on November 29: C S Lewis (1898), Jacques Chirac (1932), Rahm Emmanuel (1959), Don Cheadle (1964), Ryan Giggs (1973).

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