Whilst the Middle East has long been an arena for war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began in earnest after World War I when the United Kingdom assumed control of Palestine. In 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, announcing its intention to establish a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. Immediately afterwards, Arab nationalism awakened and demonstrations against a Jewish national home turned into riots. The violence rapidly spread throughout the country and continued during World War II. As the Arabs rejected all proposals, including power sharing with the Jews and delimitation of national borders, the British Government decided to turn the issue over to the United Nations. In 1947, the Partition Plan was approved by the United Nations General Assembly. It was agreed that Palestine would comprise 43.33% of Mandatory Palestine, which included Western Galilee, the hills of Judea and Samaria (excluding Jerusalem), and the Coastal Plain from Isdud (Ashdod) to the Sinai frontier. Israel would receive 56.67% of Mandatory Palestine, which covered Eastern Galilee, the Jezreel Valley, most of the Coastal Plain, and the Negev. The Jerusalem enclave was to be under UN trusteeship.
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