Final answer:
The U.N. partition plan aimed to create two separate nations for Arabs and Jews in what was then known as Palestine, including an internationally administered Jerusalem, though it was rejected by Arab inhabitants and neighboring countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The goal of the U.N. partition plan was to split what was then known as Palestine into two separate nations. The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), in 1947, recommended that Palestine be divided into an Arab state, a Jewish state, and a special international territory that included Jerusalem. This plan, adopted by the UN General Assembly as Resolution 181, sought to create independent homes for both Jews and Arabs, amidst increasing tension and violence between the two populations following World War II and the Holocaust.
The division assigned approximately 56 percent of the territory to the Jewish state and about 44 percent to the Arab state, despite the fact that Arabs made up a majority of the population. This partition plan led to significant strife, as it was rejected by the Arab population and neighboring Arab countries, resulting in the displacement of thousands of Palestinians and an ongoing conflict that persists today. The city of Jerusalem was to be governed as an international city under the administrative control of the UN, due to its sacred significance to both groups.
On May 14th, 1948, as the British mandate ended, Israel declared its independence within the UN partition borders, which was immediately met with conflict from neighboring Arab countries. The ensuing wars and conflicts have continued to shape the region's geopolitical landscape for decades.