Geography of the UN Partition Plan
Resolution 181 (II) (1947) partitioned Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish
state, with Jerusalem as a corpus separatum (independent international regime). The
resolution allocated to the Arab State approximately 42.88% of the total territory of
mandate Palestine. This area encompassed the Western Galilee, the mountainous area of
Nablus, the Hebron area and the Jordan Valley. It also included part of the coastal area,
starting from Ashdod in the south and extending to the Egyptian border. In regard to the
Jewish State, the resolution allocated approximately 56.74% of the total area of mandate
Palestine. This area was to encompass the Eastern Galilee, Marj ibn Amr, and most of the
coastal area, as well as the area of Be’r es-Sabe’, including the desert.
The following is the description of the boundaries of the Arab State and the Jewish State
as provided for in UN Resolution 181 (II):
THE ARAB STATE
The area of the Arab State in Western Galilee is bounded on the west by the Mediterranean
and on the north by the frontier of the Lebanon from Ras en Naqura to a point north of
Saliha. From there the boundary proceeds southwards, leaving the built-up area of Saliha
in the Arab State, to join the southernmost point of this village. Thence it follows the
western boundary line of the villages of `Alma, Rihaniya and Teitaba, thence following the
northern boundary line of Meirun village to join the Acre-Safad sub-district boundary
line. It follows this line to a point west of Es Sammu'i village and joins it again at the
northernmost point of Farradiya. Thence it follows the sub-district boundary line to the
Acre-Safad main road. From here it follows the western boundary of Kafr I'nan village
until it reaches the Tiberias-Acre sub-district boundary line, passing to the west of the
junction of the Acre-Safad and Lubiya-Kafr I'nan roads. From south-west corner of Kafr
I'nan village the boundary line follows the western boundary of the Tiberias sub-district
to a point close to the boundary line between the villages of Maghar and Eilabun, thence
bulging out to the west to include as much of the eastern part of the plain of Battuf as
is necessary for the reservoir proposed by the Jewish Agency for the irrigation of lands
to the south and east.
The boundary rejoins the Tiberias sub-district boundary at a point on the
Nazareth-Tiberias road south-east of the built-up area of Tur'an; thence it runs
southwards, at first following the sub-district boundary and then passing between the
Kadoorie Agricultural School and Mount Tabor, to a point due south at the base of Mount
Tabor. From here it runs due west, parallel to the horizontal grid line 230, to the
north-east corner of the village lands of Tel Adashim. It then runs to the north-west
corner of these lands, whence it turns south and west so as to include in the Arab State
the sources of the Nazareth water supply in Yafa village. On reaching Ginneiger it follows
the eastern, northern and western boundaries of the lands of this village to their
south-west corner, whence it proceeds in a straight line to a point on the Haifa-Afula
railway on the boundary between the villages of Sarid and El Mujeidil. This is the point
of intersection.
The south-western boundary of the area of the Arab State in Galilee takes a line from this
point, passing northwards along the eastern boundaries of Sarid and Gevat to the
north-eastern corner of Nahalal, proceeding thence across the land of Kefar ha Horesh to a
central point on the southern boundary of the village of `Ilut, thence westwards along
that village boundary to the eastern boundary of Beit Lahm, thence northwards and
north-eastwards along its western boundary to the north-eastern corner of Waldheim and
thence north-westwards across the village lands of Shafa 'Amr to the south-eastern corner
of Ramat Yohanan'. From here it runs due north-north-east to a point on the Shafa
'Amr-Haifa road, west of its junction with the road to I'Billin. From there it proceeds
north-east to a point on the southern boundary of I'Billin situated to the west of the
I'Billin-Birwa road. Thence along that boundary to its westernmost point, whence it turns
to the north, follows across the village land of Tamra to the north-westernmost corner and
along the western boundary of Julis until it reaches the Acre-Safad road. It then runs
westwards along the southern side of the Safad-Acre road to the Galilee-Haifa District
boundary, from which point it follows that boundary to the sea.
The boundary of the hill country of Samaria and Judea starts on the Jordan River at the
Wadi Malih south-east of Beisan and runs due west to meet the Beisan-Jericho road and then
follows the western side of that road in a north-westerly direction to the junction of the
boundaries of the sub-districts of Beisan, Nablus, and Jenin. From that point it follows
the Nablus-Jenin sub-district boundary westwards for a distance of about three kilometres
and then turns north-westwards, passing to the east of the built-up areas of the villages
of Jalbun and Faqqu'a, to the boundary of the sub-districts of Jenin and Beisan at a point
north-east of Nuris. Thence it proceeds first north-westwards to a point due north of the
built-up area of Zir'in and then westwards to the Afula-Jenin railway, thence
north-westwards along the district boundary line to the point of intersection on the Hejaz
railway. From here the boundary runs south-westwards, including the built-up area and some
of the land of the village of Kh.Lid in the Arab State to cross the Haifa-Jenin road at a
point on the district boundary between Haifa and Samaria west of El Mansi. It follows this
boundary to the southernmost point of the village of El Buteimat. From here it follows the
northern and eastern boundaries of the village of Ar'ara, rejoining the Haifa-Samaria
district boundary at Wadi'Ara, and thence proceeding south-south-westwards in an
approximately straight line joining up with the western boundary of Qaqun to a point east
of the railway line on the eastern boundary of Qaqun village. From here it runs along the
railway line some distance to the east of it to a point just east of the Tulkarm railway
station. Thence the boundary follows a line half-way between the railway and the
Tulkarm-Qalqiliya-Jaljuliya and Ras el Ein road to a point just east of Ras el Ein
station, whence it proceeds along the railway some distance to the east of it to the point
on the railway line south of the junction of the Haifa-Lydda and Beit Nabala lines, whence
it proceeds along the southern border of Lydda airport to its south-west corner, thence in
a south-westerly direction to a point just west of the built-up area of Sarafand el'Amar,
whence it turns south, passing just to the west of the built-up area of Abu el Fadil to
the north-east corner of the lands of Beer Ya'Aqov. (The boundary line should be so
demarcated as to allow direct access from the Arab State to the airport.) Thence the
boundary line follows the western and southern boundaries of Ramle village, to the
north-east corner of El Na'ana village, thence in a straight line to the southernmost
point of El Barriya, along the eastern boundary of that village and the southern boundary
of 'Innaba village. Thence it turns north to follow the southern side of the
Jaffa-Jerusalem road until El Qubab, whence it follows the road to the boundary of Abu
Shusha. It runs along the eastern boundaries of Abu Shusha, Seidun, Hulda to the
southernmost point of Hulda, thence westwards in a straight line to the north-eastern
corner of Umm Kalkha, thence following the northern boundaries of Umm Kalkha, Qazaza and
the northern and western boundaries of Mukhezin to the Gaza District boundary and thence
runs across the village lands of El Mismiya, El Kabira, and Yasur to the southern point of
intersection, which is midway between the built-up areas of Yasur and Batani Sharqi.
From the southern point of intersection the boundary lines run north-westwards between the
villages of Gan Yavne and Barqa to the sea at a point half way between Nabi Yunis and
Minat el Qila, and south-eastwards to a point west of Qastina, whence it turns in a
south-westerly direction, passing to the east of the built-up areas of Es Sawafir, Es
Sharqiya and Ibdis. From the south-east corner of Ibdis village it runs to a point
south-west of the built-up area of Beit 'Affa, crossing the Hebron-El Majdal road just to
the west of the built-up area of Iraq Suweidan. Thence it proceeds southwards along the
western village boundary of El Faluja to the Beersheba sub-district boundary. It then runs
across the tribal lands of 'Arab el Jubarat to a point on the boundary between the
sub-districts of Beersheba and Hebron north of Kh. Khuweilifa, whence it proceeds in a
south-westerly direction to a point on the Beersheba-Gaza main road two kilometres to the
north-west of the town. It then turns south-eastwards to reach Wadi Sab' at a point
situated one kilometre to the west of it. From here it turns north-eastwards and proceeds
along Wadi Sab' and along the Beersheba-Hebron road for a distance of one kilometre,
whence it turns eastwards and runs in a straight line to Kh. Kuseifa to join the
Beersheba-Hebron sub-district boundary. It then follows the Beersheba-Hebron boundary
eastwards to a point north of Ras Ez Zuweira, only departing from it so as to cut across
the base of the indentation between vertical grid lines 150 and 160.
About five kilometres north-east of Ras ez Zuweira it turns north, excluding from the Arab
State a strip along the coast of the Dead Sea not more than seven kilometres in depth, as
far as Ein Geddi, whence it turns due east to join the Transjordan frontier in the Dead
Sea.
The northern boundary of the Arab section of the coastal plain runs from a point between
Minat el Qila and Nabi Yunis, passing between the built-up areas of Gan Yavne and Barqa to
the point of intersection. From here it turns south-westwards, running across the lands of
Batani Sharqi, along the eastern boundary of the lands of Beit Daras and across the lands
of Julis, leaving the built-up areas of Batani Sharqi and Julis to the westwards, as far
as the north-west corner of the lands of Beit Tima. Thence it runs east of El Jiya across
the village lands of El Barbara along the eastern boundaries of the villages of Beit
Jirja, Deir Suneid and Dimra. From the south-east corner of Dimra the boundary passes
across the lands of Beit Hanun, leaving the Jewish lands of Nir-Am to the eastwards. From
the south-east corner of Dimra the boundary passes across the lands of Beit Hanun, leaving
the Jewish lands of Nir-Am to the eastwards. From the south-east corner of Beit Hanun the
line runs south-west to a point south of the parallel grid line 100, then turns north-west
for two kilometres, turning again in a south-westerly direction and continuing in an
almost straight line to the north-west corner of the village lands of Kirbet Ikhza'a. From
there it follows the boundary line of this village to its southernmost point. It then runs
in a southernly direction along the vertical grid line 90 to its junction with the
horizontal grid line 70. It then turns south-eastwards to Kh. el Ruheiba and then proceeds
in a southerly direction to a point known as El Baha, beyond which it crosses the
Beersheba-El 'Auja main road to the west of Kh. el Mushrifa. From there it joins Wadi El
Zaiyatin just to the west of El Subeita. From there it turns to the north-east and then to
the south-east following this Wadi and passes to the east of 'Abda to join Wadi Nafkh. It
then bulges to the south-west along Wadi Nafkh. It then bulges to the south-west along
Wadi Nafkh, Wadi Ajrim and Wadi Lassan to the point where Wadi Lassan crosses the Egyptian
frontier.
The area of the Arab enclave of Jaffa consists of that part of the town-planning area of
Jaffa which lies to the west of the Jewish quarters lying south of Tel-Aviv, to the west
of the continuation of Herzl street up to its junction with the Jaffa-Jerusalem road, to
the south-west of the section of the Jaffa-Jerusalem road lying south-east of that
junction, to the west of Miqve Israel lands, to the north-west of Holon local council
area, to the north of the line linking up the north-west corner of Holon with the
north-east corner of Bat Yam local council area and to the north of Bat Yam local council
area. The question of Karton quarter will be decided by the Boundary Commission, bearing
in mind among other considerations the desirability of including the smallest possible
number of its Arab inhabitants and the largest possible number of its Jewish inhabitants
in the Jewish State.
B. THE JEWISH STATE
The north-eastern sector of the Jewish State (Eastern) Galilee) is bounded on the north
and west by the Lebanese frontier and on the east by the frontiers of Syria and
Transjordan. It includes the whole of the Hula Basin, Lake Tiberias, the whole of the
Beisan sub-district, the boundary line being extended to the crest of the Gilboa mountains
and the Wadi Malih. From there the Jewish State extends north-west, following the boundary
described in respect of the Arab State.
The Jewish Section of the coastal plain extends from a point between Minat et Qila and
Nabi Yunis in the Gaza sub-district and includes the towns of Haifa and Tel-Aviv, leaving
Jaffa as an enclave of the Arab State. The eastern frontier of the Jewish State follows
the boundary described in respect of the Arab State.
The Beersheba area comprises the whole of the Beersheba sub-district, including the Negeb
and the eastern part of the Gaza sub-district, but excluding the town of Beersheba and
those areas described in respect of the Arab State. It includes also a strip of land along
the Dead Sea stretching from the Beersheba-Hebron sub-district boundary line to Ein Geddi,
as described in respect of the Arab State.
The following is the exact text describing the boundaries of the city of Jerusalem, which
would come within the boudaries of the Arab State, as provided for in UN Resolution 181
(II):
THE CITY OF JERUSALEM
The boundaries of the City of Jerusalem are as defined in the recommendations on the City
of Jerusalem. (See Part III, Section B, below).
BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY
The City of Jerusalem shall include the present municipality of Jerusalem plus the
surrounding villages and towns, the most eastern of which shall be Abu Dis; the most
southern, Bethlehem; the most western, Ein Karim (including also the built-up area of
Motsa); and the most northern Shu'fat, as indicated on the attached sketch-map (annex B).
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