"New Israel" , a not so modest proposal

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131. The Arab nations rejected a two state approach.

The new state of Israel would encompass more land area (but most of it was the largely unpopulated Negev Desert ). The borders of the new state of Israel were designed to make it a Jewish majority state with around 900,000 people, around 55 percent Jewish and 45% Arab (Muslims and Arab Christians ). The new indpendent Arab state (prior to the partition, Palestine was occupied either by the Ottoman Empire (Syria) or by the British ) would be majority Arab with over 700,000 Arabs (Muslims and Arab Christians ) and only 10,000 Jews.

The Jewish leadership in Palestine accepted the partition plan, but the Arab League and individual Arab countries rejected it, refusing to consider any two-state approach. From the outset, various Arab leaders announced their intention to "eradicate Zionism," to "sweep [the Jews ] into the sea", to not only prevent the partition, but to continue fighting until the Zionists were eradicated." Consistent with their rhetoric, on May 14-15, 1948, the British Mandate expired, the establishment of the state of Israel was formalized, and Arab nations attacked the new state of Israel. The fighting continued for 10 months and when the dust had settled, Israel had taken control of significant additional areas that had been designated for the Arab state that the Arabs had rejected.