How did the Arab nations respond to the UN creating Israel?

Answer 1

There are two parts of this question that need to be discussed.

Did the UN create Israel?

The UN did not create Israel. Saying that it does misconstrues the authority of the United Nations Resolution 181. Most people incorrectly believe that the UN Resolution "created" a Jewish State (Israel) and an Arab State (Palestine) on the map. This is not the case. What the UN Resolution does provide for is the permission for the different ethno-religious groups in Mandatory Palestine to declare a state. In the case of most mandates, the understanding was that the mandate would eventually become independent as one new state, like Iraq or Syria had. The case of Palestine was therefore unique and needed the permission to deviate from the traditional path of independence. Because of there being two states, provisional borders had to be provided, which is why a map was used, but those borders would only come into play if both sides decided to remain at peace.

The Jews acted on the permission granted to them by UN Resolution 181 by declaring independence on May 14, 1948 (nearly six months after the Resolution was passed) and therefore creating the State of Israel.

How did the Arab Nations respond to the Establishment of the State of Israel?

Domestically in the Arab Nations, there was an uproar in most. They were appalled by the idea that a non-Muslim state would arise in their midst and rejected that state. This resulted in the seven Arab Nations sending their armies to attack Israel, this was known as the Arab-Israeli War. These nations included Egypt, Transjordan (later Jordan), Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. The Arab armies' missions were to destroy the State of Israel and they with the blessings of their citizens, the Palestinian militias and the Arab League.