1. Land Distribution Perceived as Unfair
At the time, Jews made up about one-third of the population and owned less than 7% of the land in Mandatory Palestine.
Yet the UN plan allocated about
- 55% of the territory to the proposed Jewish state and only
- 45% to the Arab state (plus Jerusalem as an international zone).
Palestinians and Arab leaders saw this as deeply unjust and a form of foreign imposition.
2. National and Political Identity
Palestinian Arabs considered all of Palestine as their homeland, having lived there for centuries.
They viewed partition as a violation of their right to self-determination, especially since they were the majority population (about two-thirds).
They opposed the idea of creating a separate Jewish state in what they regarded as Arab land.
3. Opposition to Jewish Statehood
Many Palestinians and the wider Arab League rejected the recognition of a Jewish state, regardless of its borders.
They feared that accepting partition would legitimize Zionist ambitions and eventually lead to further expansion beyond the proposed borders.
4. Arab League Pressure
The surrounding Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq) strongly opposed partition and pressured Palestinian leaders to reject it.
They promised to support Palestinians militarily if war broke out instead.
5. Concerns about Refugees and Displacement
There was fear that the creation of a Jewish state would mean forced displacement of Arab communities living inside the proposed Jewish areas.
These fears proved partly true, as the 1948 war (Nakba) led to the displacement of around 700,000 Palestinian Arabs.
In summary:
Palestinians rejected the 1947 two-state solution because they saw it as unjust, illegitimate, and imposed by outside powers. They believed accepting it would mean losing their homeland and legitimizing what they saw as colonial settlement at their expense.