Foreign
How did Israel take over Palestine so easily when it was formed?
As far as I understand, Palestine existed first then Israel kind of took it. Did Palestine have a military?
Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948, the day that the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine was terminated by the Mandatory Power in Palestine, the British government. The Mandate for Palestine came into effect formally in 1922. Palestine was defined during World War I by the Allied Powers, as part of their plan to defeat the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and decolonize Ottoman Asia. The Allied forces seized control of the area that became Mandatory Palestine in 1918.
According to the legal document entitled “The Mandate for Palestine”, issued by the League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations, all of Palestine west of the Jordan River was mandated as the Jewish national home. There was no mention of division, partition, or separate, non-Jewish, political institutions in the mandate. What was clear and explicit in the mandate was the recognition of the grounds for the reconstitution of the Jewish national home in Palestine, the obligation of the Mandatory Power to facilitate Jewish immigration and settlement, and the obligation to place “the country under such political, administrative, and economic conditions as will secure the establishment of the Jewish national home”.
Over the 25 years from 1922 to 1947 the Jewish population increased by 520,000, however the Arab population increased by 530,000. In other words the British did not comply with their obligation to place the country under conditions that would have secured the establishment of the Jewish national home.
The UN, which was founded in 1946 and replaced the League of Nations, set up a commission called UNSCOP to devise a plan to ensure the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. The solution of partition was chosen, proposed, voted upon, and passed by the GA. The proposal was however rejected by the Arabs, who opted instead to seize all of Palestine by force once the mandate ended and the Jewish State was proclaimed.
On May 14, 1948 the British withdrew, Palestine ceased to exist, and the State of Israel was proclaimed. No corresponding Arab State was proclaimed, but after midnight the full military force of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded what had been mandatory Palestine and initiated the war which lasted until armistice agreements suspended hostilities in 1949. The armistice with Egypt, signed in January, permitted Egypt to temporarily occupy the Gaza Strip, pending treaty negotiations. The armistice with Jordan, signed in April, permitted Jordan to temporarily occupy the territory upon which it had military control pending treaty negotiations. Neither country engaged in treaty negotiations. Jordan illegally proclaimed its annexation of the territory it held, referring to it as the Jordanian “West Bank”.
To summarize the historical reality of the territory that was Mandatory Palestine. As per the Mandate for Palestine, all of Palestine west of the Jordan River was to constitute the Jewish national home. The UN proposed the division of Palestine into Jewish and Arab States, however that proposal was never implemented due to the refusal of the Arabs to share any of Palestine with the Jewish people. The Arabs’ efforts to seize exclusive possession of Palestine by force resulted in the temporary occupation of parts of what had been Palestine by invading foreign powers, Egypt and Jordan. Their occupation lasted until 1967 at which point they resumed the hostilities suspended 18 years earlier, and were once again defeated, and forced to cross back over their recognized international borders.
If you believe that Israel took over Palestine, you have been misinformed. Palestine was pre-destined, by the same international powers that defined it, to become the Jewish national home, ie. Israel. The Arabs in Palestine were offered by the UN to share the land with the Jews, but they felt entitled to exclusive possession of Palestine. Instead of peacefully accepting the UN proposal and receiving a better “two-State solution” than would ever be offered to them again, they influenced their Arab neighbors to sacrifice their own soldiers’ lives in an effort to procure Palestine for them by military force.
The Arabs didn’t need their own military because they had the military support of all of the countries of the region. Despite their overwhelming military advantage, the Jews succeeded in repelling the invading forces and survive. That was no small accomplishment. The British authorities hunted for any weapons stashes hidden by the Jews. They barely had rifles and ammunition. When the war began there was an embargo preventing anyone from selling arms to either side. But the Arab armies were fully armed, with tanks and heavy artillery. Egypt even had an air force. Israel had no heavy arms. They scrambled to find countries willing to sell them surplus leftover arms from world war II.
Israel survived because the Israeli people had no choice. It took all available ingenuity and the heroism of nearly every able bodied citizen. And Israel has had to continue to utilize heroism and ingenuity to survive and to protect its citizens ever since.
Culled from Quora
Earlier this week, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’ political office, and Salah al-Bardaweel, another senior leader.
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou was allegedly killed in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated news agency Shehab reported on Wednesday night.
Al-Qanoa was one of Hamas’s most prominent spokesmen in Gaza, and while he avoided media appearances during the months of fighting, he gave multiple interviews to Arab news channels after the ceasefire.
Al-Qanoua was killed when his tent was targeted in Jabaliya, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television reported. The same strike wounded several people, medical sources said.
Earlier this week, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’ political office, and Salah al-Bardaweel, another senior leader.
Both Bardaweel and Barhoum were members of the 20-member Hamas decision-making body, the political office, 11 of whom have been killed since the start of the war in late 2023, according to Hamas sources.
Tents for Palestinians seeking refuge are set up on the grounds of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) centre in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas (credit: MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)
The IDF has yet to comment on the alleged elimination.
Increased IDF pressure in the Gaza Strip
Since fighting in Gaza was renewed at the beginning of last week, the IDF has killed 150 terrorists, including 10 top Hamas officials, The Jerusalem Post learned Tuesday.
In certain areas, the military has entered a full kilometer into Gaza, such as around the Nitzanim Corridor in central Gaza.
In addition to central Gaza, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, parts of Khan Yunis, Shaboura, and Tel Sultan, the IDF has been evacuating and moving into Jabaliya.
Hundreds of unclaimed estates reveal untold stories of African migration, wealth, and family ties left behind.
Thousands of people die every year in the United Kingdom without leaving a will or identifying next of kin, and among them are many Nigerians and other Africans whose estates—ranging from property to savings—remain unclaimed.
The UK government’s latest list of unclaimed estates, updated daily, includes over 170 entries connected to African-born individuals, with Nigerians making up a significant portion of the cases.
A Legacy Lost
For many migrants, the UK became a home away from home—a land of opportunity where they built wealth, purchased property, and created a life.
However, the absence of a will often results in their assets being classified as “bona vacantia” (ownerless goods), leaving them to the custody of the Crown.
Families back in Africa are frequently unaware of these estates, leading to a permanent loss of assets.
Cases like that of Adenike Adebiyi, who passed away in Hackney, London, in 2004, or Solomon Adekanmibi, who died in Colchester, Essex, in 2021, highlight the consequences of dying intestate.
With no identified next of kin or missing documentation, their estates remain unclaimed, and their legacies risk being forgotten.
Why It Matters
This phenomenon underscores a critical issue: many African families are unaware of their relatives’ financial situations abroad.
Migration often disrupts communication, and without clear documentation, the wealth built overseas remains beyond reach.
The loss isn’t just financial—it’s deeply cultural and emotional. Unclaimed estates represent untold family histories, connections, and the struggles of migrants who built their lives in the diaspora.
The Challenges
Lack of Awareness:
Most families in Nigeria and other African countries are unaware of their relatives’ estates abroad or how to access them.
Genealogical Gaps:
The information provided in official records is often incomplete. For example, many entries in the UK unclaimed estates list lack detailed family history or next-of-kin information.
Cultural Hesitations:
In many African cultures, discussing death and wills is considered taboo, leading to reluctance in planning for asset distribution.
A Call to Action
African governments, community organizations, and legal professionals need to raise awareness about this issue.
Here’s what can be done:
Encouraging Will Writing: Migrants in the diaspora should be educated about the importance of drafting wills to protect their assets.
Genealogical Support: Families in Africa can be assisted in tracing unclaimed estates through local or international partnerships.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Social and traditional media can highlight the importance of estate planning and share resources for families.
How to Check the List
The UK government maintains a public Unclaimed Estates List that is updated daily.
Families can search the list by name, place of birth, or other identifiers to check for potential claims.
Final Thoughts
For many Nigerians and Africans in the UK, their unclaimed estates represent more than just wealth—it’s a story of migration, resilience, and identity.
By addressing this growing issue, families can reclaim their heritage, and the legacy of those who journeyed to the diaspora need not be forgotten.
Here is the latest daily update as of March 24, 2025. Check the list
Israel’s security cabinet has approved a controversial proposal to facilitate Palestinian emigration from Gaza, a move critics warn could amount to ethnic cleansing.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday said the security cabinet approved the proposal by Defense Minister Israel Katz to organize “a voluntary transfer for Gaza residents who express interest in moving to third countries, in accordance with Israeli and international law, and following the vision of US President Donald Trump.”
The decision marks a remarkable endorsement of a plan once considered a far-right fantasy – and comes despite the prime minister’s earlier pledge not to permanently displace Gaza’s civilian population.
Critics have said that any mass displacement of Gazans in the midst of a devastating war would amount to ethnic cleansing, an act associated with war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law. Israeli officials have countered that emigration would be voluntary and in line with international legal standards.
But aid groups argue that Israel’s war has made life in Gaza nearly impossible. Martin Griffiths, the United Nations’ top emergency relief official, has called the enclave “uninhabitable,” saying its people are “witnessing daily threats to their very existence.”
The Israeli approval would establish an administration within the defense ministry “to prepare and facilitate the safe and controlled movement of Gaza residents who wish to voluntarily move to third countries,” according to a statement from the defense ministry.
Its work would include “establishing movement routes, pedestrian checks at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip,” and infrastructure to enable people to leave.
Israeli officials have presented the plan as a fulfillment of a desire by Trump to take over Gaza, expel its Palestinian population to neighboring countries and turn it into a Middle Eastern “riviera.”
The Palestinian Authority’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian Shaheen told CNN’s Becky Anderson last month that Palestinians “are steadfast to stay in their land and will not move.”
Trump’s ‘vision’
Katz said Sunday that Israel is using “all means to implement the vision of the US president,” according to the defense ministry statement.
This month, Trump appeared to backtrack on his comments about displacing Palestinians, telling reporters that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians.” Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, said last month that the US initiative to rebuild Gaza won’t necessarily amount to an “eviction plan” and that it was designed to “shake up everybody’s thinking.”
Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had no intention to displace Palestinians or occupy Gaza.
Related articleTrump says ‘nobody is expelling Palestinians,’ weeks after saying they should be moved to Arab states
“I want to make a few points absolutely clear: Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population,” Netanyahu said in a video statement in January 2024.
Trump’s proposal has, however, brought the idea further into the mainstream, with Israeli politicians now openly discussing mass emigration of Gazans as a solution to the war. And Katz last week said that Israel may maintain a permanent presence in the enclave.
Israeli rights group Peace Now criticized the plan, saying “the establishment of the administration to expel Palestinians from Gaza is one of the stupidest moves by a government that has lost all direction and logical thinking.”
The prospect has also drawn sharp rebuke from Arab leaders, especially Egypt and Jordan, who would be expected to absorb the large number of expelled Palestinians. Experts have also warned that displacing Palestinians would further destabilize the region and threaten the security of neighboring states.
Smotrich said Sunday that the security cabinet also approved the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, noting that 13 areas in the West Bank would be split from existing settlements and would be recognized as independent settlements.
“Instead of hiding and apologizing – we are raising the flag, building, and settling. This is another important step on the path to actual sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the name by which Israelis refer to the West Bank.
The Yesha Council, an umbrella body representing Jewish settlements, said that as of January 2024, there were 150 settlements in the West Bank.
It said that the decision exposes a “long-standing lie that (Israel) does not establish new settlements, but only ‘neighborhoods’ of existing settlements” and that it is “another nail in the coffin that the Government of Israel is preparing for the only chance for a future of peace and security.”
A statement sent by Smotrich’s office said the move comes against “the backdrop of the approval of tens of thousands of housing units in Judea and Samaria and represents another significant step in the process of normalizing and regulating the settlement.”
Smotrich and other right-wing ministers have been pushing an aggressive expansion of settlements on the path to declaring Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, which would be in defiance of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
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