At the end of World War I, the great powers dismantled the Ottoman Empire. Great Britain was granted control over Palestine under the League of Nations mandate system and retained control of the territory from 1922 to 1948. It was during the mandatory period that most of the political, economic, and social institutions of Israel were formed; its political parties launched; and the careers of its political elite begun. In the spring of 1947, the British turned the problem of the future of the mandate over to the United Nations, which established the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) to review the situation and to offer suggestions for disposition of the territory. UNSCOP's majority report, which called for the partition of Palestine, was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 29 November 1947. The British terminated the mandate and its presence in Palestine on 15 May 1948.
See also Palestine Partition Plan.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..