On 14 May 1948, 

David Ben-Gurion and the Jewish People's Council declared the establishment of

a Jewish state in Eretz Israel (The Land of Israel), to be known as the State of Israel.[575] The
neighbouring Arab states intervened to prevent the partition and support the Palestinian Arab
population. While Transjordan and Egypt took control of territory designated for the future Arab
State, Syrian and Iraqi expeditionary forces attacked Israel without success. The most intensive
battles were waged between the Jordanian and Israeli forces over the control of Jerusalem. [citation needed]
On June 11, a truce was accepted by all parties. Israel used the lull to undertake a large-scale
reinforcement of its army. In a series of military operations, during the war it conquered the whole of
the Galilee region, both the Lydda and Ramle areas, and the Negev. It also managed to secure, in
the Battles of Latrun, a road linking Jerusalem to Israel. However, the neighboring Arab countries
signed the 1949 Armistice Agreements that ended the war, and have recognized de facto the new
borders of Israel. In this phase, 350,000 more Arab Palestinians fled or were expelled from the
conquered areas.[citation needed]

Partition of former Mandatory territory

Main articles: United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, History of the State of Israel, Jordanian
annexation of the West Bank, Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt, and All-Palestine Government

The Arabs rejected the Partition Plan while the Jews ostensibly accepted it. [576][577][578] Following
the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the area allocated to the Palestinian Arabs and the international zone of
Jerusalem were occupied by Israel and the neighboring Arab states in accordance with the terms of
the 1949 Armistice Agreements. In addition to the UN-partitioned area allotted to the Jewish state,
Israel captured and incorporated a further 26% of the British Mandate territory. [citation
needed]
 Jordan retained possession of about 21% of the former Mandate territory. Jerusalem was
divided, with Jordan taking the eastern parts, including the Old City, and Israel taking the western
parts. In addition, Syria held on to small slivers of the former Mandate territory to the south and east
of the Sea of Galilee, which had been allocated in the UN partition plan to the Jewish state. [citation
needed]
 For a description of the massive population movements, Arab and Jewish, at the time of the
1948 war and over the following decades, see Palestinian exodus and Jewish exodus from Arab
lands.[citation needed]

Palestinian governorship in Egyptian-controlled Gaza

Main article: All-Palestine Protectorate

On the same day that the State of Israel was announced, the Arab League announced that it would
set up a single Arab civil administration throughout Palestine. [579][580]
The All-Palestine Government was established by the Arab League on 22 September 1948, during
the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was soon recognized by all Arab League members, except Jordan.
Though jurisdiction of the Government was declared to cover the whole of the former Mandatory
Palestine, its effective jurisdiction was limited to the Gaza Strip.[581] The Prime Minister of the Gaza-
seated administration was named Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, and the President was named Hajj Amin al-
Husseini,[582] former chairman of the Arab Higher Committee.
The All-Palestine Government is regarded by some as the first attempt to establish an independent
Palestinian state. It was under official Egyptian protection, [581] but, on the other hand, it had no
executive role, but rather mostly political and symbolic. [581] Its importance gradually declined,
especially due to relocation of seat of government from Gaza to Cairo following Israeli incursions in
late 1948. Though Gaza Strip returned under Egyptian control later on through the war, the All-
Palestine Government remained in-exile in Cairo, managing Gazan affairs from outside.
In 1959, the All-Palestine Government was officially merged into the United Arab Republic, coming
under formal Egyptian military administration, with the appointment of Egyptian military
administrators in Gaza. Egypt, however, both formally and informally denounced any and all
territorial claims to Palestinian territory, in contrast to the government of Transjordan, which declared
its annexation of the Palestinian West Bank. The All-Palestine Government's credentials as a bona
fide sovereign state were questioned by many, particularly due to the effective reliance upon not only
Egyptian military support, but Egyptian political and economic power.