Israelis should remember November 29th. This was
the date in 1947 when the United Nations officially authorized the creation of modern Israel--the
world's first and only Jewish State.
This UN authorization was to go into effect some five-and-half
months later, as of 1159 PM on May 14, 1948. That was to be the instant the
28-year old British Palestine Mandate (essentially, British rule over the Jews
in what was then called ‘the Jewish Palestine’) officially ended. One minute
later—at midnight--the Jews of Israel declared themselves as a sovereign territory,
a state they called, Israel.
The man who made that public declaration, over a nationwide radio
broadcast, was David Ben Gurion. The date was May 15, 1948, just after midnight.
It might be fair to say that, at that moment, most Jews in
the newly declared Israel were not asleep. They were glued to their radios,
listening to Ben Gurion name their new state.
They were delirious with joy. They cheered. They celebrated.
They danced and sang in the streets.
After nearly 2,000 years of exile and persecution, after the
horrors of the recent Nazi Holocaust against Jews, the ancient Jewish ancestral
homeland had been returned to them!
Everyone in Israel should remember this November date, for three
reasons. The first reason is obvious: this date marks the rebirth of our
ancient Jewish national homeland as a modern, sovereign State. This rebirth was
truly a precious--and public--gift given by the United Nations in a formal
Resolution called, plainly enough, UN Resolution 181.
The second reason we should remember November 29, 1947 is
that this is the one day each year we should remember the meaning of
Resolution 181. The meaning of Resolution 181 was simple: It gave—and continues
to give--Israel legal legitimacy.
The third reason we should remember this date is to remind
the UN it has failed repeatedly to fulfill its promises to the Jewish
state. Israel should hold the UN's
collective 'feet' to the fire of truth--that the UN Charter clearly states that
the UN exists to “maintain international peace and security” (Preamble to the
UN Charter).
But: since its creation, anti-Israel advocates have questioned
Israel's right to exist. They question Israel's legitimacy. They deny Israel
its “peace and security”. The UN ignores
all this aggression against Israel. The UN fails Israel.
For this reason, Israel should perform a public reading
of 181 on November 29th, so it can validate that 181 was not a
conditional document. It was not temporary. It was final. It made Israel a
completely sovereign Member of the United Nations. It made Israel no different
from any other state.
The UN needs to be reminded that Resolution 181 didn't make
Israel a partial Member of the UN. It didn't make Israel a Part-Time Member of
the UN family of nations. It made the Jewish state (whatever its name would be)
a permanent Member of the family of nations. That November 29, 1947 vote
gave Israel an unquestioned, legal legitimacy.
Therefore, Israel should remind the UN of that meaning.
Israel should remind the UN that 181 means that Israel has every right
to exist.
Every November 29th, Israel should demand that its
legal legitimacy be recognized by the UN. Israel should demand that the UN reject
as illegitimate all calls for Israel’s destruction.
When you read Resolution 181 (below), consider how Israel's
Arab enemies violated 181 even before the proverbial ink had dried. You
should also consider how the UN did nothing to protect Israel or to force those
Arabs to become compliant with the Resolution.
Here's how both Arabs and the UN violated Res. 181:
1. 181 promises that, regarding the creation of two states,
if there should arise a threat to peace, a breach of peace or acts of
aggression during the transition period to two states for two peoples, the UN
would take whatever measures were necessary to stop those threats and
aggression (according to the UN Charter's Articles 39-42).
However, once 181 passed, Arabs immediately resorted to acts
of aggression against the new Jewish state. Since the passage of 181, Arabs
have violated its terms consistently, repeatedly, and with violence. Much to
its shame, the UN has taken no active action to reverse Arab aggression,
address Arab violations of 181 or stop Arab violence.
2. In 181, both sides were called upon to implement the
Resolution. The Arabs refused to do this. They took no steps to implement 181.
The UN did nothing to make certain the Arabs did implement.
3. The two peoples most affected by this Resolution were
told by 181 to take no action that would hamper its implementation. The Arabs
violated that call. The UN did not act against that violation.
4. 181 required that neither side—the Jews or the Arabs--were
to use force against the other concerning this matter. The Arabs violated this
provision. The UN did nothing to stop that violation.
5. Both sides were required to offer equal rights in civil,
political, economic and religious matters. The Arabs violated this requirement.
The UN did nothing to correct those violations.
6. Both sides were to agree to create economic cooperation
mechanisms with each other. The Arabs violated that provision. The UN did
nothing to persuade the Arabs to abandon such violations.
7. Access to Holy Places and religious building in the Holy
Land were to be maintained and repaired as needed. The Arabs violated this
provision. The UN did nothing to correct those violations.
8. Freedom of worship for all--especially in Jerusalem--was
to be granted. The Arabs violated this provision. The UN did nothing to make
certain this freedom was guaranteed.
9. Both Arab and Jew were to offer adequate primary and
secondary education to all within their respective entities, particularly for minority
populations within their jurisdiction. The Arabs violated this provision. The
UN did nothing to enforce this violation.
10. The city of Jerusalem was to remain an open,
international city, with freedom of religion, worship and access to Holy sites for
all. The Arabs violated this provision. The UN did nothing to force the Arabs
to abide by this provision.
In sum, neither the Arab enemies of Israel nor the United
Nations followed the dictates of Resolution 181. Each November 29th, Israel
should tell the UN that Israel will not accept any rulings by the UN as binding
until all the violations of 181 be addressed, including the imposition of
appropriate penalties for violations—and compensation to Israel.
Here, now, is UN Resolution 181, in its entirety. It is a
long document. But it needs to be read. We need to read that the UN aimed to
create two separate states for two people, an Arab state and a Jewish state. We
need to understand how thoroughly Arab violated virtually every aspect of 181.
We need to understand that the UN did nothing about those violations—never.
If reading the entire Resolution proves burdensome, please page down to the POST SCRIPT at the bottom for some of my final thoughts on 181.
UN RESOLUTION 181:
The General Assembly,
Having met in special session at the request of the
mandatory Power to constitute and instruct a Special Committee to prepare for
the consideration of the question of the future Government of Palestine at the
second regular session;
Having constituted a Special Committee and instructed it to
investigate all questions and issues relevant to the problem of Palestine, and
to prepare proposals for the solution of the problem, and
Having received and examined the report of the Special
Committee (document A/364)(1) including a number of unanimous recommendations
and a plan of partition with economic union approved by the majority of the
Special Committee,
Considers that the present situation in Palestine is one
which is likely to impair the general welfare and friendly relations among
nations;
Takes note of the declaration by the mandatory Power that it
plans to complete its evacuation of Palestine by l August 1948;
Recommends to the United Kingdom, as the mandatory Power for
Palestine, and to all other Members of the United Nations the adoption and
implementation, with regard to the future Government of Palestine, of the Plan
of Partition with Economic Union set out below;
Requests that:
-The Security Council take the necessary measures as
provided for in the plan for its implementation;
-The Security Council consider, if circumstances during the
transitional period require such consideration, whether the situation in
Palestine constitutes a threat to the peace. If it decides that such a threat
exists, and in order to maintain international peace and security, the Security
Council should supplement the authorization of the General Assembly by taking
measures, under Articles 39 and 41 of the Charter, to empower the United
Nations Commission, as provided in this resolution, to exercise in Palestine
the functions which are assigned to it by this resolution;
-The Security Council determine as a threat to the peace,
breach of the peace or act of aggression, in accordance with Article 39 of the
Charter, any attempt to alter by force the settlement envisaged by this
resolution;
-The Trusteeship Council be informed of the responsibilities
envisaged for it in this plan;
-Calls upon the inhabitants of Palestine to take such steps
as may be necessary on their part to put this plan into effect;
-Appeals to all Governments and all peoples to refrain from
taking any action which might hamper or delay the carrying out of these
recommendations, and
-Authorizes the Secretary-General to reimburse travel and
subsistence expenses of the members of the Commission referred to in Part 1,
Section B, Paragraph I below, on such basis and in such form as he may
determine most appropriate in the circumstances, and to provide the Commission
with the necessary staff to assist in carrying out the functions assigned to
the Commission by the General Assembly.
The General Assembly,
-Authorizes the Secretary-General to draw from the Working
Capital Fund a sum not to exceed 2,000,000 dollars for the purposes set forth
in the last paragraph of the resolution on the future government of Palestine.
PLAN OF PARTITION WITH ECONOMIC UNION
Part I. - Future Constitution and Government of Palestine
A. TERMINATION OF MANDATE, PARTITION AND INDEPENDENCE
The Mandate for Palestine shall terminate as soon as
possible but in any case not later than 1 August 1948.
The armed forces of the mandatory Power shall be
progressively withdrawn from Palestine, the withdrawal to be completed as soon
as possible but in any case not later than 1 August 1948.
The mandatory Power shall advise the Commission, as far in
advance as possible, of its intention to terminate the mandate and to evacuate
each area. The mandatory Power shall use its best endeavours to ensure that an
area situated in the territory of the Jewish State, including a seaport and
hinterland adequate to provide facilities for a substantial immigration, shall
be evacuated at the earliest possible date and in any event not later than 1
February 1948.
Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special
International Regime for the City of Jerusalem, set forth in Part III of this
Plan, shall come into existence in Palestine two months after the evacuation of
the armed forces of the mandatory Power has been completed but in any case not
later than 1 October 1948. The boundaries of the Arab State, the Jewish State,
and the City of Jerusalem shall be as described in Parts II and III below.
The period between the adoption by the General Assembly of
its recommendation on the question of Palestine and the establishment of the
independence of the Arab and Jewish States shall be a transitional period.
B. STEPS PREPARATORY TO INDEPENDENCE
A Commission shall be set up consisting of one
representative of each of five Member States. The Members represented on the
Commission shall be elected by the General Assembly on as broad a basis,
geographically and otherwise, as possible.
The administration of Palestine shall, as the mandatory
Power withdraws its armed forces, be progressively turned over to the
Commission, which shall act in conformity with the recommendations of the
General Assembly, under the guidance of the Security Council. The mandatory
Power shall to the fullest possible extent coordinate its plans for withdrawal
with the plans of the Commission to take over and administer areas which have
been evacuated.
In the discharge of this administrative responsibility the
Commission shall have authority to issue necessary regulations and take other
measures as required.
The mandatory Power shall not take any action to prevent,
obstruct or delay the implementation by the Commission of the measures
recommended by the General Assembly.
On its arrival in Palestine the Commission shall proceed to
carry out measures for the establishment of the frontiers of the Arab and
Jewish States and the City of Jerusalem in accordance with the general lines of
the recommendations of the General Assembly on the partition of Palestine.
Nevertheless, the boundaries as described in Part II of this Plan are to be
modified in such a way that village areas as a rule will not be divided by
state boundaries unless pressing reasons make that necessary.
The Commission, after consultation with the democratic
parties and other public organizations of the Arab and Jewish States, shall
select and establish in each State as rapidly as possible a Provisional Council
of Government. The activities of both the Arab and Jewish Provisional Councils
of Government shall be carried out under the general direction of the
Commission.
If by 1 April 1948 a Provisional Council of Government
cannot be selected for either of the States, or, if selected, cannot carry out
its functions, the Commission shall communicate that fact to the Security
Council for such action with respect to that State as the Security Council may
deem proper, and to the Secretary-General for communication to the Members of
the United Nations.
Subject to the provisions of these recommendations, during
the transitional period the Provisional Councils of Government, acting under
the Commission, shall have full authority in the areas under their control
including authority over matters of immigration and land regulation.
The Provisional Council of Government of each State, acting
under the Commission, shall progressively receive from the Commission full
responsibility for the administration of that State in the period between the
termination of the Mandate and the establishment of the State's independence.
The Commission shall instruct the Provisional Councils of
Government of both the Arab and Jewish States, after their formation, to
proceed to the establishment of administrative organs of government, central
and local.
The Provisional Council of Government of each State shall,
within the shortest time possible, recruit an armed militia from the residents
of that State, sufficient in number to maintain internal order and to prevent
frontier clashes.
This armed militia in each State shall, for operational
purposes, be under the command of Jewish or Arab officers resident in that
State, but general political and military control, including the choice of the
militia's High Command, shall be exercised by the Commission.
The Provisional Council of Government of each State shall,
not later than two months after the withdrawal of the armed forces of the
mandatory Power, hold elections to the Constituent Assembly which shall be
conducted on democratic lines.
The election regulations in each State shall be drawn up by
the Provisional Council of Government and approved by the Commission. Qualified
voters for each State for this election shall be persons over eighteen years of
age who are (a) Palestinian citizens residing in that State; and (b) Arabs and
Jews residing in the State, although not Palestinian citizens, who, before
voting, have signed a notice of intention to become citizens of such State.
Arabs and Jews residing in the City of Jerusalem who have
signed a notice of intention to become citizens, the Arabs of the Arab State
and the Jews of the Jewish State, shall be entitled to vote in the Arab and
Jewish States respectively.
Women may vote and be elected to the Constituent Assemblies.
During the transitional period no Jew shall be permitted to
establish residence in the area of the proposed Arab State, and no Arab shall
be permitted to establish residence in the area of the proposed Jewish State,
except by special leave of the Commission.
The Constituent Assembly of each State shall draft a
democratic constitution for its State and choose a provisional government to
succeed the Provisional Council of Government appointed by the Commission. The
Constitutions of the States shall embody Chapters 1 and 2 of the Declaration
provided for in section C below and include, inter alia, provisions for:
Establishing in each State a legislative body elected by
universal suffrage and by secret ballot on the basis of proportional
representation, and an executive body responsible to the legislature;
Settling all international disputes in which the State may be
involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and
security, and justice, are not endangered;
Accepting the obligation of the State to refrain in its
international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial
integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations;
Guaranteeing to all persons equal and non-discriminatory
rights in civil, political, economic and religious matters and the enjoyment of
human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion, language,
speech and publication, education, assembly and association;
Preserving freedom of transit and visit for all residents
and citizens of the other State in Palestine and the City of Jerusalem, subject
to considerations of national security, provided that each State shall control
residence within its borders.
The Commission shall appoint a preparatory economic
commission of three members to make whatever arrangements are possible for
economic co-operation, with a view to establishing, as soon as practicable, the
Economic Union and the Joint Economic Board, as provided in section D below.
During the period between the adoption of the
recommendations on the question of Palestine by the General Assembly and the
termination of the Mandate, the mandatory Power in Palestine shall maintain
full responsibility for administration in areas from which it has not withdrawn
its armed forces. The Commission shall assist the mandatory Power in the
carrying out of these functions. Similarly the mandatory Power shall co-operate
with the Commission in the execution of its functions.
With a view to ensuring that there shall be continuity in
the functioning of administrative services and that, on the withdrawal of the
armed forces of the mandatory Power, the whole administration shall be in the
charge of the Provisional Councils and the Joint Economic Board, respectively,
acting under the Commission, there shall be a progressive transfer, from the
mandatory Power to the Commission, of responsibility for all the functions of
government, including that of maintaining law and order in the areas from which
the forces of the mandatory Power have been withdrawn.
The Commission shall be guided in its activities by the
recommendations of the General Assembly and by such instructions as the
Security Council may consider necessary to issue.
The measures taken by the Commission, within the
recommendations of the General Assembly, shall become immediately effective
unless the Commission has previously received contrary instructions from the
Security Council.
The Commission shall render periodic monthly progress
reports, or more frequently if desirable, to the Security Council.
The Commission shall make its final report to the next
regular session of the General Assembly and to the Security Council
simultaneously.
C. DECLARATION
A declaration shall be made to the United Nations by the
Provisional Government of each proposed State before independence. It shall contain,
inter alia, the following clauses:
General Provision:
The stipulations contained in the Declaration are recognized
as fundamental laws of the State and no law, regulation or official action
shall conflict or interfere with these stipulations, nor shall any law,
regulation or official action prevail over them.
Chapter I: Holy Places, Religious Buildings and Sites
Existing rights in respect of Holy Places and religious
buildings or sites shall not be denied or impaired.
In so far as Holy Places are concerned, the liberty of
access, visit, and transit shall be guaranteed, in conformity with existing
rights, to all residents and citizen of the other State and of the City of
Jerusalem, as well as to aliens, without distinction as to nationality, subject
to requirements of national security, public order and decorum.
Similarly, freedom of worship shall be guaranteed in
conformity with existing rights, subject to the maintenance of public order and
decorum.
Holy Places and religious buildings or sites shall be
preserved. No act shall be permitted which may in an way impair their sacred
character. If at any time it appears to the Government that any particular Holy
Place, religious, building or site is in need of urgent repair, the Government
may call upon the community or communities concerned to carry out such repair.
The Government may carry it out itself at the expense of the community or
community concerned if no action is taken within a reasonable time.
No taxation shall be levied in respect of any Holy Place,
religious building or site which was exempt from taxation on the date of the
creation of the State.
No change in the incidence of such taxation shall be made
which would either discriminate between the owners or occupiers of Holy Places,
religious buildings or sites, or would place such owners or occupiers in a
position less favourable in relation to the general incidence of taxation than
existed at the time of the adoption of the Assembly's recommendations.
The Governor of the City of Jerusalem shall have the right
to determine whether the provisions of the Constitution of the State in
relation to Holy Places, religious buildings and sites within the borders of
the State and the religious rights appertaining thereto, are being properly
applied and respected, and to make decisions on the basis of existing rights in
cases of disputes which may arise between the different religious communities
or the rites of a religious community with respect to such places, buildings
and sites. He shall receive full co-operation and such privileges and
immunities as are necessary for the exercise of his functions in the State.
Chapter 2: Religious and Minority Rights
Freedom of conscience and the free exercise of all forms of
worship, subject only to the maintenance of public order and morals, shall be
ensured to all.
No discrimination of any kind shall be made between the
inhabitants on the ground of race, religion, language or sex.
All persons within the jurisdiction of the State shall be
entitled to equal protection of the laws.
The family law and personal status of the various minorities
and their religious interests, including endowments, shall be respected.
Except as may be required for the maintenance of public order
and good government, no measure shall be taken to obstruct or interfere with
the enterprise of religious or charitable bodies of all faiths or to
discriminate against any representative or member of these bodies on the ground
of his religion or nationality.
The State shall ensure adequate primary and secondary
education for the Arab and Jewish minority, respectively, in its own language
and its cultural traditions.
The right of each community to maintain its own schools for
the education of its own members in its own language, while conforming to such
educational requirements of a general nature as the State may impose, shall not
be denied or impaired. Foreign educational establishments shall continue their
activity on the basis of their existing rights.
No restriction shall be imposed on the free use by any
citizen of the State of any language in private intercourse, in commerce, in
religion, in the Press or in publications of any kind, or at public
meetings.(3)
No expropriation of land owned by an Arab in the Jewish
State (by a Jew in the Arab State)(4) shall be allowed except for public
purposes. In all cases of expropriation full compensation as fixed by the
Supreme Court shall be said previous to dispossession.
Chapter 3: Citizenship, International Conventions and
Financial Obligations
1. Citizenship
Palestinian citizens residing in Palestine outside the City
of Jerusalem, as well as Arabs and Jews who, not holding Palestinian
citizenship, reside in Palestine outside the City of Jerusalem shall, upon the
recognition of independence, become citizens of the State in which they are
resident and enjoy full civil and political rights. Persons over the age of
eighteen years may opt, within one year from the date of recognition of
independence of the State in which they reside, for citizenship of the other
State, providing that no Arab residing in the area of the proposed Arab State
shall have the right to opt for citizenship in the proposed Jewish State and no
Jew residing in the proposed Jewish State shall have the right to opt for
citizenship in the proposed Arab State. The exercise of this right of option
will be taken to include the wives and children under eighteen years of age of
persons so opting.
Arabs residing in the area of the proposed Jewish State and
Jews residing in the area of the proposed Arab State who have signed a notice
of intention to opt for citizenship of the other State shall be eligible to
vote in the elections to the Constituent Assembly of that State, but not in the
elections to the Constituent Assembly of the State in which they reside.
2. International conventions
The State shall be bound by all the international agreements
and conventions, both general and special, to which Palestine has become a
party. Subject to any right of denunciation provided for therein, such
agreements and conventions shall be respected by the State throughout the
period for which they were concluded.
Any dispute about the applicability and continued validity
of international conventions or treaties signed or adhered to by the mandatory
Power on behalf of Palestine shall be referred to the International Court of
Justice in accordance with the provisions of the Statute of the Court.
3. Financial obligations
The State shall respect and fulfil all financial obligations
of whatever nature assumed on behalf of Palestine by the mandatory Power during
the exercise of the Mandate and recognized by the State. This provision
includes the right of public servants to pensions, compensation or gratuities.
These obligations shall be fulfilled through participation
in the Joint Economic Board in respect of those obligations applicable to
Palestine as a whole, and individually in respect of those applicable to, and
fairly apportionable between, the States.
A Court of Claims, affiliated with the Joint Economic Board,
and composed of one member appointed by the United Nations, one representative
of the United Kingdom and one representative of the State concerned, should be
established. Any dispute between the United Kingdom and the State respecting
claims not recognized by the latter should be referred to that Court.
Commercial concessions granted in respect of any part of
Palestine prior to the adoption of the resolution by the General Assembly shall
continue to be valid according to their terms, unless modified by agreement
between the concession-holders and the State.
Chapter 4: Miscellaneous Provisions
The provisions of chapters 1 and 2 of the declaration shall
be under the guarantee of the United Nations, and no modifications shall be
made in them without the assent of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Any Member of the United Nations shall have the right to bring to the attention
of the General Assembly any infraction or danger of infraction of any of these
stipulations, and the General Assembly may thereupon make such recommendations
as it may deem proper in the circumstances.
Any dispute relating to the application or interpretation of
this declaration shall be referred, at the request of either party, to the
International Court of Justice, unless the parties agree to another mode of
settlement.
D. ECONOMIC UNION AND TRANSIT
The Provisional Council of Government of each State shall
enter into an undertaking with respect to Economic Union and Transit. This
undertaking shall be drafted by the Commission provided for in section B,
paragraph 1, utilizing to the greatest possible extent the advice
and cooperation of representative organizations and bodies
from each of the proposed States. It shall contain provisions to establish the
Economic Union of Palestine and provide for other matters of common interest.
If by 1 April 1948 the Provisional Councils of Government have not entered into
the undertaking, the undertaking shall be put into force by the Commission.
The Economic Union of Palestine
The objectives of the Economic Union of Palestine shall be:
A customs union;
A joint currency system providing for a single foreign
exchange rate;
Operation in the common interest on a non-discriminatory
basis of railways inter-State highways; postal, telephone and telegraphic
services and ports and airports involved in international trade and commerce;
Joint economic development, especially in respect of
irrigation, land reclamation and soil conservation;
Access for both States and for the City of Jerusalem on a
non-discriminatory basis to water and power facilities.
There shall be established a Joint Economic Board, which
shall consist of three representatives of each of the two States and three
foreign members appointed by the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations. The foreign members shall be appointed in the first instance for a
term of three years; they shall serve as individuals and not as representatives
of States.
The functions of the Joint Economic Board shall be to
implement either directly or by delegation the measures necessary to realize
the objectives of the Economic Union. It shall have all powers of organization
and administration necessary to fulfil its functions.
The States shall bind themselves to put into effect the
decisions of the Joint Economic Board. The Board's decisions shall be taken by
a majority vote.
In the event of failure of a State to take the necessary action
the Board may, by a vote of six members, decide to withhold an appropriate
portion of the part of the customs revenue to which the State in question is
entitled under the Economic Union. Should the State persist in its failure to
cooperate, the Board may decide by a simple majority vote upon such further
sanctions, including disposition of funds which it has withheld, as it may deem
appropriate.
In relation to economic development, the functions of the
Board shall be planning, investigation and encouragement of joint development
projects, but it shall not undertake such projects except with the assent of
both States and the City of Jerusalem, in the event that Jerusalem is directly
involved in the development project.
In regard to the joint currency system, the currencies
circulating in the two States and the City of Jerusalem shall be issued under
the authority of the Joint Economic Board, which shall be the sole issuing
authority and which shall determine the reserves to be held against such
currencies.
So far as is consistent with paragraph 2(b) above, each
State may operate its own central bank, control its own fiscal and credit
policy, its foreign exchange receipts and expenditures, the grant of import
licences, and may conduct international financial operations on its own faith
and credit. During the first two years after the termination of the Mandate,
the Joint Economic Board shall have the authority to take such measures as may
be necessary to ensure that - to the extent that the total foreign exchange
revenues of the two States from the export of goods and services permit, and
provided that each State takes appropriate measures to conserve its own foreign
exchange resources - each State shall have available, in any twelve months'
period, foreign exchange sufficient to assure the supply of quantities of
imported goods and services for consumption in its territory equivalent to the
quantities of such goods and services consumed in that territory in the twelve
months' period ending 31 December 1947.
All economic authority not specifically vested in the Joint
Economic Board is reserved to each State.
There shall be a common customs tariff with complete freedom
of trade between the States, and between the States and the City of Jerusalem.
The tariff schedules shall be drawn up by a Tariff
Commission, consisting of representatives of each of the States in equal
numbers, and shall be submitted to the Joint Economic Board for approval by a
majority vote. In case of disagreement in the Tariff Commission, the Joint
Economic Board shall arbitrate the points of difference. In the event that the
Tariff Commission fails to draw up any schedule by a date to be fixed, the
Joint Economic Board shall determine the tariff schedule.
The following items shall be a first charge on the customs
and other common revenue of the Joint Economic Board:
The expenses of the customs service and of the operation of
the joint services;
The administrative expenses of the Joint Economic Board;
The financial obligations of the Administration of
Palestine, consisting of:
The service of the outstanding public debt;
The cost of superannuation benefits, now being paid or
falling due in the future, in accordance with the rules and to the extent
established by paragraph 3 of chapter 3 above.
After these obligations have been met in full, the surplus
revenue from the customs and other common services shall be divided in the
following manner: not less than 5 per cent and not more than 10 per cent to the
City of Jerusalem; the residue shall be allocated to each State by the Joint
Economic Board equitably, with the objective of maintaining a sufficient and
suitable level of government and social services in each State, except that the
share of either State shall not exceed the amount of that State's contribution
to the revenues of the Economic Union by more than approximately four million
pounds in any year. The amount granted may be adjusted by the Board according
to the price level in relation to the prices prevailing at the time of the
establishment of the Union. After five years, the principles of the
distribution of the joint revenue may be revised by the Joint Economic Board on
a basis of equity.
All international conventions and treaties affecting customs
tariff rates, and those communications services under the jurisdiction of the
Joint Economic Board, shall be entered into by both States. In these matters,
the two States shall be bound to act in accordance with the majority of the
Joint Economic Board.
The Joint Economic Board shall endeavour to secure for
Palestine's exports fair and equal access to world markets.
All enterprises operated by the Joint Economic Board shall
pay fair wages on a uniform basis.
Freedom of Transit and Visit
The undertaking shall contain provisions preserving freedom
of transit and visit for all residents or citizens of both States and of the
City of Jerusalem, subject to security considerations; provided that each State
and the City shall control residence within its borders.
Termination, Modification and Interpretation of the
Undertaking
The undertaking and any treaty issuing therefrom shall
remain in force for a period of ten years. It shall continue in force until
notice of termination, to take effect two years thereafter, is given by either
of the parties.
During the initial ten-year period, the undertaking and any
treaty issuing therefrom may not be modified except by consent of both parties
and with the approval of the General Assembly.
Any dispute relating to the application or the
interpretation of the undertaking and any treaty issuing therefrom shall be
referred, at the request of either party, to the International Court Of
Justice, unless the parties agree to another mode of settlement.
E. ASSETS
The movable assets of the Administration of Palestine shall
be allocated to the Arab and Jewish States and the City of Jerusalem on an
equitable basis. Allocations should be made by the United Nations Commission
referred to iii section B, paragraph 1, above. Immovable assets shall become
the property of the government of the territory in which they are situated.
During the period between the appointment of the United
Nations Commission and the termination of the Mandate, the mandatory Power
shall, except in respect of ordinary operations, consult with the Commission on
any measure which it may contemplate involving the liquidation, disposal or
encumbering of the assets of the Palestine Government, such as the accumulated
treasury surplus, the proceeds of Government bond issues, State lands or any
other asset.
F. ADMISSION TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE UNITED NATIONS
When the independence of either the Arab or the Jewish State
as envisaged in this plan has become effective and the declaration and
undertaking, as envisaged in this plan, have been signed by either of them,
sympathetic consideration should be given to its application for admission to
membership in the United Nations in accordance with article 4 of the Charter of
the United Nations.
Part II. - Boundaries
A. THE ARAB STATE
The area of the Arab State in Western Galilee is bounded on
the west by the Mediterranean and on the north by the frontier of the Lebanon
from Ras en Naqura to a point north of Saliha. From there the boundary proceeds
southwards, leaving the built-up area of Saliha in the Arab State, to join the
southernmost point of this village. There it follows the western boundary line
of the villages of 'Alma, Rihaniya and Teitaba, thence following the northern
boundary line of Meirun village to join the Acre-Safad Sub-District boundary
line. It follows this line to a point west of Es Sammu'i village and joins it
again at the northernmost point of Farradiya. Thence it follows the
sub-district boundary line to the Acre-Safad main road. From here it follows
the western boundary of Kafr-I'nan village until it reaches the Tiberias-Acre
Sub-District boundary line, passing to the west of the junction of the
Acre-Safad and Lubiya-Kafr-I'nan roads. From the south-west corner of
Kafr-I'nan village the boundary line follows the western boundary of the
Tiberias Sub-District to a point close to the boundary line between the
villages of Maghar and 'Eilabun, thence bulging out to the west to include as
much of the eastern part of the plain of Battuf as is necessary for the
reservoir proposed by the Jewish Agency for the irrigation of lands to the
south and east.
The boundary rejoins the Tiberias Sub-District boundary at a
point on the Nazareth-Tiberias road south-east of the built-up area of Tur'an;
thence it runs southwards, at first following the sub-district boundary and
then passing between the Kadoorie Agricultural School and Mount Tabor, to a
point due south at the base of Mount Tabor. From here it runs due west,
parallel to the horizontal grid line 230, to the north-east corner of the
village lands of Tel Adashim. It then runs to the northwest corner of these
lands, whence it turns south and west so as to include in the Arab State the
sources of the Nazareth water supply in Yafa village. On reaching Ginneiger it
follows the eastern, northern and western boundaries of the lands of this
village to their south-west comer, whence it proceeds in a straight line to a
point on the Haifa-Afula railway on the boundary between the villages of Sarid
and El-Mujeidil. This is the point of intersection. The south-western boundary
of the area of the Arab State in Galilee takes a line from this point, passing
northwards along the eastern boundaries of Sarid and Gevat to the north-eastern
corner of Nahalal, proceeding thence across the land of Kefar ha Horesh to a
central point on the southern boundary of the village of 'Ilut, thence
westwards along that village boundary to the eastern boundary of Beit Lahm,
thence northwards and north-eastwards along its western boundary to the north-eastern
corner of Waldheim and thence north-westwards across the village lands of Shafa
'Amr to the southeastern corner of Ramat Yohanan. From here it runs due
north-north-east to a point on the Shafa 'Amr-Haifa road, west of its junction
with the road of I'billin. From there it proceeds north-east to a point on the
southern boundary of I'billin situated to the west of the I'billin-Birwa road.
Thence along that boundary to its westernmost point, whence it turns to the
north, follows across the village land of Tamra to the north-westernmost corner
and along the western boundary of Julis until it reaches the Acre-Safad road.
It then runs westwards along the southern side of the Safad-Acre road to the
Galilee-Haifa District boundary, from which point it follows that boundary to
the sea.
The boundary of the hill country of Samaria and Judea starts
on the Jordan River at the Wadi Malih south-east of Beisan and runs due west to
meet the Beisan-Jericho road and then follows the western side of that road in
a north-westerly direction to the junction of the boundaries of the
Sub-Districts of Beisan, Nablus, and Jenin. From that point it follows the
Nablus-Jenin sub-District boundary westwards for a distance of about three
kilometres and then turns north-westwards, passing to the east of the built-up
areas of the villages of Jalbun and Faqqu'a, to the boundary of the
Sub-Districts of Jenin and Beisan at a point northeast of Nuris. Thence it
proceeds first northwestwards to a point due north of the built-up area of
Zie'in and then westwards to the Afula-Jenin railway, thence north-westwards
along the District boundary line to the point of intersection on the Hejaz
railway. From here the boundary runs southwestwards, including the built-up
area and some of the land of the village of Kh. Lid in the Arab State to cross
the Haifa-Jenin road at a point on the district boundary between Haifa and
Samaria west of El- Mansi. It follows this boundary to the southernmost point
of the village of El-Buteimat. From here it follows the northern and eastern
boundaries of the village of Ar'ara rejoining the Haifa-Samaria district
boundary at Wadi 'Ara, and thence proceeding south-south-westwards in an
approximately straight line joining up with the western boundary of Qaqun to a
point east of the railway line on the eastern boundary of Qaqun village. From
here it runs along the railway line some distance to the east of it to a point
just east of the Tulkarm railway station. Thence the boundary follows a line
half-way between the railway and the Tulkarm-Qalqiliya-Jaljuliya and Ras El-Ein
road to a point just east of Ras El-Ein station, whence it proceeds along the
railway some distance to the east of it to the point on the railway line south
of the junction of the Haifa-Lydda and Beit Nabala lines, whence it proceeds along
the southern border of Lydda airport to its south-west corner, thence in a
south-westerly direction to a point just west of the built-up area of Sarafand
El 'Amar, whence it turns south, passing just to the west of the built-up area
of Abu El-Fadil to the north-east corner of the lands of Beer Ya'aqov. (The
boundary line should be so demarcated as to allow direct access from the Arab
State to the airport.) Thence the boundary line follows the western and
southern boundaries of Ramle village, to the north-east corner of El Na'ana
village, thence in a straight line to the southernmost point of El Barriya,
along the eastern boundary of that village and the southern boundary of 'Innaba
village. Thence it turns north to follow the southern side of the Jaffa-Jerusalem
road until El-Qubab, whence it follows the road to the boundary of Abu-Shusha.
It runs along the eastern boundaries of Abu Shusha, Seidun, Hulda to the
southernmost point of Hulda, thence westwards in a straight line to the
north-eastern corner of Umm Kalkha, thence following the northern boundaries of
Umm Kalkha, Qazaza and the northern and western boundaries of Mukhezin to the
Gaza District boundary and thence runs across the village lands of El-Mismiya
El-Kabira, and Yasur to the southern point of intersection, which is midway
between the built-up areas of Yasur and Batani Sharqi.
From the southern point of intersection the boundary lines
run north-westwards between the villages of Gan Yavne and Barqa to the sea at a
point half way between Nabi Yunis and Minat El-Qila, and south-eastwards to a
point west of Qastina, whence it turns in a south-westerly direction, passing
to the east of the built-up areas of Es Sawafir Esh Sharqiya and 'Ibdis. From
the south-east corner of 'Ibdis village it runs to a point southwest of the
built-up area of Beit 'Affa, crossing the Hebron-El-Majdal road just to the
west of the built-up area of 'Iraq Suweidan. Thence it proceeds southward along
the western village boundary of El-Faluja to the Beersheba Sub-District boundary.
It then runs across the tribal lands of 'Arab El-Jubarat to a point on the
boundary between the Sub-Districts of Beersheba and Hebron north of Kh.
Khuweilifa, whence it proceeds in a south-westerly direction to a point on the
Beersheba-Gaza main road two kilometres to the north-west of the town. It then
turns south-eastwards to reach Wadi Sab' at a point situated one kilometer to
the west of it. From here it turns north-eastwards and proceeds along Wadi Sab'
and along the Beersheba-Hebron road for a distance of one kilometer, whence it
turns eastwards and runs in a straight line to Kh. Kuseifa to join the
Beersheba-Hebron Sub-District boundary. It then follows the Beersheba-Hebron
boundary eastwards to a point north of Ras Ez-Zuweira, only departing from it
so as to cut across the base of the indentation between vertical grid lines 150
and 160.
About five kilometres north-east of Ras Ez-Zuweira it turns
north, excluding from the Arab State a strip along the coast of the Dead Sea
not more than seven kilometres in depth, as far as 'Ein Geddi, whence it turns
due east to join the Transjordan frontier in the Dead Sea.
The northern boundary of the Arab section of the coastal
plain runs from a point between Minat El-Qila and Nabi Yunis, passing between
the built-up areas of Gan Yavne and Barqa to the point of intersection. From
here it turns south-westwards, running across the lands of Batani Sharqi, along
the eastern boundary of the lands of Beit Daras and across the lands of Julis,
leaving the built-up areas of Batani Sharqi and Julis to the westwards, as far
as the north-west corner of the lands of Beit-Tima. Thence it runs east of
El-Jiya across the village lands of El-Barbara along the eastern boundaries of
the villages of Beit Jirja, Deir Suneid and Dimra. From the south-east corner
of Dimra the boundary passes across the lands of Beit Hanun, leaving the Jewish
lands of Nir-Am to the eastwards. From the south-east corner of Beit Hanun the
line runs south-west to a point south of the parallel grid line 100, then turns
north-west for two kilometres, turning again in a southwesterly direction and
continuing in an almost straight line to the north-west corner of the village
lands of Kirbet Ikhza'a. From there it follows the boundary line of this
village to its southernmost point. It then runs in a southerly direction along
the vertical grid line 90 to its junction with the horizontal grid line 70. It
then turns south-eastwards to Kh. El-Ruheiba and then proceeds in a southerly
direction to a point known as El-Baha, beyond which it crosses the Beersheba-EI
'Auja main road to the west of Kh. El-Mushrifa. From there it joins Wadi
El-Zaiyatin just to the west of El-Subeita. From there it turns to the
north-east and then to the south-east following this Wadi and passes to the
east of 'Abda to join Wadi Nafkh. It then bulges to the south-west along Wadi
Nafkh, Wadi 'Ajrim and Wadi Lassan to the point where Wadi Lassan crosses the
Egyptian frontier.
The area of the Arab enclave of Jaffa consists of that part
of the town-planning area of Jaffa which lies to the west of the Jewish
quarters lying south of Tel-Aviv, to the west of the continuation of Herzl
street up to its junction with the Jaffa-Jerusalem road, to the south-west of
the section of the Jaffa-Jerusalem road lying south-east of that junction, to
the west of Miqve Yisrael lands, to the northwest of Holon local council area,
to the north of the line linking up the north-west corner of Holon with the
northeast corner of Bat Yam local council area and to the north of Bat Yam
local council area. The question of Karton quarter will be decided by the
Boundary Commission, bearing in mind among other considerations the
desirability of including the smallest possible number of its Arab inhabitants
and the largest possible number of its Jewish inhabitants in the Jewish State.
B. THE JEWISH STATE
The north-eastern sector of the Jewish State (Eastern
Galilee) is bounded on the north and west by the Lebanese frontier and on the
east by the frontiers of Syria and Trans-jordan. It includes the whole of the
Huleh Basin, Lake Tiberias, the whole of the Beisan Sub-District, the boundary
line being extended to the crest of the Gilboa mountains and the Wadi Malih.
From there the Jewish State extends north-west, following the boundary described
in respect of the Arab State. The Jewish section of the coastal plain extends
from a point between Minat El-Qila and Nabi Yunis in the Gaza Sub-District and
includes the towns of Haifa and Tel-Aviv, leaving Jaffa as an enclave of the
Arab State. The eastern frontier of the Jewish State follows the boundary
described in respect of the Arab State.
The Beersheba area comprises the whole of the Beersheba
Sub-District, including the Negeb and the eastern part of the Gaza
Sub-District, but excluding the town of Beersheba and those areas described in
respect of the Arab State. It includes also a strip of land along the Dead Sea
stretching from the Beersheba-Hebron Sub-District boundary line to 'Ein Geddi,
as described in respect of the Arab State.
C. THE CITY OF JERUSALEM
The boundaries of the City of Jerusalem are as defined in
the recommendations on the City of Jerusalem. (See Part III, section B, below).
Part III. - City of Jerusalem
A. SPECIAL REGIME
The City of Jerusalem shall be established as a corpus
separatum under a special international regime and shall be administered by the
United Nations. The Trusteeship Council shall be designated to discharge the
responsibilities of the Administering Authority on behalf of the United
Nations.
B. BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY
The City of Jerusalem shall include the present municipality
of Jerusalem plus the surrounding villages and towns, the most eastern of which
shall be Abu Dis; the most southern, Bethlehem; the most western, 'Ein Karim
(including also the built-up area of Motsa); and the most northern Shu'fat, as
indicated on the attached sketch-map (annex B).
C. STATUTE OF THE CITY
The Trusteeship Council shall, within five months of the
approval of the present plan, elaborate and approve a detailed statute of the
City which shall contain, inter alia, the substance of the following
provisions:
Government machinery; special objectives. The Administering
Authority in discharging its administrative obligations shall pursue the
following special objectives:
To protect and to preserve the unique spiritual and
religious interests located in the city of the three great monotheistic faiths
throughout the world, Christian, Jewish and Moslem; to this end to ensure that
order and peace, and especially religious peace, reign in Jerusalem;
To foster cooperation among all the inhabitants of the city
in their own interests as well as in order to encourage and support the
peaceful development of the mutual relations between the two Palestinian
peoples throughout the Holy Land; to promote the security, well-being and any
constructive measures of development of the residents having regard to the
special circumstances and customs of the various peoples and communities.
Governor and Administrative staff. A Governor of the City of
Jerusalem shall be appointed by the Trusteeship Council and shall be
responsible to it. He shall be selected on the basis of special qualifications
and without regard to nationality. He shall not, however, be a citizen of
either State in Palestine.
The Governor shall represent the United Nations in the City
and shall exercise on their behalf all powers of administration, including the
conduct of external affairs. He shall be assisted by an administrative staff
classed as international officers in the meaning of Article 100 of the Charter
and chosen whenever practicable from the residents of the city and of the rest
of Palestine on a non-discriminatory basis. A detailed plan for the
organization of the administration of the city shall be submitted by the Governor
to the Trusteeship Council and duly approved by it.
3. Local autonomy
The existing local autonomous units in the territory of the
city (villages, townships and municipalities) shall enjoy wide powers of local
government and administration.
The Governor shall study and submit for the consideration
and decision of the Trusteeship Council a plan for the establishment of special
town units consisting, respectively, of the Jewish and Arab sections of new
Jerusalem. The new town units shall continue to form part the present
municipality of Jerusalem.
Security measures
The City of Jerusalem shall be demilitarized; neutrality
shall be declared and preserved, and no para-military formations, exercises or
activities shall be permitted within its borders.
Should the administration of the City of Jerusalem be
seriously obstructed or prevented by the non-cooperation or interference of one
or more sections of the population the Governor shall have authority to take
such measures as may be necessary to restore the effective functioning of
administration.
To assist in the maintenance of internal law and order,
especially for the protection of the Holy Places and religious buildings and
sites in the city, the Governor shall organize a special police force of
adequate strength, the members of which shall be recruited outside of
Palestine. The Governor shall be empowered to direct such budgetary provision
as may be necessary for the maintenance of this force.
Legislative Organization.
A Legislative Council, elected by adult residents of the
city irrespective of nationality on the basis of universal and secret suffrage
and proportional representation, shall have powers of legislation and taxation.
No legislative measures shall, however, conflict or interfere with the
provisions which will be set forth in the Statute of the City, nor shall any
law, regulation, or official action prevail over them. The Statute shall grant
to the Governor a right of vetoing bills inconsistent with the provisions
referred to in the preceding sentence. It shall also empower him to promulgate
temporary ordinances in case the Council fails to adopt in time a bill deemed
essential to the normal functioning of the administration.
Administration of Justice.
The Statute shall provide for the establishment of an
independent judiciary system, including a court of appeal. All the inhabitants
of the city shall be subject to it.
Economic Union and Economic Regime.
The City of Jerusalem shall be included in the Economic
Union of Palestine and be bound by all stipulations of the undertaking and of
any treaties issued therefrom, as well as by the decisions of the Joint
Economic Board. The headquarters of the Economic Board shall be established in
the territory City. The Statute shall provide for the regulation of economic
matters not falling within the regime of the Economic Union, on the basis of
equal treatment and non-discrimination for all members of thc United Nations
and their nationals.
Freedom of Transit and Visit: Control of residents.
Subject to considerations of security, and of economic
welfare as determined by the Governor under the directions of the Trusteeship
Council, freedom of entry into, and residence within the borders of the City
shall be guaranteed for the residents or citizens of the Arab and Jewish
States. Immigration into, and residence within, the borders of the city for
nationals of other States shall be controlled by the Governor under the
directions of the Trusteeship Council.
Relations with Arab and Jewish States. Representatives of
the Arab and Jewish States shall be accredited to the Governor of the City and
charged with the protection of the interests of their States and nationals in
connection with the international administration of thc City.
Official languages.
Arabic and Hebrew shall be the official languages of the
city. This will not preclude the adoption of one or more additional working
languages, as may be required.
Citizenship.
All the residents shall become ipso facto citizens of the
City of Jerusalem unless they opt for citizenship of the State of which they
have been citizens or, if Arabs or Jews, have filed notice of intention to
become citizens of the Arab or Jewish State respectively, according to Part 1,
section B, paragraph 9, of this Plan.
The Trusteeship Council shall make arrangements for consular
protection of the citizens of the City outside its territory.
Freedoms of citizens
Subject only to the requirements of public order and morals,
the inhabitants of the City shall be ensured the enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, including freedom of conscience, religion and worship,
language, education, speech and press, assembly and association, and petition.
No discrimination of any kind shall be made between the
inhabitants on the grounds of race, religion, language or sex.
All persons within the City shall be entitled to equal
protection of the laws.
The family law and personal status of the various persons
and communities and their religious interests, including endowments, shall be
respected.
Except as may be required for the maintenance of public
order and good government, no measure shall be taken to obstruct or interfere
with the enterprise of religious or charitable bodies of all faiths or to
discriminate against any representative or member of these bodies on the ground
of his religion or nationality.
The City shall ensure adequate primary and secondary
education for the Arab and Jewish communities respectively, in their own
languages and in accordance with their cultural traditions.
The right of each community to maintain its own schools for
the education of its own members in its own language, while conforming to such
educational requirements of a general nature as the City may impose, shall not
be denied or impaired. Foreign educational establishments shall continue their
activity on the basis of their existing rights.
No restriction shall be imposed on the free use by any
inhabitant of the City of any language in private intercourse, in commerce, in
religion, in the Press or in publications of any kind, or at public meetings.
Holy Places
Existing rights in respect of Holy Places and religious
buildings or sites shall not be denied or impaired.
Free access to the Holy Places and religious buildings or
sites and the free exercise of worship shall be secured in conformity with
existing rights and subject to the requirements of public order and decorum.
Holy Places and religious buildings or sites shall be
preserved. No act shall be permitted which may in any way impair their sacred
character. If at any time it appears to the Governor that any particular Holy
Place, religious building or site is in need of urgent repair, the Governor may
call upon the community or communities concerned to carry out such repair. The
Governor may carry it out himself at the expense of the community or
communities concerned if no action is taken within a reasonable time.
No taxation shall be levied in respect of any Holy Place,
religious building or site which was exempt from taxation on the date of the
creation of the City. No change in the incidence of such taxation shall be made
which would either discriminate between the owners or occupiers of Holy Places,
religious buildings or sites or would place such owners or occupiers in a
position less favourable in relation to the general incidence of taxation than
existed at the time of the adoption of the Assembly's recommendations.
Special powers of the Governor in respect of the Holy
Places, religious buildings and sites in the City and in any part of Palestine.
The protection of the Holy Places, religious buildings and
sites located in the City of Jerusalem shall be a special concern of the
Governor.
With relation to such places, buildings and sites in
Palestine outside the city, the Governor shall determine, on the ground of
powers granted to him by the Constitution of both States, whether the
provisions of the Constitution of the Arab and Jewish States in Palestine
dealing therewith and the religious rights appertaining thereto are being
properly applied and respected.
The Governor shall also be empowered to make decisions on
the basis of existing rights in cases of disputes which may arise between the
different religious communities or the rites of a religious community in
respect of the Holy Places, religious buildings and sites in any part of
Palestine.
In this task he may be assisted by a consultative council of
representatives of different denominations acting in an advisory capacity.
D. DURATION OF THE SPECIAL REGIME
The Statute elaborated by the Trusteeship Council the
aforementioned principles shall come into force not later than 1 October 1948.
It shall remain in force in the first instance for a period of ten years,
unless the Trusteeship Council finds it necessary to undertake a re-examination
of these provisions at an earlier date. After the expiration of this period the
whole scheme shall be subject to examination by the Trusteeship Council in the
light of experience acquired with its functioning. The residents the City shall
be then free to express by means of a referendum their wishes as to possible
modifications of regime of the City.
Part IV. Capitulations
States whose nationals have in the past enjoyed in Palestine
the privileges and immunities of foreigners, including the benefits of consular
jurisdiction and protection, as formerly enjoyed by capitulation or usage in
the Ottoman Empire, are invited to renounce any right pertaining to them to the
re-establishment of such privileges and immunities in the proposed Arab and
Jewish States and the City of Jerusalem.
Adopted at the 128th plenary
meeting:
POST SCRIPT:
This UN Resolution is a very, very long document. Its length
suggests it is thorough. Clearly, care was put into designing this Resolution. It certainly appears serious enough.
One would think that such a long and detailed document meant
something. One might even assume that the reason for such thoroughness and
detail was to make sure these two states could survive. It certainly seemed
at the time (1947) reasonable to believe that the UN, through the mandates laid
down in its Charter, was (through Resolution 181) leaving no stone unturned in
order to create two states for two peoples.
But such reasonable thinking proved to be false. Post-Resolution
181, Israel received nothing. Nothing was enforced. No aid was given. Nothing.
Therefore, on November 29th of each year, Israel should remind
the UN of its gross failure to support and protect Israel. Israel should remind
the UN of its perfidy towards Israel—then, and today.
This perfidy began in 1948 with the UN implicitly promising peace and
security for all--and then doing nothing for Israel as Arab armies intent upon
Israel’s destruction attacked the new Jewish state with impunity. Indeed,
each November 29th, it might be a good idea for Israel to describe in
detail the UN’s hypocrisy and criminal neglect which has come to characterize the
UN’s behavior towards Israel ever since.
