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IsraPundit has an excellent article on UN resolution 181 that brought into existence the State of Israel. United Nations General Assembly resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled palestine mandate [the 25% that was left of the mandated land, see the History page for details] into a Jewish State and an Arab State.
David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister
Israel's Independence, 1948
Today is the 55th anniversary of the UN vote on resolution 181, which approved the partition of the western part Palestine into a predominately Jewish state and a predominately Arab state. (It is vital to recall that the UN partition plan referred to western Palestine, to underscore that in 1921 the eastern part was ripped off the Jewish National Home by the British Government and handed over to the then Emir Abdullah.)The partition plan was approved by 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions.
The 33 countries that cast the “Yes” vote were: Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Union of South Africa, USSR, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela. (Among other countries, the list includes the US, the three British Dominions, all the European countries except for Greece and the UK, but including all the Soviet-block countries.)
The 13 countries that chose the Hall of Shame and voted “No” were: Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen. (Ten of these are Moslem countries; Greece has the special distinction of being the only European country to have joined the Hall of Shame.)
The ten countries that abstained are: Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia.
On November 30, 1947, the day following the vote, the Palestinian Arabs murdered six Jews in a bus making its way to Jerusalem, and proceeded to murder another Jew in the Tel-Aviv - Jaffa area. This was a prelude to a war that claimed the lives of 6,000 Jews, or 1% of the total Jewish population in 1948. This toll is the per capita equivalent of today’s Canada losing 300,000 lives, or the US losing 3,000,000. In addition, immediately after the UN vote, Arabs attacks their Jewish neighbours in a number of Arab countries, the murders in Syria’s Aleppo being the best known.
Bruised and bleeding, Israel prevailed nonetheless. May our sister-democracy thrive and flourish.
Many racists anti-Zionists believe that Israel came into being only after war and bloodshed. Indeed her Arab/Muslim neighbors did attack and lost many wars since 1948 (see the History page for details), but the State of Israel was created with the United Nations blessings.
The resolution was accepted by the Jews in the British mandate of Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in the mandate and the Arab states. Thanks to Nicole D. for the excellent tip on posting the details of UN resolution 181 and thanks to IsraPundit for the great research.
For the full text on UN Resolution 181 click here.
useful hasbara information
Posted by: geulah solomon on September 24, 2003 03:35 AMI love Israel!!!!
God bless the jewish people and state of Israel!
I would like to see the UN establish an impartial committee including members from both Israel and Palistine to determine tne permament borders (and wall) between the two states. This has to end !
Posted by: Ellen Dodge on May 2, 2006 02:08 PMi am so ashamed Turkey voted no!
so sorry, forgive us
There are specific reasons that Greece had to vote no.
In neighbouring Alexandria, Egypt at the time we had a thriving Greek community that the Nasser government send back to Greece in 1955.Before that Greece was literally subject to the Egyptian threats so we had to comply for fear of our population.Besides Greece had traditionally had very close links with the Arabs and that is why it took us 42 years to recognize Israel.We were the only country in the EU not to recognize Israel untill 1990.After 1990 Greece shifted her attitude to neutrality or even favouring Israel..again for concrete and special reasons.Our military has adopted the Israel ''dogma'' meaning that we intend to follow Israel's policy concerning defence as long as Turkey,FYROM and Albania are outside the EU.All of the above countries have land claims against Greece and we have realized that now we must turn to the Israelli model of defence.Greece is soon to be the second country in the world to draft women for obligatory millitary service....
The state of Israel means so much to many people and religions...The enemies are the arabes and moslims...They must be from another planet...This one belongs to the Jews and Israel. Long live Israel, long live Puerto Rico, long live the USA: as long as it remains an ally to Israel.
God bless Israel...!!!
Posted by: Jesus on November 28, 2007 05:33 PMHi, I just had a quick read of UN Resolution 181 and it is interesting, not least because at Ch.3(1) of Part C (the declaration) it provides that:
"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."
Now, if this is true then the citizenship of individual Palestinians is settled by reference to where they lived in 1979 (Camp David Accords - the first relevant recognition of the State of Israel under International Law). Thus when the much cited UN Resolution 194 (Right of Return) is read comformably with 181 (as it must be, not being manifestly inconsistent with it), the 'Right of Return' is limited solely to those areas to which the individual concerned (or their forebears) resode (or more importantly didn't) in 1979. If they did not reside in the State of Israel (or the 1948 boundaries) and are Arab, they are only entitled to return to either the West Bank or Gaza.
BTW Here is the full text of the UN Resolution:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/UN+General+Assembly+Resolution+181.htm
Get the word out, this completely nullifies the tiresome and oft-repeated assertion that Israel must allow itself to be populated out of existence by the Palestinians. It most assuredly does not.
Posted by: Aaron on July 4, 2008 10:59 PMFAIR USE NOTICE
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(According to digits.com)