Am I Missing Something About Palestine?

gHari · April 30, 2003

I always thought that it was because of Islam's assisting Germany in World War II that prompted the UN as a punishment to force them to give up some land for the misplaced Jews to create a homeland.

Are they just whining about being punished for being aligned with Hitler? We are great; you can't punish us! Why should we give up our homes while other Arabs were also involved in the evil, yet they are not made homeless? What's the beef?

If that's it, then we should stop arguing with them about this and that red herring, and just state quite flatly: you were criminals and this is your sentence. The UN has decided; it could have been much worse. The Allies could have invaded, destroyed and assumed your entire empire. You got off lightly. Live with it. If we keep pointing out their crime to them, then eventually they will have to accept it. At least the truth will be plain for the next generations to accept. If this is the truth then there is no debate; and we should not allow them to pretend that there is.

gHari · May 2, 2003

It seems it was after World War One that the land was separated from the desert (from http://www.cdn-friends-icej.ca/un/181.html) :<blockquote>The Mandate for Palestine

July 24, 1922

The mandates for Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine were assigned by the Supreme Court of the League of Nations at its San Remo meeting in April 1920. Negotiations between Great Britain and the United States with regard to the Palestine mandate were successfully concluded in May 1922, and approved by the Council of the League of Nations in July 1922. The mandates for Palestine and Syria came into force simultaneously on September 29, 1922. In this document, the League of Nations recognized the "historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine" and the "grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country."

Text:

The Council of the League of Nations

Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have agreed, for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, to entrust to a Mandatory selected by the said Powers the administration of the territory of Palestine, which formerly belonged to the Turkish Empire, within such boundaries as may be fixed by them; and

Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have also agreed that the Mandatory should be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 2nd, 1917, by the Government of His Britannic Majesty, and adopted by the said Powers, in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country ; and

Whereas recognition has thereby been given to the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country; and

Whereas the Principal Allied Powers have selected His Britannic Majesty as the Mandatory for Palestine; and

Whereas the mandate in respect of Palestine has been formulated in the following terms and submitted to the Council of the League for approval; and

Whereas His Britannic Majesty has accepted the mandate in respect of Palestine and undertaken to exercise it on behalf of the League of Nations in conformity with the following provisions; and

Whereas by the afore-mentioned Article 22 (paragraph 8), it is provided that the degree of authority, control or administration to be exercised by the Mandatory, not having been previously agreed upon by the Members of the League, shall be explicitly defined by the Council of the League of Nations; [...]</blockquote>

Then in 1947 the United nations became involved (from same site) :<blockquote>United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state. It was approved on November 29, 1947 with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, 10 abstentions and one absent (see list at end of document).

The resolution was accepted by the Jews in Palestine, yet rejected by the Arabs in Palestine and the Arab states.</blockquote>