Alison WeirTo better understand the Palestinian bid for membership in the United Nations, it is important to understand the original 1947 U.N. action on Israel-Palestine.
The common representation of Israel’s birth is that the U.N. created Israel, that the world was in favor of this move, and that the U.S. governmental establishment supported it. All these assumptions are demonstrably incorrect.
In reality, while the U.N. General Assembly recommended the creation of a Jewish state in part of Palestine, that recommendation was non-binding and never implemented by the Security Council.
Second, the General Assembly passed that recommendation only after Israel proponents threatened and bribed numerous countries in order to gain a required two-thirds of votes.
Third, the U.S. administration supported the recommendation out of domestic electoral considerations and took this position over the strenuous objections of the State Department, the CIA, and the Pentagon.
The passage of the General Assembly recommendation sparked increased violence in the region. Over the following months the armed wing of the pro-Israel movement, which had long been preparing for war, perpetrated a series of massacres and expulsions throughout Palestine, implementing a plan to clear the way for a majority-Jewish state.
It is interesting to study the 1948 war. There were many "Arab" and "Jewish" factions and the relationships between them [even allies] was difficult.
ReplyDeleteAt the time, few people were more surprised by their victories than the Jewish militias. The Arab militias and Arab armies were similarly surprised by the victories by the Jewish militias.
The USSR, Yugoslavia and Eastern Block provided massive support to the Jewish militias. Plus the Jewish militias reached "understandings" with the Trans Jordanian and other Arab armies.
The Jewish militias were fighting for "partition" . . . "divorce" and regional autonomy/independence, much as the Confederates fought for their freedom in the American civil war 1861-1865.
Many of the Arab militias were fighting for preserving the Union, working out the marraige, unity. Similar to Abe Lincoln in the American civil war.
There were many close friendships between the Arab and Jewish armies during that time. People who saw each other as brothers and loved each other. [Another similarity with the US civil war.]
All civil wars are deeply tragic, and the great Palestinian civil war of 1948 was no exception. Sad beyond belief.
So sad that so many Jewish, Sunni, Christian and Atheist Palestinians that had fought shoulder to shoulder against harsh British and Ottoman Turkish occupation fought each other in fratercide during the 1948 Palestinian civil war.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the League of Nations' Interim Report on the Civil Administration of Palestine, the population of Palestine in 1920 consisted of:
ReplyDelete-76 thousand Jewish Palestinians
-77 thousand Christian Palestinians
-547 thousand Sunni, Shiite and Atheist Palestinians
Because of widespread legal immigration, by 1948, according to a UNSCOP report the population was:
-1,292 thousand Sunni, Shiite, Atheist and Christian Palestinians
-608 thousand Jewish Palestinians
While there were many legal muslim immigrants to Palestine between 1920 and 1948, there were more Jewish immigrants [many of which were from Arab and muslim countries.]
Many investors that happened to be of the Jewish faith bought large amounts of property in Palestine. Many non Jewish foreign investors also bought large quantities of Palestinian property.
Plus many local muslims and Christians bought large quantities of Palestinian property.
Unfortunately the British messed up the processing of legal deeds, causing many problems to this day. Today, for example, Israel [and Palestine for that matter] ranks as one of the worst countries in the world in terms of property with disputed legal status.
Bibi Netanyahu has called this one of the largest single reasons for why Israeli GDP is a fraction of what it should be.
In many cases property is undeveloped because of confusion over legal status.
It is extremely important for Turkish and British courts to rule on property deads in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank and pay tens of billions or hundreds of billions of dollars in compensation to all property dead holders. This has to happen ASAP. Before a final legal settlement to the Palestinian question, in my view.
Later on, under a peace agreement, as much stock, equity [including venture capital], debt, derivative, property, land, should to transfered to the Palestinian legal system for regulation and taxation.
ReplyDeleteOr if there is a one state solution, then all of this would be handled by the Israeli legal system; though Palestinians would get Israeli citizenship.
One of the large problems in Palestine today is that tax revenue covers only half of the Palestinian governement's expenditure. Half of all Palestinian government spending is paid for with grants from the international community. It is important to maximize the tax revenue of the Palestinian state in a two way solution.
ReplyDeleteHere is one idea. Israel/Palestine are building the largest desalinization plants in the world to convert ocean water to drinking water and agriculture water.
The Palestine governement can negotiate 90% ownership of these desalinization water plants. The profits from these water plants can come in handy.
Fantasy writing..
ReplyDeleteYou should try writing fantasy novels, you have a vast imagination.
ReplyDeleteFantasy ..Sounds like <span>Diarrhea to me. </span>
ReplyDelete<span>This article by Alison Weir is very well written , and very informative It's a real pity some idiot like anan takes the oppertunity to vandalise it with some </span><span>Gibberish</span><span> </span>
ReplyDeleteVandalising is a big word for what this cretin is posting. Pigeon droppings at best
ReplyDelete