League of Nations;^66 that where the Mandate was found to be inconsis-
tent with the Covenant, the latter would prevail; and that no nation
had the right to create a Mandate over Palestine and impose its will with-
out the consent of the inhabitants.
Rahman was challenging the basic premises of imperialism. At the
time of the Balfour Declaration or when the Mandate and Covenant of
the League were drafted, the “world” or “international community’ ” was
either Eu ro pe an or Eurocentric. Voices and rights of the “rest” did not
matter to those who decided the destiny of humanity.
The partition plan received widespread attention both because it was
endorsed by the majority members of the UNSCOP and because of its
subsequent ac cep tance by a majority of the UN members. It was therefore
closely examined, praised, or demonized. In contrast, the minority plan
received no attention, and it has largely been left to the Indians to vener-
ate its virtues. It is too tempting to believe that the federal plan was fool-
proof, fl awless, and could have eliminated all the ills of erstwhile Pales-
tine. The federal plan was not a remedy in 1947. It is not so six de cades
later. That it received meager attention should be seen as an indication of
its relevance, or otherwise.
The main features of the federal plan were:
- Palestine would be a federal and in de pen dent state;
- while the Mandate would be terminated soon, there would be a
transition administration whose tenure would not exceed three
years; - federal Palestine would consist of Arab and Jewish states;
- each state would enjoy internal autonomy excluding “national de-
fense, foreign relations, immigration, currency, taxation for federal
purposes, foreign and inter- state waterways, transport and com-
munication, copyrights and patent”;^67 - the federal state would have a bicameral legislature; and
- the constitution would safeguard, among other things, the equality
of all citizens with regard to po liti cal, civil, and religious rights of
the individual and linguistic, religious, ethnic, and cultural rights
of the people as a whole.
To ensure a smooth and functional transition, a three- year interim admin-
istration would be established toward preparing the necessary groundwork
for federal Palestine.
100 the partition of palestine