The Contemporary Middle East. A Documentary History

E. ASSETS

[The following section concerns the “equitable distribution” between the Arabs and

Jews of the “movable assets” of the British administration in Palestine.]

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

[This section lays out the boundaries of the Arab state, the Jewish state, and the city

of Jerusalem, as shown on an accompanying map, p. 57.]

PART III

[This section describes provisions for the administration, by the United Nations, of

the City of Jerusalem, including neighboring towns and villages.]

PART IV

[This section requests that foreign countries renounce any special privileges (known

as capitulations) that they enjoyed in Palestine in the past.]

SOURCE:United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL), http://domino.un.org/

UNISPAL.NSF/a06f2943c226015c85256c40005d359c/7f0af2bd897689b785256c330061d253!OpenDocument.

Founding of the State of Israel

DOCUMENT IN CONTEXT

Most of the diplomatic maneuvering over Palestine ended with the UN General Assem-
bly’s approval of a partition plan, in Resolution 181, in late November 1947. The assem-
bly’s action also moved into high gear the attempts by Arabs and Jews to gain the upper
hand through military force. In retrospect, it must be understood that the Arabs, enjoy-
ing overt support from neighboring countries and tacit support from the British gov-
ernment, were thought at the time to have the advantage over the Jews, who were out-
numbered. At the same time, however, the Arabs were disorganized and indecisive.
After more than thirty years of neocolonial rule, Britain planned to pull out of
Palestine on May 14, 1948. As this date approached, the British gradually reduced
their presence in Palestine, while armed conflict escalated between Arabs and Jews and

ARABS AND ISRAELIS 67