WHO IS STANDING IN THE WAY OF
A PALESTINIAN STATE?
There have been allegations that it is the Israeli “occupation” that is
standing in the way of Palestinian statehood -- but it this the truth?
THE FIRST CLEAR CHANCE FOR A
PALESTINIAN STATE WAS REJECTED BY THE ARAB NATIONS, NOT THE ISRAELIS
• In 1517 “Palestine” and
most of the Middle East came under the control of the Ottoman Empire. After the Ottoman Turks were defeated in
1917, the region was temporarily assigned to Britain and France by the League
of Nations to prepare for self-government.
• The Arabs received a
total of twelve independent states and 3,500,000 square miles of land. In 1920, the League of Nations gave Great
Britain the Mandate for Palestine which included 45,000 sq. miles to hold in
trust for a Jewish homeland. But in
1921 the British subtracted 4/5ths (34,000) of that land and made it into a new
Arab country called Jordan.
• This time period was
marked by tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations which culminated in
the Arab riots of 1936. In 1937 the
British Peel commission recommended that the Mandate be partitioned further
into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
The Jewish state would comprise a tiny strip of land running from Tel
Aviv to Haifa and a little strip east of Haifa -- about 20% of what remained of
Palestine.
• The Zionist Congress
accepted the concept of partition, but the Arab leadership rejected it and so
the idea was abandoned by the British.
THE SECOND CLEAR CHANCE FOR A
PALESTINIAN STATE WAS REJECTED BY THE ARAB NATIONS, NOT THE ISRAELIS
• On November 29, 1947,
the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 partitioning the Mandate into a
Jewish state, an Arab state and a corpus
separatum under international jurisdiction for Jerusalem. On December 17, 1947 the Arab League adopted
a resolution totally rejecting the partition, declaring that they would use all
means at their disposal, including armed force, to prevent it.
• Had the Arab nations
accepted UN Resolution 181, not a single Palestinian or Jew would have become a
refugee and an independent Arab state would now exist beside Israel.
THE THIRD CLEAR CHANCE FOR A
PALESTINIAN STATE WAS REJECTED BY THE
ARAB NATIONS, NOT THE ISRAELIS
• Israel declared
Independence on May 14, 1948. The very
next day the League of Arab States collectively attacked the new Jewish State,
vowing to wipe it off the face of the earth.
The territory that was to have been the Arab Palestinian State under
U.N. Resolution 181 disappeared.
• From 1948 until 1967,
Gaza and the West Bank were occupied by Egypt and Jordan respectively. Neither country offered this land for an
independent Palestinian State. And
there were no calls for Palestinian Statehood on the part of the international
community or the Palestinians themselves until Israel took control of these
territories.
THE FOURTH CLEAR CHANCE FOR A
PALESTINIAN STATE WAS REJECTED BY THE
ARAB NATIONS, NOT THE ISRAELIS
• On May 16, 1967, Egyptian President
Gamal Nasser ordered U.N. peacekeeping forces out of the Sinai Peninsula. During the three weeks from May 16 to June 5
2007, Egypt, already in an alliance with Syria, formed an emergency military
pact with Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya and
Morocco and began sending forces to join the coming fight. President Nasser blocked the Straits of
Tiran cutting off Israel’s only oil supply. With troops and armor massing on
Israel’s every border, Egypt openly announced that “[t]he battle has come in which we shall destroy Israel” (Cairo
Radio). and the collective armies of
Egypt, Jordan, and Syria with assistance from Iraqi, Saudi, Algerian and
Kuwaiti troops lined up on the borders of Israel. There was no question of the Arab intent.
• Israel launched a pre-emptive
airstrike when they got intelligence that Egypt was within hours of attacking
them. Israel thus acquired the West
Bank, Gaza, Sinai and Golan Heights in self-defense.
• Days after the 6-day war of
1967, Israel tried to open negotiations
for land in return for peace treaties.
But the League of Arab States responded by saying: NO peace with Israel
NO
recognition of Israel, NO negotiations with Israel.
THE
FIFTH CLEAR CHANCE FOR A PALESTINIAN STATE WAS REJECTED BY THE ARAB NATIONS,
NOT THE ISRAELIS
• Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
made an initial offer at Camp David in 2000 which involved portions of the West
Bank. Yasser Arafat rejected the offer, made no counter offers and walked out
of the summit.
• In December -- just as his presidency
was coming to an end, President Clinton made a final proposal to both
sides. It was offered as a last and
final -- take it or leave it -- deal.
He verbally proposed that the Palestinians would get all of Gaza, 97% of
contiguous territory on the West Bank, East Jerusalem as the capital of a State
of Palestine, 3/ 4 of the Old City and a $30 billion dollar fund to compensate
refugees.
• The Israelis accepted this offer --
the Palestinians did not.
WHO
IS STANDING IN THE WAY OF A PALESTINIAN STATE?
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