Resolution 181 Flashcards
What was the UN Resolution 181?
The UN Resolution 181 was adopted in 1947, and proposed a plan to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states.
Key points of UN Resolution 181:
The plan proposed the creation of a Jewish state on about 55% of the land of Palestine. It proposed the establishment of an Arab state on about 45% of the land. Jerusalem was to be placed under international administration, not belonging to either the Jewish or the Arab state.
Why did Resolution 181 cause population transfer?
The plan envisioned that both the Jewish and Arab states would have territorial contiguity, but the borders were drawn in a way that would require significant population exchanges or land swaps.
Jewish reaction to Resolution 181
The Jewish leadership, led by David Ben-Gurion and the Jewish Agency, accepted the plan, despite the fact that it granted Jews only a portion of the land they had hoped to include in their state. The Jewish leadership viewed the plan as a steppingstone to the establishment of a Jewish homeland, even though it meant accepting partition, which some Zionist factions had opposed in principle. The acceptance of the plan allowed them to gain international legitimacy and establish the State of Israel in 1948.
Arab reaction to Resolution 181
The Arab leadership, both Palestinian and broader Arab, rejected the resolution. The Arab League, which represented the collective interests of Arab states in the region, argued that the partition plan was unjust and violated the rights of the majority Arab population of Palestine. Palestinians felt betrayed by the plan, as they were promised self-determination and independence in the same territory, but the plan effectively sanctioned the establishment of a Jewish state on the land the was predominantly Arab at the time. Palestinian Arabs believed that the creation of a Jewish state in what they viewed as their homeland was an affront to their rights and would lead to their marginalization.
Outcomes of the resolution: Jewish statehood
Despite the Arab rejection of Resolution 181, the Jewish leadership declared the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14th, 1948. This was done based on the grounds that the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their historical homeland had been recognised by the UN.
Outcomes of the resolution: Arab-Israeli war
The declaration of the State of Israel was immediately followed by an invasion from surrounding Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon), which rejected Israel’s existence. The conflict, known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War or the War of Independence (Israeli perspective) and the Nakba (Palestinian perspective), resulted in Israeli victory and the expansion of Israeli territory beyond the borders outlined in the UN Partition Plan.
The legacy of Resolution 181 from a Jewish perspective
From the Israeli perspective, Resolution 181 is viewed as a legitimate international recognition of the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their historical homeland. It is seen as a key moment in the establishment of Israel, despite the challenges in implementing the plan. Israel often points to the rejection of the plan by Arab states as evidence of the refusal to accept the existence of a Jewish state.
The legacy of Resolution 181 from a Palestinian perspective
Resolution 181 is seen as deeply unjust. The creation of Israel on the basis of the plan is considered by many Arabs as a colonial imposition and a violation of Palestinian rights. Palestinians argue that they were denied a state and that the partition plan granted too much land to a Jewish minority. They also argue that the subsequent war and displacement of Palestinians (the Nakba) were direct consequences of the international community’s failure to secure Palestinian rights and sovereignty.
