Palestinian & Israeli Sources on the Creation of the State of Israel (1948)

Balfour Declaration (Nov. 2, 1917) “Dear Lord Rothschild, “I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet. “His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish People, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country. “I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation. Yours sincerely, Arthur James Balfour”

British Mandate in Palestine, 1920 The Mideast: A Century of Conflict (NPR) t/history/map2.html

Excerpt from the Pact of the League of Arab States (March 22, 1945) “At the end of the last Great War, Palestine, together with the other Arab States, was separated from the Ottoman Empire. She became independent, not belonging to any other State…. “Even though Palestine was not able to control her own destiny, it was on the basis of the recognition of her independence that the Covenant of the League of Nations determined a system of government for her. “Her existence and her independence among the nations can, therefore, no more be questioned de jure than the independence of any of the other Arab States…. “Therefore, the States signatory to the Pact of the Arab League consider that in view of Palestine’s special circumstances, the Council of the League should designate an Arab delegate from Palestine to participate in its work until this country enjoys actual independence.”

Excerpt from UN Resolution 181 (Nov. 29, 1947) “The Mandate for Palestine shall terminate as soon as possible but in any case not later than 1 August 1948…. “Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem... shall come into existence in Palestine two months after the evacuation of the armed forces of the mandatory Power [United Kingdom] has been completed but in any case not later than 1 October The boundaries of the Arab State, the Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem shall be described in Parts II and III below.”

UN Partition Plan – 1947 UN Resolution 181 The Mideast: A Century of Conflict (NPR) t/history/map3.html

Excerpt from the Declaration of Israel’s Independence (May 14, 1948) “In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish State, Theodore Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country. “This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration.... “Survivors of the Nazi Holocaust in Europe, as well as Jews from other parts of the world, continued to migrate to Eretz-Israel, undaunted by difficulties, restrictions and dangers, and never ceased to assert their right to a life of dignity, freedom and honest toil in their national homeland.... “On the 29 th of November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel; the General Assembly required the inhabitants of Eretz-Israel to take such steps as were necessary on their part for the implementation of that resolution. This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish People to establish their State is irrevocable.

“This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State. “ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE’S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL.”

Left: UN Partition Plan according to Resolution 181 (1947) Right: Boundaries of the State of Israel ( ) The Mideast: A Century of Conflict (NPR) ecials/mideast/history/map4. html

Assignment: Read the excerpt from “Learning Each Other’s Historical Narratives: Palestinians and Israelis,” according to the parameters below. Take notes in the lines located between each narrative. You will be reading descriptions of the conflicts in Palestine after the creation of the state of Israel. Be prepared to discuss your narrative at the start of class on Thursday, May 12. Red Cards = Israeli Narrative (on the left) Black Cards = Palestinian Narrative (on the right)