New Delhi: Every year on November 29, International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) called for the annual observance of the day. The day commemorates the UNGA Resolution 181, which proposed in 1947 the partition of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states. It was the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine and in this article, we will take a look at this partition plan which could altered the history of the world.
What is the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine?
The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was a UN proposal to divide Mandatory Palestine, a geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 after the British Mandate ended. On September 3, 1947, the UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) drafted the plan. On November 29, 1947, the UNGA adopted the plan as Resolution 181 (II). It recommended the formation of independent Arab and Jewish states which would be economically linked and also suggested for Jerusalem and its surroundings an extraterritorial “Special International Regime”
What did the Partition Plan entail?
The Partition Plan was a document of four parts with the UN resolution. It called for the end of the Mandatory Palestine and the British armed forces should gradually withdraw from the region by August 1, 1948. The boundaries between the proposed new Arab and Jewish states and Jerusalem would be delineated for a minimum of two months after the withdrawal but it should be no later than October 1, 1948.
The Arab state would cover 11,592 square kilometres and the Jewish state would cover 15,264 square kilometres. The remaining area of 176 square kilometres would comprise Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the adjoining area and would become an international zone. The Plan suggested there would be economic relations between the Arab and the Jewish states and they would work together to protect minority and religious rights.
What were the reactions to the Partition Plan?
The plan aimed to resolve the conflicts between Jewish nationalism and Palestinian nationalism. During the deliberations, while the Jewish organisation worked with UNSCOP, it was boycotted by the Palestinian Arab leadership. Those who criticised the Plan called it pro-Zionist since the Jewish state got more land despite the population of Palestinian Arabs being twice that of the Jews.
While Jews in Palestine celebrated the plan, the Jewish Agency for Palestine accepted it reluctantly. The Arab League, the Arab Higher Committee and important Arab leaders and government refused to accept the Plan and were not willing to accept any territorial division. They announced to prevent the Plan’s implementation by all means necessary. Palestine got embroiled in a civil war and the plan was not implemented.
Every year on November 29, International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) called for the annual observance of the day. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
