Facts on the Mid-East

Did you know?

1, THAT, when the Palestine problem was created by Britain in 1917, more than 90 per cent of the population of Palestine were Arabs, and that there were at that time no more than 56,000 Jews in Palestine?

2, THAT, more than half of the Jews living in Palestine at that time were recent immigrants, who had come to Palestine in the preceding decades in order to escape persecution in Europe? And that less than 5 per cent of the population of Palestine were native Palestinian Jews? 3, THAT, the Arabs of Palestine at that time owned 97.5 per cent of the land, while Jews (native Palestinians and recent immigrants together) owned only 2.5 per cent of the land?

4, THAT, during the 30 years of British occupation and rule, the Zionists were able to purchase only 3.5 per cent of the land of Palestine, in spite of the encouragement of the British Government? And that much of this land was transferred to Zionist bodies by the British Government directly, and was not sold by Arab owners?

5, THAT, therefore, when British passed the Palestine problem to the United Nations in 1947, Zionists owned no more than 6 per cent of the total land area of Palestine?

6, THAT, notwithstanding these facts, the General Assembly of the United Nations recommended that a "Jewish State" be established in Palestine? And that the Assembly granted that proposed "State" about 54 per cent of the total area of the country?

7, THAT, Israel immediately occupied (and still occupies) 80.48 per cent of the total land area of Palestine?

8, THAT, this territorial expansion took place, for the most part, before May 15, 1948 i.e., before the formal end of the British forces from Palestine, before the entry of Arab armies to protect Palestinian Arabs, and before the Arab-Israeli war?

9, THAT, the 1947 recommendation of the General Assembly in favor of the creation of a "Jewish State" was outside the competence of the Assembly under the Charter of the United Nations?

10, THAT, all attempts by the Arab states and other Asian countries to have the Assembly submit "the question of constitutionality" of its recommendation to the International Court of Justice for an "advisory opinion" by the Court were rejected or ignored by the Assembly?

11, THAT, when the Assembly began to experience "second thoughts" over the matter and convened for its second special session in 1948, it failed to reaffirm the 1947 recommendation for the partition of Palestine, thus destroying whatever dubious legality that recommendation for the establishment of a "Jewish State" had had?

12, THAT, that original 1947 recommendation to create a "Jewish State" in Palestine was approved, at the first vote, only by European, American and Australian states... for every Asian state, and every African state (with the exception of the Union of South Africa) voted against it? And that, when the vote was cast in plenary session on Nov. 29, 1947, urgent American pressures (which a member of the Harry Truman Cabinet described as "bordering onto scandal") had succeeded in prevailing only upon one African country (Liberia), both of which had special vulnerability to American pressures, to abandon their declared opposition? And that, in other words, the "Jewish State" was planted at the point-of-intersection of Asia and Africa without the free approval of any Middle Eastern, Asian or African country except that Union of South Africa, itself ruled by an alien minority?

That Israel remained, ever since its inception, a total stranger in the emerging world of Afro-Asia; and that Israel has been refused admission to any inter-state conference of Asian, African, Afro-Asian, or Non-Aligned States ever held?

14, That since the General Armistice Agreements were signed in 1949, Israel has maintained an aggressive policy of waging military attacks across the Armistice Demarcation Lines, repeatedly invading the territories of the neighbouring Arab states. And that Israel has been duly rebuked, censured, or condemned for these military attacks by the Security Council of the General Assembly of the United Nations on 11 occasions, five times by the Security Council and six times by the General Assembly?

15, That no other country in the world, whether member of the United Nations or non-member, has been so frequently condemned by the United Nations?

16, That no Arab state has ever been condemned by any organ of the United Nations for military attacks upon Israel?

17, That besides expelling the bulk of the Arab inhabitants of Palestine, and besides constantly attacking the neighbouring Arab states, Israel has also consistently harassed the United Nations observers and other personnel stationed along the Armistice Demarcation Lines.

It has assassinated the first United Nations mediator and his military aide; it has detained some truce observers; it has militarily occupied and illegally searched the headquarters of United Nations personnel; and it has boycotted meetings of the Mixed Armistice commissions?

18, That Israel has additionally imposed a system of apartheid upon the Arabs who stayed in their homeland? More than 90 per cent of these Arabs live in