In the previous chapter we developed a theory that the Final Human Empire of the world system will be part of the United Nations. We saw that the UN Security Council is responsible for maintaining world peace and security, and has the authority to enforce its decisions. The Security Council may first use diplomatic measures to resolve international disputes, then economic sanctions and finally military force.
We looked at Operation Desert Storm, in which the Security Council rallied the international community against an aggressor nation, Iraq. That was exactly the type of conflict the Security Council is supposed to solve, and it performed well.
What does this mean to Israel? The scriptures imply that someday the UN will take similar action against Israel. The action against Iraq began as soon as Iraq invaded Kuwait and the initial military operation was complete in a few months. But Israel has been occupying someone else's land for many years. Has the UN said anything about that?
In this brief article we will consider the effect the UN and the world community have had on Israel since its early years.
THE BRITISH MANDATE
In November 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, which declared its support for a Jewish home in Palestine along with the Arab population. After the First World War, the Allies granted independence to the states of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.
In 1922, the Council of the League of Nations gave Britain a mandate to rule Palestine and put the Balfour Declaration into effect. Britain placed most of Palestine under local control and called the region Transjordan, which later became Jordan. This resulted in 80% of Palestine becoming an independent Arab state.
In today's terms, that means there has been a sovereign Palestinian state occupying 80% of the land since 1922. In reality, the talk in recent years about a Palestinian state is about creating a second state in the remaining 20% of the original Palestine.
When the Balfour Declaration was signed in 1917, there were 85,000 Jews and a few hundred thousand Arabs living in Palestine. Under the British mandate, the Jewish population swelled to 650,000 by 1947. The higher standard of living created by the Jewish immigrants attracted more Arabs and their population rose to 1.1 million.
But there were problems. Arab extremists began revolting and the problem became severe enough to convince the British by 1937 that Jews and Arabs could not coexist. So Britain suggested that the remainder of Palestine be partitioned, with one part becoming a Jewish state and the other being added to Transjordan. It also believed that its troops should retain control of Jerusalem. The Arabs rejected the idea but the Second World War postponed any further action.
THE UNITED NATIONS ENTERS THE SCENE
The United Nations was born on October 24, 1945, at the close of the World War Two. At the first meeting of the General Assembly, there were only 51 members. The UN had its first test when the Soviet Union occupied Iran in 1946, and the world body proved it could solve international disputes. A year later, the UN would face its next big test.
Britain was exhausted after the war and had to rebuild its cities and economy. Its duties in Palestine were more than it cared to handle because conflicts were breaking out between Arabs and Jews. So Britain announced in February 1947 that it would hand the Palestine mandate back to the UN. But the fighting increased in Palestine and underground Jewish forces began inflicting heavy losses on the British. British patience was already wearing out when they discovered Jews from Europe on an illegal immigrant ship, the Exodus-1947. The British troops assaulted the refugees and returned them to camps in Germany. The world was shocked.
So the United Nations, less than two years old at the time, inherited the Palestine headache. The Security Council was designed for problems like the one in Palestine.
In May 1947, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) was formed. Arab leaders interviewed by the committee warned that, if Palestine were divided, there would be bloodshed in Jewish communities in Palestine and nearby countries. The committee believed that leaving the Jewish minority in Arab hands would result in disaster.
Meanwhile, the Jews began preparing for the war they expected to fight with the Arabs. Under the British mandate, civilians who had weapons could be executed, but the Jews formed an underground military and began making weapons.
UNSCOP proposed that the UN partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, and place Jerusalem under international control. The UN General Assembly passed this as a resolution on November 29, 1947, with most of the dissenting votes being cast by Muslim or Asian nations. This was called the UN Partition Resolution. It was the first major Middle East action taken by the UN and has been a cause of strife since that day.
The Arab countries rejected the resolution and announced they would fight it. The Jewish community was celebrating the resolution the day after it passed, when Arab rifle fire killed five Jewish passengers on a bus. The battle had begun.
ISRAEL'S WAR OF INDEPENDENCE, 1948-1949
The British set May 14, 1948, as their date to leave Israel. Britain was angry with the Jews, who favored the UN action but were attacking British troops. Britain also depended on oil supplied by the Arabs, who opposed the UN action. So when an advance UN party arrived in January to prepare for the transition from British rule, British officials treated them poorly. The UN representatives were given poor housing and had to search for food and drink.
The same day the British left the country, Israel declared itself a sovereign state. Fighting broke out between Arabs and Jews all over the country by afternoon, and the next day Egyptian forces attacked Tel Aviv, the capitol. Israel was invaded by troops from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Transjordan and independent Arab units. The Security Council had declared the Old City area of Jerusalem a neutral zone, but the Arabs invaded and captured it. Israel still controlled New Jerusalem.
On May 20, the Security Council directed that a UN mediator arrange a truce and that all fighting stop on June 11. The truce was to last for one month and no troops were to be moved during that time. The day before the UN truce was to begin, Israeli and Egyptian forces made desperate attempts to capture strategic positions. When the fighting stopped, Egypt held the highways to Jerusalem, leaving the city almost cut off. The UN organized relief convoys to take critical supplies to the city, and Arab forces were allowed to inspect the supplies.
Several days before the truce expired, Egyptian forces attacked a key Israeli position and the Jews responded with a limited offensive. After the truce officially ended, wide-spread fighting resumed and Israel began making major advances. The British quickly asked the Security Council to order an immediate truce, and the Council unanimously approved. When this second truce became effective, Israel held far more land than the UN Partition Resolution had allowed.
The UN mediator had eighteen aircraft, four ships, hundreds of vehicles and radios and enough personnel to supervise the truce. He talked with all the parties involved and wrote a proposal for solving the conflict, which both the Jews and Arabs rejected. He then prepared his final report to the Security Council, but both sides also rejected his report. On September 17, an unidentified group fired on his car and killed him.
New fighting broke out a month later and, at the request of Britain, the Security Council demanded still another cease-fire.
The UN General Assembly created the Palestine Conciliation Commission (PCC) to arrange "a final settlement" between Israel and the Arabs. The PCC was given three major tasks, but it failed to achieve any of them.
Once again, fighting broke out and, once again, the Security Council ordered an immediate cease-fire.
The war had masked Egypt's internal problems, but when the new cease-fire took effect, violent civil strife covered the land. Britain saw Egypt's internal problems and conflict with Israel as a chance to strengthen its position in Egypt. In a 1936 treaty, Britain agreed to protect Egypt from attack, so London used the treaty and Security Council resolutions to its advantage. Britain warned Israel that it must honor the Security Council resolutions or British forces would come to Egypt's defense. In response, Israel pulled its forces out of Sinai. A few days later, the Security Council issued yet another cease-fire order because of sporadic fighting.
Both sides were eager for peace, but the Arabs refused to negotiate directly with Israel. A UN mediator finally worked out an acceptable truce, which both sides signed on February 24, 1949. With that as a precedent, the UN arranged a similar agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which they signed on March 23. Syria resisted signing a truce with Israel, but agreed to withdraw if the Israeli territory it held became a neutral zone with UN observers. These agreements left Israel with 21% more land than it had been given by the UN Partition Resolution.
Israel held national elections in January 1949 and a new government was formed. The Security Council approved Israel's request for UN membership in March 1949 and Israel officially became a member in May.
UN records showed that 720,000 Arabs, or 70% of the Arab population, had fled Israeli- controlled territory during the war. About 14,000 Syrian and Lebanese Jews crossed into Israel during the war. About 180,000 Arabs fled to the Gaza area, but for decades both Israel and Egypt refused to provide them jobs or new land.
From the beginning, the Arabs had opposed the UN's policy of a neutral Jerusalem under international control. In February 1949, Israel ended military rule over its portion of Jerusalem (New Jerusalem) and declared it was no longer occupied territory. This allowed the nation to set up a civilian government in New Jerusalem. The Old City and holy sites were held by Transjordan, and in March the two countries signed an agreement that officially divided Jerusalem.
This so alarmed the other Arab nations that they told the PCC they were ready to accept international control of the city. Six months later, the PCC proposed separating Jerusalem into Arab and Jewish zones, and providing UN protection for the holy sites. The General Assembly, however, repeated its support for international control of Jerusalem. In defiant response, Israel's Knesset unanimously voted to move from Tel Aviv to New Jerusalem, and in January 1950, the Israeli government moved there. Three weeks later, the Knesset announced that Jerusalem had always been the capital of Israel.
This article is part of a book chapter which addresses the following topics: