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Palestine: European Union finally sees reality : Comments
By David Singer, published 25/11/2009The Palestinian Authority appears to have a totally misconceived notion of the UN as a body that can create states.
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"League of Nations Mandate...reads like the "single-state solution".
Of course it does. That is precisely why the League of Nations gave Britain the Mandate of Palestine; to create the Jewish homeland. Britain continually frustrated this obligation
"doesn't give Jews the right to exclude Palestinians from any part of the land."
Who has ever said it did?
"no doubt refers to the UN-decided partition of 1947"
Quite right. UNSCOP advised, and the UNGA passed a Resolution authorising a party to effect this. BUT, what have you left out? And HOW could you possibly leave this out and be expected to be taken seriously?
A little event in May, 1948? You know, all the surrounding armies invading what was to be the Arab Palestine; with Egypt and Jordan gobbling it all for themselves. Jordan even declared de jure sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, which the entire world rejected except for Britian and pakistan, renaming these ancient lands "the West Bank [of Jordan]" They even made West Bank Arab refugees Jordanian citizens.
"which remains the only legal basis for determining the borders of the two states".
Wrong. The UNGA Partition Resolution 181 was not a "legal" act, as the UNGA does not have "legal" powers. As the author correctly notes, the UNGA doesn't and cannot "create" states; it only recognises claims to statehood. On 11 May 1949, the UNGA in Resolution 273 accepted the advice of the Security Council and admitted Israel to the UNGA.
It is Resolution 273 that gives Israel its international legitimacy. Since WW2, many new nations have had to grow exactly the same process from Pakistan to East Timor.
"Then are not the Palestinians equally entitled to live in any part of Palestine ?"
"Palestine" ceased to exist in 1948/49. Citizens of Israel are entitled to live in Israel, along with any others the Israeli states allows. It is the same with ALL UN member states.