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The General Assembly, Having met in
special session at the request of the mandatory Power to
constitute and instruct a Special Committee to prepare for
the consideration of the question of the future Government
of Palestine at the second regular session;
Having constituted a Special Committee
and instructed it to investigate all questions and issues
relevant to the problem of Palestine, and to prepare
proposals for the solution of the problem, and
Having received and examined the report
of the Special Committee (document A/364)(1)
including a number of unanimous recommendations and a plan
of partition with economic union approved by the majority of
the Special Committee,
Considers that the present situation in
Palestine is one which is likely to impair the general
welfare and friendly relations among nations;
Takes note of the declaration by the
mandatory Power that it plans to complete its evacuation of
Palestine by l August 1948;
Recommends to the United Kingdom, as the
mandatory Power for Palestine, and to all other Members of
the United Nations the adoption and implementation, with
regard to the future Government of Palestine, of the Plan of
Partition with Economic Union set out below;
Requests that
The Security Council take the necessary
measures as provided for in the plan for its implementation;
The Security Council consider, if
circumstances during the transitional period require such
consideration, whether the situation in Palestine
constitutes a threat to the peace. If it decides that such a
threat exists, and in order to maintain international peace
and security, the Security Council should supplement the
authorization of the General Assembly by taking measures,
under Articles 39 and 41 of the Charter, to empower the
United Nations Commission, as provided in this resolution,
to exercise in Palestine the functions which are assigned to
it by this resolution;
The Security Council determine as a
threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of
aggression, in accordance with
Article 39 of the Charter, any attempt to alter by force
the settlement envisaged by this resolution;
The Trusteeship Council be informed of
the responsibilities envisaged for it in this plan;
Calls upon the inhabitants of Palestine
to take such steps as may be necessary on their part to put
this plan into effect;
Appeals to all Governments and all
peoples to refrain from taking any action which might hamper
or delay the carrying out of these recommendations, and
Authorizes the Secretary-General to
reimburse travel and subsistence expenses of the members of
the Commission referred to in Part 1, Section B, Paragraph I
below, on such basis and in such form as he may determine
most appropriate in the circumstances, and to provide the
Commission with the necessary staff to assist in carrying
out the functions assigned to the Commission by the
General Assembly.*
The General Assembly,
Authorizes the Secretary-General to draw
from the Working Capital Fund a sum not to exceed 2,000,000
dollars for the purposes set forth in the last paragraph of
the resolution on the future government of Palestine.
PLAN OF PARTITION WITH ECONOMIC UNION
Part I. - Future Constitution and
Government of Palestine
A. TERMINATION OF MANDATE, PARTITION AND
INDEPENDENCE
The
Mandate for Palestine shall terminate as soon as
possible but in any case not later than 1 August 1948.
The armed forces of the mandatory Power
shall be progressively withdrawn from Palestine, the
withdrawal to be completed as soon as possible but in any
case not later than 1 August 1948.
The mandatory Power shall advise the
Commission, as far in advance as possible, of its intention
to terminate the mandate and to evacuate each area. The
mandatory Power shall use its best endeavours to ensure that
an area situated in the territory of the Jewish State,
including a seaport and hinterland adequate to provide
facilities for a substantial immigration, shall be evacuated
at the earliest possible date and in any event not later
than 1 February 1948.
Independent Arab and Jewish States and
the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem,
set forth in Part III of this Plan, shall come into
existence in Palestine two months after the evacuation of
the armed forces of the mandatory Power has been completed
but in any case not later than 1 October 1948. The
boundaries of the Arab State, the Jewish State, and the City
of Jerusalem shall be as described in Parts II and III
below.
The period between the adoption by the
General Assembly of its recommendation on the question of
Palestine and the establishment of the independence of the
Arab and Jewish States shall be a transitional period.
B. STEPS PREPARATORY TO INDEPENDENCE
A Commission shall be set up consisting
of one representative of each of five Member States. The
Members represented on the Commission shall be elected by
the General Assembly on as broad a basis, geographically and
otherwise, as possible.
The administration of Palestine shall, as
the mandatory Power withdraws its armed forces, be
progressively turned over to the Commission, which shall act
in conformity with the recommendations of the General
Assembly, under the guidance of the Security Council. The
mandatory Power shall to the fullest possible extent
coordinate its plans for withdrawal with the plans of the
Commission to take over and administer areas which have been
evacuated.
In the discharge of this administrative
responsibility the Commission shall have authority to issue
necessary regulations and take other measures as required.
The mandatory Power shall not take any
action to prevent, obstruct or delay the implementation by
the Commission of the measures recommended by the General
Assembly.
On its arrival in Palestine the
Commission shall proceed to carry out measures for the
establishment of the frontiers of the Arab and Jewish States
and the City of Jerusalem in accordance with the general
lines of the recommendations of the General Assembly on the
partition of Palestine. Nevertheless, the boundaries as
described in Part II of this Plan are to be modified in such
a way that village areas as a rule will not be divided by
state boundaries unless pressing reasons make that
necessary.
The Commission, after consultation with
the democratic parties and other public organizations of the
Arab and Jewish States, shall select and establish in each
State as rapidly as possible a Provisional Council of
Government. The activities of both the Arab and Jewish
Provisional Councils of Government shall be carried out
under the general direction of the Commission.
If by 1 April 1948 a Provisional Council
of Government cannot be selected for either of the States,
or, if selected, cannot carry out its functions, the
Commission shall communicate that fact to the Security
Council for such action with respect to that State as the
Security Council may deem proper, and to the
Secretary-General for communication to the Members of the
United Nations.
Subject to the provisions of these
recommendations, during the transitional period the
Provisional Councils of Government, acting under the
Commission, shall have full authority in the areas under
their control including authority over matters of
immigration and land regulation.
The Provisional Council of Government of
each State, acting under the Commission, shall progressively
receive from the Commission full responsibility for the
administration of that State in the period between the
termination of the Mandate and the establishment of the
State's independence.
The Commission shall instruct the
Provisional Councils of Government of both the Arab and
Jewish States, after their formation, to proceed to the
establishment of administrative organs of government,
central and local.
The Provisional Council of Government of
each State shall, within the shortest time possible, recruit
an armed militia from the residents of that State,
sufficient in number to maintain internal order and to
prevent frontier clashes.
This armed militia in each State shall,
for operational purposes, be under the command of Jewish or
Arab officers resident in that State, but general political
and military control, including the choice of the militia's
High Command, shall be exercised by the Commission.
The Provisional Council of Government of
each State shall, not later than two months after the
withdrawal of the armed forces of the mandatory Power, hold
elections to the Constituent Assembly which shall be
conducted on democratic lines.
The election regulations in each State
shall be drawn up by the Provisional Council of Government
and approved by the Commission. Qualified voters for each
State for this election shall be persons over eighteen years
of age who are (a) Palestinian citizens residing in that
State; and (b) Arabs and Jews residing in the State,
although not Palestinian citizens, who, before voting, have
signed a notice of intention to become citizens of such
State.
Arabs and Jews residing in the City of
Jerusalem who have signed a notice of intention to become
citizens, the Arabs of the Arab State and the Jews of the
Jewish State, shall be entitled to vote in the Arab and
Jewish States respectively.
Women may vote and be elected to the
Constituent Assemblies.
During the transitional period no Jew
shall be permitted to establish residence in the area of the
proposed Arab State, and no Arab shall be permitted to
establish residence in the area of the proposed Jewish
State, except by special leave of the Commission.
The Constituent Assembly of each State
shall draft a democratic constitution for its State and
choose a provisional government to succeed the Provisional
Council of Government appointed by the Commission. The
Constitutions of the States shall embody Chapters 1 and 2 of
the Declaration provided for in section C below and include,
inter alia, provisions for:
Establishing in each State a legislative
body elected by universal suffrage and by secret ballot on
the basis of proportional representation, and an executive
body responsible to the legislature;
Settling all international disputes in
which the State may be involved by peaceful means in such a
manner that international peace and security, and justice,
are not endangered;
Accepting the obligation of the State to
refrain in its international relations from the threat or
use of force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of any State, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations;
Guaranteeing to all persons equal and
non-discriminatory rights in civil, political, economic and
religious matters and the enjoyment of human rights and
fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion,
language, speech and publication, education, assembly and
association;
Preserving freedom of transit and visit
for all residents and citizens of the other State in
Palestine and the City of Jerusalem, subject to
considerations of national security, provided that each
State shall control residence within its borders.
The Commission shall appoint a
preparatory economic commission of three members to make
whatever arrangements are possible for economic
co-operation, with a view to establishing, as soon as
practicable, the Economic Union and the Joint Economic
Board, as provided in section D below.
During the period between the adoption of
the recommendations on the question of Palestine by the
General Assembly and the termination of the Mandate, the
mandatory Power in Palestine shall maintain full
responsibility for administration in areas from which it has
not withdrawn its armed forces. The Commission shall assist
the mandatory Power in the carrying out of these functions.
Similarly the mandatory Power shall co-operate with the
Commission in the execution of its functions.
With a view to ensuring that there shall
be continuity in the functioning of administrative services
and that, on the withdrawal of the armed forces of the
mandatory Power, the whole administration shall be in the
charge of the Provisional Councils and the Joint Economic
Board, respectively, acting under the Commission, there
shall be a progressive transfer, from the mandatory Power to
the Commission, of responsibility for all the functions of
government, including that of maintaining law and order in
the areas from which the forces of the mandatory Power have
been withdrawn.
The Commission shall be guided in its
activities by the recommendations of the General Assembly
and by such instructions as the Security Council may
consider necessary to issue.
The measures taken by the Commission,
within the recommendations of the General Assembly, shall
become immediately effective unless the Commission has
previously received contrary instructions from the Security
Council.
The Commission shall render periodic
monthly progress reports, or more frequently if desirable,
to the Security Council.
The Commission shall make its final
report to the next regular session of the General Assembly
and to the Security Council simultaneously.
C. DECLARATION
A declaration shall be made to the United
Nations by the Provisional Government of each proposed State
before independence. It shall contain, inter alia, the
following clauses:
General Provision
The stipulations contained in the
Declaration are recognized as fundamental laws of the State
and no law, regulation or official action shall conflict or
interfere with these stipulations, nor shall any law,
regulation or official action prevail over them.
Chapter 1: Holy Places, Religious
Buildings and Sites
Existing rights in respect of Holy Places
and religious buildings or sites shall not be denied or
impaired.
In so far as Holy Places are concerned,
the liberty of access, visit, and transit shall be
guaranteed, in conformity with existing rights, to all
residents and citizen of the other State and of the City of
Jerusalem, as well as to aliens, without distinction as to
nationality, subject to requirements of national security,
public order and decorum.
Similarly, freedom of worship shall be
guaranteed in conformity with existing rights, subject to
the maintenance of public order and decorum.
Holy Places and religious buildings or
sites shall be preserved. No act shall be permitted which
may in an way impair their sacred character. If at any time
it appears to the Government that any particular Holy Place,
religious, building or site is in need of urgent repair, the
Government may call upon the community or communities
concerned to carry out such repair. The Government may carry
it out itself at the expense of the community or community
concerned if no action is taken within a reasonable time.
No taxation shall be levied in respect of
any Holy Place, religious building or site which was exempt
from taxation on the date of the creation of the State.
No change in the incidence of such
taxation shall be made which would either discriminate
between the owners or occupiers of Holy Places, religious
buildings or sites, or would place such owners or occupiers
in a position less favourable in relation to the general
incidence of taxation than existed at the time of the
adoption of the Assembly's recommendations.
The Governor of the City of Jerusalem
shall have the right to determine whether the provisions of
the Constitution of the State in relation to Holy Places,
religious buildings and sites within the borders of the
State and the religious rights appertaining thereto, are
being properly applied and respected, and to make decisions
on the basis of existing rights in cases of disputes which
may arise between the different religious communities or the
rites of a religious community with respect to such places,
buildings and sites. He shall receive full co-operation and
such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the
exercise of his functions in the State.
Chapter 2: Religious and Minority Rights
Freedom of conscience and the free
exercise of all forms of worship, subject only to the
maintenance of public order and morals, shall be ensured to
all.
No discrimination of any kind shall be
made between the inhabitants on the ground of race,
religion, language or sex.
All persons within the jurisdiction of
the State shall be entitled to equal protection of the laws.
The family law and personal status of the
various minorities and their religious interests, including
endowments, shall be respected.
Except as may be required for the
maintenance of public order and good government, no measure
shall be taken to obstruct or interfere with the enterprise
of religious or charitable bodies of all faiths or to
discriminate against any representative or member of these
bodies on the ground of his religion or nationality.
The State shall ensure adequate primary
and secondary education for the Arab and Jewish minority,
respectively, in its own language and its cultural
traditions.
The right of each community to maintain
its own schools for the education of its own members in its
own language, while conforming to such educational
requirements of a general nature as the State may impose,
shall not be denied or impaired. Foreign educational
establishments shall continue their activity on the basis of
their existing rights.
No restriction shall be imposed on the
free use by any citizen of the State of any language in
private intercourse, in commerce, in religion, in the Press
or in publications of any kind, or at public
meetings.(3)
No expropriation of land owned by an Arab
in the Jewish State (by a Jew in the Arab
State)(4)
shall be allowed except for public purposes. In all cases of
expropriation full compensation as fixed by the Supreme
Court shall be said previous to dispossession.
Chapter 3: Citizenship, International
Conventions and Financial Obligations
1. Citizenship Palestinian citizens
residing in Palestine outside the City of Jerusalem, as well
as Arabs and Jews who, not holding Palestinian citizenship,
reside in Palestine outside the City of Jerusalem shall,
upon the recognition of independence, become citizens of the
State in which they are resident and enjoy full civil and
political rights. Persons over the age of eighteen years may
opt, within one year from the date of recognition of
independence of the State in which they reside, for
citizenship of the other State, providing that no Arab
residing in the area of the proposed Arab State shall have
the right to opt for citizenship in the proposed Jewish
State and no Jew residing in the proposed Jewish State shall
have the right to opt for citizenship in the proposed Arab
State. The exercise of this right of option will be taken to
include the wives and children under eighteen years of age
of persons so opting.
Arabs residing in the area of the
proposed Jewish State and Jews residing in the area of the
proposed Arab State who have signed a notice of intention to
opt for citizenship of the other State shall be eligible to
vote in the elections to the Constituent Assembly of that
State, but not in the elections to the Constituent Assembly
of the State in which they reside.
2. International conventions
The State shall be bound by all the
international agreements and conventions, both general and
special, to which Palestine has become a party. Subject to
any right of denunciation provided for therein, such
agreements and conventions shall be respected by the State
throughout the period for which they were concluded.
Any dispute about the applicability and
continued validity of international conventions or treaties
signed or adhered to by the mandatory Power on behalf of
Palestine shall be referred to the International Court of
Justice in accordance with the provisions of the Statute of
the Court.
3. Financial obligations
The State shall respect and fulfil all
financial obligations of whatever nature assumed on behalf
of Palestine by the mandatory Power during the exercise of
the Mandate and recognized by the State. This provision
includes the right of public servants to pensions,
compensation or gratuities.
These obligations shall be fulfilled
through participation in the Joint Economic Board in respect
of those obligations applicable to Palestine as a whole, and
individually in respect of those applicable to, and fairly
apportionable between, the States.
A Court of Claims, affiliated with the
Joint Economic Board, and composed of one member appointed
by the United Nations, one representative of the United
Kingdom and one representative of the State concerned,
should be established. Any dispute between the United
Kingdom and the State respecting claims not recognized by
the latter should be referred to that Court.
Commercial concessions granted in respect
of any part of Palestine prior to the adoption of the
resolution by the General Assembly shall continue to be
valid according to their terms, unless modified by agreement
between the concession-holders and the State.
Chapter 4: Miscellaneous Provisions
The provisions of chapters 1 and 2 of the
declaration shall be under the guarantee of the United
Nations, and no modifications shall be made in them without
the assent of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Any Member of the United Nations shall have the right to
bring to the attention of the General Assembly any
infraction or danger of infraction of any of these
stipulations, and the General Assembly may thereupon make
such recommendations as it may deem proper in the
circumstances.
Any dispute relating to the application
or interpretation of this declaration shall be referred, at
the request of either party, to the International Court of
Justice, unless the parties agree to another mode of
settlement.
D. ECONOMIC UNION AND TRANSIT
The Provisional Council of Government of
each State shall enter into an undertaking with respect to
Economic Union and Transit. This undertaking shall be
drafted by the Commission provided for in section B,
paragraph 1, utilizing to the greatest possible extent the
advice and cooperation of representative organizations and
bodies from each of the proposed States. It shall contain
provisions to establish the Economic Union of Palestine and
provide for other matters of common interest. If by 1 April
1948 the Provisional Councils of Government have not entered
into the undertaking, the undertaking shall be put into
force by the Commission.
The Economic Union of Palestine
The objectives of the Economic Union of
Palestine shall be:
A customs union;
A joint currency system providing for a
single foreign exchange rate;
Operation in the common interest on a
non-discriminatory basis of railways inter-State highways;
postal, telephone and telegraphic services and ports and
airports involved in international trade and commerce;
Joint economic development, especially in
respect of irrigation, land reclamation and soil
conservation;
Access for both States and for the City
of Jerusalem on a non-discriminatory basis to water and
power facilities.
There shall be established a Joint
Economic Board, which shall consist of three representatives
of each of the two States and three foreign members
appointed by the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations. The foreign members shall be appointed in the first
instance for a term of three years; they shall serve as
individuals and not as representatives of States.
The functions of the Joint Economic Board
shall be to implement either directly or by delegation the
measures necessary to realize the objectives of the Economic
Union. It shall have all powers of organization and
administration necessary to fulfil its functions.
The States shall bind themselves to put
into effect the decisions of the Joint Economic Board. The
Board's decisions shall be taken by a majority vote.
In the event of failure of a State to
take the necessary action the Board may, by a vote of six
members, decide to withhold an appropriate portion of the
part of the customs revenue to which the State in question
is entitled under the Economic Union. Should the State
persist in its failure to cooperate, the Board may decide by
a simple majority vote upon such further sanctions,
including disposition of funds which it has withheld, as it
may deem appropriate.
In relation to economic development, the
functions of the Board shall be planning, investigation and
encouragement of joint development projects, but it shall
not undertake such projects except with the assent of both
States and the City of Jerusalem, in the event that
Jerusalem is directly involved in the development project.
In regard to the joint currency system,
the currencies circulating in the two States and the City of
Jerusalem shall be issued under the authority of the Joint
Economic Board, which shall be the sole issuing authority
and which shall determine the reserves to be held against
such currencies.
So far as is consistent with paragraph
2(b) above, each State may operate its own central bank,
control its own fiscal and credit policy, its foreign
exchange receipts and expenditures, the grant of import
licences, and may conduct international financial operations
on its own faith and credit. During the first two years
after the termination of the Mandate, the Joint Economic
Board shall have the authority to take such measures as may
be necessary to ensure that - to the extent that the total
foreign exchange revenues of the two States from the export
of goods and services permit, and provided that each State
takes appropriate measures to conserve its own foreign
exchange resources - each State shall have available, in any
twelve months' period, foreign exchange sufficient to assure
the supply of quantities of imported goods and services for
consumption in its territory equivalent to the quantities of
such goods and services consumed in that territory in the
twelve months' period ending 31 December 1947.
All economic authority not specifically
vested in the Joint Economic Board is reserved to each
State.
There shall be a common customs tariff
with complete freedom of trade between the States, and
between the States and the City of Jerusalem.
The tariff schedules shall be drawn up by
a Tariff Commission, consisting of representatives of each
of the States in equal numbers, and shall be submitted to
the Joint Economic Board for approval by a majority vote. In
case of disagreement in the Tariff Commission, the Joint
Economic Board shall arbitrate the points of difference. In
the event that the Tariff Commission fails to draw up any
schedule by a date to be fixed, the Joint Economic Board
shall determine the tariff schedule.
The following items shall be a first
charge on the customs and other common revenue of the Joint
Economic Board:
The expenses of the customs service and
of the operation of the joint services;
The administrative expenses of the Joint
Economic Board;
The financial obligations of the
Administration of Palestine, consisting of:
The service of the outstanding public
debt;
The cost of superannuation benefits, now
being paid or falling due in the future, in accordance with
the rules and to the extent established by paragraph 3 of
chapter 3 above.
After these obligations have been met in
full, the surplus revenue from the customs and other common
services shall be divided in the following manner: not less
than 5 per cent and not more than 10 per cent to the City of
Jerusalem; the residue shall be allocated to each State by
the Joint Economic Board equitably, with the objective of
maintaining a sufficient and suitable level of government
and social services in each State, except that the share of
either State shall not exceed the amount of that State's
contribution to the revenues of the Economic Union by more
than approximately four million pounds in any year. The
amount granted may be adjusted by the Board according to the
price level in relation to the prices prevailing at the time
of the establishment of the Union. After five years, the
principles of the distribution of the joint revenue may be
revised by the Joint Economic Board on a basis of equity.
All international conventions and
treaties affecting customs tariff rates, and those
communications services under the jurisdiction of the Joint
Economic Board, shall be entered into by both States. In
these matters, the two States shall be bound to act in
accordance with the majority of the Joint Economic Board.
The Joint Economic Board shall endeavour
to secure for Palestine's exports fair and equal access to
world markets.
All enterprises operated by the Joint
Economic Board shall pay fair wages on a uniform basis.
Freedom of Transit and Visit
The undertaking shall contain provisions
preserving freedom of transit and visit for all residents or
citizens of both States and of the City of Jerusalem,
subject to security considerations; provided that each State
and the City shall control residence within its borders.
Termination, Modification and
Interpretation of the Undertaking
The undertaking and any treaty issuing
therefrom shall remain in force for a period of ten years.
It shall continue in force until notice of termination, to
take effect two years thereafter, is given by either of the
parties.
During the initial ten-year period, the
undertaking and any treaty issuing therefrom may not be
modified except by consent of both parties and with the
approval of the General Assembly.
Any dispute relating to the application
or the interpretation of the undertaking and any treaty
issuing therefrom shall be referred, at the request of
either party, to the International Court Of Justice, unless
the parties agree to another mode of settlement.
E. ASSETS
The movable assets of the Administration
of Palestine shall be allocated to the Arab and Jewish
States and the City of Jerusalem on an equitable basis.
Allocations should be made by the United Nations Commission
referred to iii section B, paragraph 1, above. Immovable
assets shall become the property of the government of the
territory in which they are situated.
During the period between the appointment
of the United Nations Commission and the termination of the
Mandate, the mandatory Power shall, except in respect of
ordinary operations, consult with the Commission on any
measure which it may contemplate involving the liquidation,
disposal or encumbering of the assets of the Palestine
Government, such as the accumulated treasury surplus, the
proceeds of Government bond issues, State lands or any other
asset.
F. ADMISSION TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE UNITED
NATIONS
When the independence of either the Arab
or the Jewish State as envisaged in this plan has become
effective and the declaration and undertaking, as envisaged
in this plan, have been signed by either of them,
sympathetic consideration should be given to its application
for admission to membership in the United Nations in
accordance with article 4 of the Charter of the United
Nations.
Part II. - Boundaries
A. THE ARAB STATE
The area of the Arab State in Western
Galilee is bounded on the west by the Mediterranean and on
the north by the frontier of the Lebanon from Ras en Naqura
to a point north of Saliha. From there the boundary proceeds
southwards, leaving the built-up area of Saliha in the Arab
State, to join the southernmost point of this village. There
it follows the western boundary line of the villages of
'Alma, Rihaniya and Teitaba, thence following the northern
boundary line of Meirun village to join the Acre-Safad
Sub-District boundary line. It follows this line to a point
west of Es Sammu'i village and joins it again at the
northernmost point of Farradiya. Thence it follows the
sub-district boundary line to the Acre-Safad main road. From
here it follows the western boundary of Kafr-I'nan village
until it reaches the Tiberias-Acre Sub-District boundary
line, passing to the west of the junction of the Acre-Safad
and Lubiya-Kafr-I'nan roads. From the south-west corner of
Kafr-I'nan village the boundary line follows the western
boundary of the Tiberias Sub-District to a point close to
the boundary line between the villages of Maghar and 'Eilabun,
thence bulging out to the west to include as much of the
eastern part of the plain of Battuf as is necessary for the
reservoir proposed by the Jewish Agency for the irrigation
of lands to the south and east.
The boundary rejoins the Tiberias
Sub-District boundary at a point on the Nazareth-Tiberias
road south-east of the built-up area of Tur'an; thence it
runs southwards, at first following the sub-district
boundary and then passing between the Kadoorie Agricultural
School and Mount Tabor, to a point due south at the base of
Mount Tabor. From here it runs due west, parallel to the
horizontal grid line 230, to the north-east corner of the
village lands of Tel Adashim. It then runs to the northwest
corner of these lands, whence it turns south and west so as
to include in the Arab State the sources of the Nazareth
water supply in Yafa village. On reaching Ginneiger it
follows the eastern, northern and western boundaries of the
lands of this village to their south-west comer, whence it
proceeds in a straight line to a point on the Haifa-Afula
railway on the boundary between the villages of Sarid and
El-Mujeidil. This is the point of intersection. The
south-western boundary of the area of the Arab State in
Galilee takes a line from this point, passing northwards
along the eastern boundaries of Sarid and Gevat to the
north-eastern corner of Nahalal, proceeding thence across
the land of Kefar ha Horesh to a central point on the
southern boundary of the village of 'Ilut, thence westwards
along that village boundary to the eastern boundary of Beit
Lahm, thence northwards and north-eastwards along its
western boundary to the north-eastern corner of Waldheim and
thence north-westwards across the village lands of Shafa 'Amr
to the southeastern corner of Ramat Yohanan. From here it
runs due north-north-east to a point on the Shafa 'Amr-Haifa
road, west of its junction with the road of I'billin. From
there it proceeds north-east to a point on the southern
boundary of I'billin situated to the west of the I'billin-Birwa
road. Thence along that boundary to its westernmost point,
whence it turns to the north, follows across the village
land of Tamra to the north-westernmost corner and along the
western boundary of Julis until it reaches the Acre-Safad
road. It then runs westwards along the southern side of the
Safad-Acre road to the Galilee-Haifa District boundary, from
which point it follows that boundary to the sea.
The boundary of the hill country of
Samaria and Judea starts on the Jordan River at the Wadi
Malih south-east of Beisan and runs due west to meet the
Beisan-Jericho road and then follows the western side of
that road in a north-westerly direction to the junction of
the boundaries of the Sub-Districts of Beisan, Nablus, and
Jenin. From that point it follows the Nablus-Jenin
sub-District boundary westwards for a distance of about
three kilometres and then turns north-westwards, passing to
the east of the built-up areas of the villages of Jalbun and
Faqqu'a, to the boundary of the Sub-Districts of Jenin and
Beisan at a point northeast of Nuris. Thence it proceeds
first northwestwards to a point due north of the built-up
area of Zie'in and then westwards to the Afula-Jenin
railway, thence north-westwards along the District boundary
line to the point of intersection on the Hejaz railway. From
here the boundary runs southwestwards, including the
built-up area and some of the land of the village of Kh. Lid
in the Arab State to cross the Haifa-Jenin road at a point
on the district boundary between Haifa and Samaria west of
El- Mansi. It follows this boundary to the southernmost
point of the village of El-Buteimat. From here it follows
the northern and eastern boundaries of the village of Ar'ara
rejoining the Haifa-Samaria district boundary at Wadi 'Ara,
and thence proceeding south-south-westwards in an
approximately straight line joining up with the western
boundary of Qaqun to a point east of the railway line on the
eastern boundary of Qaqun village. From here it runs along
the railway line some distance to the east of it to a point
just east of the Tulkarm railway station. Thence the
boundary follows a line half-way between the railway and the
Tulkarm-Qalqiliya-Jaljuliya and Ras El-Ein road to a point
just east of Ras El-Ein station, whence it proceeds along
the railway some distance to the east of it to the point on
the railway line south of the junction of the Haifa-Lydda
and Beit Nabala lines, whence it proceeds along the southern
border of Lydda airport to its south-west corner, thence in
a south-westerly direction to a point just west of the
built-up area of Sarafand El 'Amar, whence it turns south,
passing just to the west of the built-up area of Abu El-Fadil
to the north-east corner of the lands of Beer Ya'aqov. (The
boundary line should be so demarcated as to allow direct
access from the Arab State to the airport.) Thence the
boundary line follows the western and southern boundaries of
Ramle village, to the north-east corner of El Na'ana
village, thence in a straight line to the southernmost point
of El Barriya, along the eastern boundary of that village
and the southern boundary of 'Innaba village. Thence it
turns north to follow the southern side of the
Jaffa-Jerusalem road until El-Qubab, whence it follows the
road to the boundary of Abu-Shusha. It runs along the
eastern boundaries of Abu Shusha, Seidun, Hulda to the
southernmost point of Hulda, thence westwards in a straight
line to the north-eastern corner of Umm Kalkha, thence
following the northern boundaries of Umm Kalkha, Qazaza and
the northern and western boundaries of Mukhezin to the Gaza
District boundary and thence runs across the village lands
of El-Mismiya El-Kabira, and Yasur to the southern point of
intersection, which is midway between the built-up areas of
Yasur and Batani Sharqi.
From the southern point of intersection
the boundary lines run north-westwards between the villages
of Gan Yavne and Barqa to the sea at a point half way
between Nabi Yunis and Minat El-Qila, and south-eastwards to
a point west of Qastina, whence it turns in a south-westerly
direction, passing to the east of the built-up areas of Es
Sawafir Esh Sharqiya and 'Ibdis. From the south-east corner
of 'Ibdis village it runs to a point southwest of the
built-up area of Beit 'Affa, crossing the Hebron-El-Majdal
road just to the west of the built-up area of 'Iraq Suweidan.
Thence it proceeds southward along the western village
boundary of El-Faluja to the Beersheba Sub-District
boundary. It then runs across the tribal lands of 'Arab El-Jubarat
to a point on the boundary between the Sub-Districts of
Beersheba and Hebron north of Kh. Khuweilifa, whence it
proceeds in a south-westerly direction to a point on the
Beersheba-Gaza main road two kilometres to the north-west of
the town. It then turns south-eastwards to reach Wadi Sab'
at a point situated one kilometer to the west of it. From
here it turns north-eastwards and proceeds along Wadi Sab'
and along the Beersheba-Hebron road for a distance of one
kilometer, whence it turns eastwards and runs in a straight
line to Kh. Kuseifa to join the Beersheba-Hebron
Sub-District boundary. It then follows the Beersheba-Hebron
boundary eastwards to a point north of Ras Ez-Zuweira, only
departing from it so as to cut across the base of the
indentation between vertical grid lines 150 and 160.
About five kilometres north-east of Ras
Ez-Zuweira it turns north, excluding from the Arab State a
strip along the coast of the Dead Sea not more than seven
kilometres in depth, as far as 'Ein Geddi, whence it turns
due east to join the Transjordan frontier in the Dead Sea.
The northern boundary of the Arab section
of the coastal plain runs from a point between Minat El-Qila
and Nabi Yunis, passing between the built-up areas of Gan
Yavne and Barqa to the point of intersection. From here it
turns south-westwards, running across the lands of Batani
Sharqi, along the eastern boundary of the lands of Beit
Daras and across the lands of Julis, leaving the built-up
areas of Batani Sharqi and Julis to the westwards, as far as
the north-west corner of the lands of Beit-Tima. Thence it
runs east of El-Jiya across the village lands of El-Barbara
along the eastern boundaries of the villages of Beit Jirja,
Deir Suneid and Dimra. From the south-east corner of Dimra
the boundary passes across the lands of Beit Hanun, leaving
the Jewish lands of Nir-Am to the eastwards. From the
south-east corner of Beit Hanun the line runs south-west to
a point south of the parallel grid line 100, then turns
north-west for two kilometres, turning again in a
southwesterly direction and continuing in an almost straight
line to the north-west corner of the village lands of Kirbet
Ikhza'a. From there it follows the boundary line of this
village to its southernmost point. It then runs in a
southerly direction along the vertical grid line 90 to its
junction with the horizontal grid line 70. It then turns
south-eastwards to Kh. El-Ruheiba and then proceeds in a
southerly direction to a point known as El-Baha, beyond
which it crosses the Beersheba-EI 'Auja main road to the
west of Kh. El-Mushrifa. From there it joins Wadi El-Zaiyatin
just to the west of El-Subeita. From there it turns to the
north-east and then to the south-east following this Wadi
and passes to the east of 'Abda to join Wadi Nafkh. It then
bulges to the south-west along Wadi Nafkh, Wadi 'Ajrim and
Wadi Lassan to the point where Wadi Lassan crosses the
Egyptian frontier.
The area of the Arab enclave of Jaffa
consists of that part of the town-planning area of Jaffa
which lies to the west of the Jewish quarters lying south of
Tel-Aviv, to the west of the continuation of Herzl street up
to its junction with the Jaffa-Jerusalem road, to the
south-west of the section of the Jaffa-Jerusalem road lying
south-east of that junction, to the west of Miqve Yisrael
lands, to the northwest of Holon local council area, to the
north of the line linking up the north-west corner of Holon
with the northeast corner of Bat Yam local council area and
to the north of Bat Yam local council area. The question of
Karton quarter will be decided by the Boundary Commission,
bearing in mind among other considerations the desirability
of including the smallest possible number of its Arab
inhabitants and the largest possible number of its Jewish
inhabitants in the Jewish State.
B. THE JEWISH STATE
The north-eastern sector of the Jewish
State (Eastern Galilee) is bounded on the north and west by
the Lebanese frontier and on the east by the frontiers of
Syria and Trans-jordan. It includes the whole of the Huleh
Basin, Lake Tiberias, the whole of the Beisan Sub-District,
the boundary line being extended to the crest of the Gilboa
mountains and the Wadi Malih. From there the Jewish State
extends north-west, following the boundary described in
respect of the Arab State. The Jewish section of the coastal
plain extends from a point between Minat El-Qila and Nabi
Yunis in the Gaza Sub-District and includes the towns of
Haifa and Tel-Aviv, leaving Jaffa as an enclave of the Arab
State. The eastern frontier of the Jewish State follows the
boundary described in respect of the Arab State.
The Beersheba area comprises the whole of
the Beersheba Sub-District, including the Negeb and the
eastern part of the Gaza Sub-District, but excluding the
town of Beersheba and those areas described in respect of
the Arab State. It includes also a strip of land along the
Dead Sea stretching from the Beersheba-Hebron Sub-District
boundary line to 'Ein Geddi, as described in respect of the
Arab State.
C. THE CITY OF JERUSALEM
The boundaries of the City of Jerusalem
are as defined in the recommendations on the City of
Jerusalem. (See Part III, section B, below).
A. SPECIAL REGIME
The City of Jerusalem shall be
established as a corpus separatum under a special
international regime and shall be administered by the United
Nations. The Trusteeship Council shall be designated to
discharge the responsibilities of the Administering
Authority on behalf of the United Nations.
B. BOUNDARIES OF THE CITY
The City of Jerusalem shall include the
present municipality of Jerusalem plus the surrounding
villages and towns, the most eastern of which shall be Abu
Dis; the most southern, Bethlehem; the most western, 'Ein
Karim (including also the built-up area of Motsa); and the
most northern Shu'fat, as indicated on the attached
sketch-map (annex B).
C. STATUTE OF THE CITY
The Trusteeship Council shall, within
five months of the approval of the present plan, elaborate
and approve a detailed statute of the City which shall
contain, inter alia, the substance of the following
provisions:
Government machinery; special objectives.
The Administering Authority in discharging its
administrative obligations shall pursue the following
special objectives:
To protect and to preserve the unique
spiritual and religious interests located in the city of the
three great monotheistic faiths throughout the world,
Christian, Jewish and Moslem; to this end to ensure that
order and peace, and especially religious peace, reign in
Jerusalem;
To foster cooperation among all the
inhabitants of the city in their own interests as well as in
order to encourage and support the peaceful development of
the mutual relations between the two Palestinian peoples
throughout the Holy Land; to promote the security,
well-being and any constructive measures of development of
the residents having regard to the special circumstances and
customs of the various peoples and communities.
Governor and Administrative staff. A
Governor of the City of Jerusalem shall be appointed by the
Trusteeship Council and shall be responsible to it. He shall
be selected on the basis of special qualifications and
without regard to nationality. He shall not, however, be a
citizen of either State in Palestine.
The Governor shall represent the United
Nations in the City and shall exercise on their behalf all
powers of administration, including the conduct of external
affairs. He shall be assisted by an administrative staff
classed as international officers in the meaning of Article
100 of the Charter and chosen whenever practicable from the
residents of the city and of the rest of Palestine on a
non-discriminatory basis. A detailed plan for the
organization of the administration of the city shall be
submitted by the Governor to the Trusteeship Council and
duly approved by it.
3. Local autonomy
The existing local autonomous units in
the territory of the city (villages, townships and
municipalities) shall enjoy wide powers of local government
and administration.
The Governor shall study and submit for
the consideration and decision of the Trusteeship Council a
plan for the establishment of special town units consisting,
respectively, of the Jewish and Arab sections of new
Jerusalem. The new town units shall continue to form part
the present municipality of Jerusalem.
Security measures
The City of Jerusalem shall be
demilitarized; neutrality shall be declared and preserved,
and no para-military formations, exercises or activities
shall be permitted within its borders.
Should the administration of the City of
Jerusalem be seriously obstructed or prevented by the
non-cooperation or interference of one or more sections of
the population the Governor shall have authority to take
such measures as may be necessary to restore the effective
functioning of administration.
To assist in the maintenance of internal
law and order, especially for the protection of the Holy
Places and religious buildings and sites in the city, the
Governor shall organize a special police force of adequate
strength, the members of which shall be recruited outside of
Palestine. The Governor shall be empowered to direct such
budgetary provision as may be necessary for the maintenance
of this force.
Legislative Organization.
A Legislative Council, elected by adult
residents of the city irrespective of nationality on the
basis of universal and secret suffrage and proportional
representation, shall have powers of legislation and
taxation. No legislative measures shall, however, conflict
or interfere with the provisions which will be set forth in
the Statute of the City, nor shall any law, regulation, or
official action prevail over them. The Statute shall grant
to the Governor a right of vetoing bills inconsistent with
the provisions referred to in the preceding sentence. It
shall also empower him to promulgate temporary ordinances in
case the Council fails to adopt in time a bill deemed
essential to the normal functioning of the administration.
Administration of Justice.
The Statute shall provide for the
establishment of an independent judiciary system, including
a court of appeal. All the inhabitants of the city shall be
subject to it.
Economic Union and Economic Regime.
The City of Jerusalem shall be included
in the Economic Union of Palestine and be bound by all
stipulations of the undertaking and of any treaties issued
therefrom, as well as by the decisions of the Joint Economic
Board. The headquarters of the Economic Board shall be
established in the territory City. The Statute shall provide
for the regulation of economic matters not falling within
the regime of the Economic Union, on the basis of equal
treatment and non-discrimination for all members of thc
United Nations and their nationals.
Freedom of Transit and Visit: Control of
residents.
Subject to considerations of security,
and of economic welfare as determined by the Governor under
the directions of the Trusteeship Council, freedom of entry
into, and residence within the borders of the City shall be
guaranteed for the residents or citizens of the Arab and
Jewish States. Immigration into, and residence within, the
borders of the city for nationals of other States shall be
controlled by the Governor under the directions of the
Trusteeship Council.
Relations with Arab and Jewish States.
Representatives of the Arab and Jewish States shall be
accredited to the Governor of the City and charged with the
protection of the interests of their States and nationals in
connection with the international administration of thc
City.
Official languages.
Arabic and Hebrew shall be the official
languages of the city. This will not preclude the adoption
of one or more additional working languages, as may be
required.
Citizenship.
All the residents shall become ipso facto
citizens of the City of Jerusalem unless they opt for
citizenship of the State of which they have been citizens
or, if Arabs or Jews, have filed notice of intention to
become citizens of the Arab or Jewish State respectively,
according to Part 1, section B, paragraph 9, of this Plan.
The Trusteeship Council shall make
arrangements for consular protection of the citizens of the
City outside its territory.
Freedoms of citizens
Subject only to the requirements of
public order and morals, the inhabitants of the City shall
be ensured the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms, including freedom of conscience, religion and
worship, language, education, speech and press, assembly and
association, and petition.
No discrimination of any kind shall be
made between the inhabitants on the grounds of race,
religion, language or sex.
All persons within the City shall be
entitled to equal protection of the laws.
The family law and personal status of the
various persons and communities and their religious
interests, including endowments, shall be respected.
Except as may be required for the
maintenance of public order and good government, no measure
shall be taken to obstruct or interfere with the enterprise
of religious or charitable bodies of all faiths or to
discriminate against any representative or member of these
bodies on the ground of his religion or nationality.
The City shall ensure adequate primary
and secondary education for the Arab and Jewish communities
respectively, in their own languages and in accordance with
their cultural traditions.
The right of each community to maintain
its own schools for the education of its own members in its
own language, while conforming to such educational
requirements of a general nature as the City may impose,
shall not be denied or impaired. Foreign educational
establishments shall continue their activity on the basis of
their existing rights.
No restriction shall be imposed on the
free use by any inhabitant of the City of any language in
private intercourse, in commerce, in religion, in the Press
or in publications of any kind, or at public meetings.
Holy Places Existing rights in respect of
Holy Places and religious buildings or sites shall not be
denied or impaired.
Free access to the Holy Places and
religious buildings or sites and the free exercise of
worship shall be secured in conformity with existing rights
and subject to the requirements of public order and decorum.
Holy Places and religious buildings or
sites shall be preserved. No act shall be permitted which
may in any way impair their sacred character. If at any time
it appears to the Governor that any particular Holy Place,
religious building or site is in need of urgent repair, the
Governor may call upon the community or communities
concerned to carry out such repair. The Governor may carry
it out himself at the expense of the community or
communities concerned if no action is taken within a
reasonable time.
No taxation shall be levied in respect of
any Holy Place, religious building or site which was exempt
from taxation on the date of the creation of the City. No
change in the incidence of such taxation shall be made which
would either discriminate between the owners or occupiers of
Holy Places, religious buildings or sites or would place
such owners or occupiers in a position less favourable in
relation to the general incidence of taxation than existed
at the time of the adoption of the Assembly's
recommendations.
Special powers of the Governor in respect
of the Holy Places, religious buildings and sites in the
City and in any part of Palestine.
The protection of the Holy Places,
religious buildings and sites located in the City of
Jerusalem shall be a special concern of the Governor. With
relation to such places, buildings and sites in Palestine
outside the city, the Governor shall determine, on the
ground of powers granted to him by the Constitution of both
States, whether the provisions of the Constitution of the
Arab and Jewish States in Palestine dealing therewith and
the religious rights appertaining thereto are being properly
applied and respected.
The Governor shall also be empowered to
make decisions on the basis of existing rights in cases of
disputes which may arise between the different religious
communities or the rites of a religious community in respect
of the Holy Places, religious buildings and sites in any
part of Palestine.
In this task he may be assisted by a
consultative council of representatives of different
denominations acting in an advisory capacity.
D. DURATION OF THE SPECIAL REGIME
The Statute elaborated by the Trusteeship
Council the aforementioned principles shall come into force
not later than 1 October 1948. It shall remain in force in
the first instance for a period of ten years, unless the
Trusteeship Council finds it necessary to undertake a
re-examination of these provisions at an earlier date. After
the expiration of this period the whole scheme shall be
subject to examination by the Trusteeship Council in the
light of experience acquired with its functioning. The
residents the City shall be then free to express by means of
a referendum their wishes as to possible modifications of
regime of the City.
Part IV. Capitulations
States whose nationals have in the past
enjoyed in Palestine the privileges and immunities of
foreigners, including the benefits of consular jurisdiction
and protection, as formerly enjoyed by capitulation or usage
in the Ottoman Empire, are invited to renounce any right
pertaining to them to the re-establishment of such
privileges and immunities in the proposed Arab and Jewish
States and the City of Jerusalem.
Adopted at the 128th plenary meeting:
In favour: 33
Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil,
Byelorussian S.S.R., Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia,
Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala,
Haiti, Iceland, Liberia, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Ukrainian S.S.R., Union of
South Africa, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Uruguay, Venezuela.
Against: 13
Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Greece,
India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Turkey, Yemen.
Abstained: 10
Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, El
Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Mexico, United Kingdom,
Yugoslavia.
(1) See Official
Records of the General Assembly, Second Session Supplement
No. 11,Volumes l-lV.
Return to Text
* At its hundred and
twenty-eighth plenary meeting on 29 November 1947 the
General Assembly, in accordance with the terms of the above
resolution, elected the following members of the United
Nations Commission on Palestine: Bolivia, Czechoslovakia,
Denmark, Panama, and Philippines.
Return to Text
(2) This resolution
was adopted without reference to a Committee.
Return to Text
(3) The following
stipulation shall be added to the declaration concerning the
Jewish State: "In the Jewish State adequate facilities shall
be given to Arabic-speaking citizens for the use of their
language, either orally or in writing, in the legislature,
before the Courts and in the administration."
Return to Text
(4) In the
declaration concerning the Arab State, the words "by an Arab
in the Jewish State" should be replaced by the words "by a
Jew in the Arab State."
Return to Text
(5) On the question
of the internationalization of Jerusalem, see also General
Assembly resolutions 185 (S-2) of 26 April 1948; 187 (S-2)
of 6 May 1948, 303 (lV) of 9 December 1949, and resolutions
of the Trusteeship Council (Section IV).
Source:
A Decade of American Foriegn Policy : Basic Documents,
1941-49
Prepared at the request of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations
By the Staff of the Committe and the Department of State.
Washington, DC : Government Printing Office, 1950 |