This book provides the first comprehensive account of the work of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), constituted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 to study the situation in Palestine at the end of the British Mandate and make recommendations about its political future.
Utilizing a wealth of archival documentation, some of it never before studied, Elad Ben-Dror explores the various aspects of UNSCOP’s activity to understand how it came to determine the fate of the country’s inhabitants. The book analyzes the methods and motivations of the various members, with special attention given to the personal viewpoint of each member of the committee. Through this Ben-Dror shows that the partition recommendation emerged after a long process of study, debate, and compromise that was very much dependent on the characters and circumstances of the individual members of the committee.
UNSCOP and the Arab-Israeli Conflict will be a key text in understanding the role of UNSCOP in shaping the modern Middle East. It will be appropriate for scholars and students of political science, Palestine and Israeli history, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the UN and diplomacy, and conflict resolution.
Author(s): Elad Ben-Dror
Series: Israeli History, Politics and Society
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 283
City: London
Cover
Endorsement
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Notes
1 “Without Recommendations”: Handing the Palestine Question Over to the United Nations
The Special Session: The Agenda Fight and Public Deliberations
The Special Session: The Composition of the Committee of Inquiry and Its Terms of Reference
Notes
2 UNSCOP: First Steps
“A Strange Assortment”: The Committee’s Eleven Members
The UN’s First Big Test: Putting UNSCOP Together
Inaugural Meetings in New York
Notes
3 The Encounter With Palestine
A Cold British Shoulder and the Shadow of the Gallows
The Arab Boycott
Notes
4 With Their Own Eyes
UNSCOP Tours Palestine
Personal Encounters
“The British Made a Terrible Mess”: The Summer of 1947
Notes
5 The Hearings in Palestine
“We Need a Jewish State”: Testimony From the Jewish Agency
“A Great Misfortune for Both Arabs and Jews”: The Opponents of Partition Testify
The Testimony of the Religious Communities
“A Thankless Task”: The British Testimonies
The “Special Series”: Testimonies in the Informal Channel
Notes
6 The Testimony of the Arab States
“The Arabs Will Not Stand By and Do Nothing”: The Testimony in Lebanon
Divide and Annex: The Visit to Transjordan
Notes
7 The Inquiry in the DP Camps
The Decision to Visit the Camps
“I Was in Hell Tonight”: UNSCOP Visits the DP Camps
Notes
8 Decision Point: Drafting the Report
The Members Reveal Their Views
Arabs, British, and Jews: The Home Stretch
“Stuck in the Mud”: A Consensus Proves Elusive
The Vote
Notes
9 UNSCOP’s Report
The Fight Over Borders and the Signing of the Report
The Decisions: Why They Were Made and What They Meant
Jewish and Arab Reactions to the Report
Notes
10 “Eleven Committees of One Man Each”: The Personal Views of UNSCOP’s Members
The European and Commonwealth Countries
Sandström
Rand
Blom
Hood
The Latin American Countries
Granados and Fabregat
Salazar
The Muslims
Entezam
Abdur Rahman
The Soviet Bloc
Simic and Brilej
Lisicky
The Influencers: Mohn and Bunche
Notes
11 The Great Powers and UNSCOP
The Soviet Union
The United States
Notes
Conclusion
Notes
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
