UN Palestine Commission – Statement before the Security Council – Communication from the Jewish Agency for Palestine

UNITED NATIONS PALESTINE COMMISSION

COMMUNICATION RECEIVED FROM THE JEWISH AGENCY

FOR PALESTINE CONCERNING STATEMENT MADE BEFORE THE SECURITY COUNCIL

The following communication has been received from the Jewish Agency for Palestine giving text of Statement adopted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the National Council of Jews of Palestine (Vaad Leumi) concerning Palestine.

THE JEWISH AGENCY PALESTINE

16 East 66th Street

New York 21, N.Y.

March 24, 1948

The Chairman

United Nations Palestine Commission

United Nations

Lake Success New York

Sir:

I hairs the honor to submit for the information of the United Nations Palestine Commission the text of a statement adopted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the National Council of the Jews of Palestine (Vaad Leumi).

Yours sincerely,

(signed) M. SHERTOK

Moshe Shertok

MS:LNPF

Encl.

STATEMENT ADOPTED BY THE JEWISH AGENCY FOR PALESTINE

AND THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF THE JEWS OF PALESTINE

(VAAD LEUMI), MARCH 28, 1948

The Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Vaad Leumi have learned with regret and astonishment of the attitude adopted by the United States representative in the Security Council concerning the United Nations decisions on Palestine.

The Jewish Agency and the Vaad Leumi declare:

1. The Jewish people and the Yichev in Palestine will oppose any proposal designed to prevent or postpone the establishment of the Jewish State.

2. We categorically reject any plan to set up a trusteeship regime for Palestine, even for a short period of time. A trusteeship would necessarily entail a denial of the Jewish right to national independence. It would leave Palestine under a foreign military regime.

3. The failure and disintegration of the Mandatory administration, the continuation of which was unanimously rejected by the United Nations, necessitates the early arrival in Palestine of the United Nations Palestine Commission. The Provisional Council of Government of the Jewish State should be recognized without delay by the United Nations Palestine Commission so that authority any be transferred to it as envisaged in the United Nations decisions.

4. Upon the termination of the Mandatory administration and not later than May 16 next, a provisional Jewish government will commence to function in cooperation with the representatives of the United Nations then in Palestine. In the meantime, we shall do our utmost to minimize the chaos created by the present government, and we shall maintain, so far as lies in our power, the public services neglected by it.

5. The Jewish people extends the hand of peace to the Arab people and invites representatives of the Arab population of the Jewish State to take their rightful place in all its organs of government. The Jewish State will be glad to cooperate with the neighboring Arab States and to enter into permanent treaty relations with them to strengthen world peace and to advance the development of all countries of the Near East.