The Immorality of Resurrecting Resolution 181

In 1948, the seven Arab nations of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Yemen rejected U.N. Partition Resolution 181, attacked the newly born State of Israel, pledging to push the Jews into the sea.

But the Arabs had already begun their armed assaults in 1947. The total estimated Arab population of the region in 1948 was 696,000. The Arab armies ordered that this sparse population leave their homes to clear the field of fire so that their armies could quickly roll over the Jews.

430,000 fled to Trans-Jordan, awaiting their return and the promised loot from whatever the Jews had built up. The official records of the League of Nations' mandate and Arab census figures determined that there were 539,000 Arab refugees in May 1948.

Almost simultaneously 850,000 Jews who had lived in various Arab countries for centuries had their properties confiscated and were ejected from the Arab countries.

750,000 Jews from Arab countries settled, penniless, in Israel. But, at least they were absorbed while the Palestinian Arabs were rejected by the Arabs and kept in poverty to invite Western sympathy.

The Arab armies lost the 1948 War of Independence against 600,000 nearly unarmed Jews as well as six subsequent wars, gambling away territory as they continued to pledge a never-ending Jihad (Holy War).

The non-Muslim world does not understand nor believe that a whole culture could be driven by their religion.

Islam dictates that Muslims are either dominant and in control (dar al-Islam - the House of Islam) or in a perpetual war with all infidels (dar al-Harb - the House of War) until they conquer their non-Muslim adversary. Christians and Jews cannot grasp the drive of Islam to expand across the globe.

The non-Muslim world thinks that it can negotiate terms with Islamists - not understanding that any negotiations are merely temporary tactics until Islam can once again dominate - as dictated by Koranic law.

As a relevant part of this story Arafat went to the U.N. and asked that they reinstate the dead U.N. Partition Resolution 181 of 1947, which the Arabs rejected by attacking Israel in 1948.

It has been 52 years since the Arab nations, singularly and collectively pronounced Resolution 181 null and void.

Any arguments that this land should be transformed into an Arab state, as was recommended by resolution 181, are absolutely immoral.

One cannot wage an aggressive war for 50 years, lose it, and then come back and demand the return of territory that one lost as a result of this war.

One cannot arbitrarily pick and choose only those international agreements which suit ones needs today, but were rejected the day before.

One cannot turn back the wheel of history.

Today is not the year 1947. The train has left. The Arabs did not want to catch the train then; it is immoral and unjust to assist them in getting on it now.

(We gratefully acknowledge the research of Joan Peters, Emanuel A. Winston, and Boris Shusteff for the information included in this article.)