[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 131 Introduced in House (IH)]
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 131
Condemning Palestinian efforts to revive the original Palestine
partition plan of November 29, 1947, and condemning the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights for its April 27, 1999, resolution endorsing
Palestinian self-determination on the basis of the original Palestine
partition plan.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 10, 1999
Mr. Nadler (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Engel, Mr. Gilman, Mr.
McNulty, Mr. Pallone, and Mr. Weiner) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Condemning Palestinian efforts to revive the original Palestine
partition plan of November 29, 1947, and condemning the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights for its April 27, 1999, resolution endorsing
Palestinian self-determination on the basis of the original Palestine
partition plan.
Whereas United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, which called for the
partition of the British-ruled Palestine Mandate into a Jewish state and
an Arab state, was declared null and void on November 29, 1947, by the
Arab states and the Palestinians, who included the rejection of
Resolution 181 as a formal justification for the May 1948, invasion of
the newly declared State of Israel by the armies of 5 Arab states;
Whereas the armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and
Transjordan in 1949 made no mention of United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 181, and the United Nations Security Council made no
reference to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 in its
Resolution 73 on August 11, 1949, which endorsed the armistice;
Whereas in 1967 and 1973 the United Nations adopted Security Council Resolutions
242 and 338, respectively, which call for the withdrawal of Israel from
territory occupied in 1967 and 1973 in exchange for the creation of
secure and recognized boundaries for Israel and for political
recognition of Israel's sovereignty;
Whereas Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 have served as the framework
for all negotiations between Israel, Palestinian representatives, and
Arab states for 30 years, including the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference and
the ongoing Oslo peace process, and serve as the agreed basis for
impending Final Status Negotiations;
Whereas senior Palestinian officials have recently resurrected United Nations
General Assembly Resolution 181 through official statements and a March
25, 1999, letter from the Palestine Liberation Organization Permanent
Observer to the United Nations Secretary-General contending that the
State of Israel must withdraw to the borders outlined in United Nations
General Assembly Resolution 181, and accept Jerusalem as a ``corpus
separatum'' to be placed under United Nations control as outlined in
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181; and
Whereas in its April 27, 1999, resolution, the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights asserted that Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations be
based on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) condemns Palestinian efforts to circumvent United
Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, as well as
violate the Oslo peace process, by attempting to revive United
Nations General Assembly Resolution 181, thereby placing the
entire Israeli-Palestinian peace process at risk;
(2) condemns the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
for voting to formally endorse United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 181 as the basis for the future of Palestinian self-
determination;
(3) reiterates that any just and final peace agreement
regarding the final status of the territory controlled by the
Palestinians can only be determined through direct negotiations
and agreement between the State of Israel and the Palestinian
Liberation Organization;
(4) reiterates its continued unequivocal support for the
security and well-being of the State of Israel, and of the Oslo
peace process based on United Nations Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338; and
(5) calls for the President of the United States to declare
that--
(A) it is the policy of the United States that
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 of 1947
is null and void;
(B) all negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians must be based on United Nations Security
Council Resolutions 242 and 338; and
(C) the United States regards any attempt by the
Palestinians, the United Nations, or any entity to
resurrect United Nations General Assembly Resolution
181 as a basis for negotiations, or for any
international decision, as an attempt to sabotage the
prospects for a successful peace agreement in the
Middle East.
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