[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 36 Referred in House (RFH)]

  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 36


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 1999

          Referred to the Committee on International Relations

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                         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 five 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 of 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 Senate (the House of Representatives 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.

            Passed the Senate July 1, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.