IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 36

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 12, 1999

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 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 ref-
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erence 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
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1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) condemns Palestinian efforts to circumvent

4 United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242

5 and 338, as well as violate the Oslo peace process,

6 by attempting to revive United Nations General As7 sembly Resolution 181, thereby placing the entire

8 Israeli-Palestinian peace process at risk;

9 (2) condemns the United Nations Commission

10 on Human Rights for voting to formally endorse

11 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 as

12 the basis for the future of Palestinian self-deter13 mination;

14 (3) reiterates that any just and final peace

15 agreement regarding the final status of the territory

16 controlled by the Palestinians can only be deter17 mined through direct negotiations and agreement be18 tween the State of Israel and the Palestinian Libera19 tion Organization;

20 (4) reiterates its continued unequivocal support

21 for the security and well-being of the State of Israel,

22 and of the Oslo peace process based on United Na23 tions Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338; and

24 (5) calls for the President of the United States

25 to declare that—
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1 (A) it is the policy of the United States

2 that United Nations General Assembly Resolu3 tion 181 of 1947 is null and void;

4 (B) all negotiations between Israel and the

5 Palestinians must be based on United Nations

6 Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338; and

7 (C) the United States regards any attempt

8 by the Palestinians, the United Nations, or any

9 entity to resurrect United Nations General As10 sembly Resolution 181 as a basis for negotia11 tions, or for any international decision, as an

12 attempt to sabotage the prospects for a success13 ful peace agreement in the Middle East.

Passed the Senate July 1, 1999.

Attest: GARY SISCO,

Secretary.