•HCON 131 IH
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 men-
tion of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181,
and the United Nations Security Council made no ref-
erence to United Nations General Assembly Resolution
181 in its Resolution 73 on August 11, 1949, which en-
dorsed the armistice;
Whereas in 1967 and 1973 the United Nations adopted Secu-
rity 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 rec-
ognition 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 con-
tending 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
•HCON 131 IH
Whereas in its April 27, 1999, resolution, the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights asserted that Israeli-Pal-
estinian 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 As-
sembly 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-deter-
mination;
(3) reiterates that any just and final peace
agreement regarding the final status of the territory
controlled by the Palestinians can only be deter-
mined through direct negotiations and agreement be-
tween the State of Israel and the Palestinian Libera-
tion Organization;
(4) reiterates its continued unequivocal support
for the security and well-being of the State of Israel,
•HCON 131 IH
and of the Oslo peace process based on United Na-
tions 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 Resolu-
tion 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 As-
sembly Resolution 181 as a basis for negotia-
tions, or for any international decision, as an
attempt to sabotage the prospects for a success-
ful peace agreement in the Middle East.
Æ