'WAR WITHOUT END'

SIGNPOST: 1947 - 1948

“ FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1947:

The gavel rapped. The General Assembly of the United Nations was ordered into session. “We shall have a roll call of nations on the partition resolution. A two thirds majority is needed for passage.
"Delegates will answer in one of three ways; for, against, or abstain.”

A solemn quiet fell over the great hall.

“Afghanistan”
“Afghanistan votes against.”
The Yishuv had lost the first vote. Barak marked it on a pad.

“Argentina.”
“The government of Argentina wishes to abstain.”
“We have to cut the abstentions down,” Barak whispered; “they could kill us.”

“Australia.”
Everyone leaned forward as Evatt got to his feet with the first vote of a British Commonwealth nation.
“Australia votes in favour of partition,” Evatt said. 
A buzz of speculation went up. Weizmann leaned close to Barak’s ear. “Do you think it might be a trend in the Commonwealth?”
“We’ll just have to count them one at a time…we can’t tell.”

“Belgium”
“Belgium votes for partition.”
Another buzz arose in the great hall. A few days earlier Belgium had abstained on the test vote. At the last minute Spaak had defied British pressure.

“Bolivia.”
“Bolivia votes for partition.”

“Brazil.”
“Brazil favours partition.”
The south American countries were sticking. A vital vote was coming up with the next call. If the Soviet Union had a double cross up its sleeve, the world would know it now, for a satellite, White Russia, was next.

“Byelorussia.”
“White Russia votes for partition.”
In unison the Jews breathed a sigh of relief. The Slav bloc was going to come in. The signs were bright.

“Canada.”
Lester Pearson arose and spoke firmly. “Canada votes for partition.” The second of the Commonwealth countries had gone against Great Britain.

“Chile”
Another delegate arose in place of the chief who had resigned in protest to his orders to abstain. “Chile has been ordered to abstain,” he said slowly.

“China.”
China, jockeying to become the dominant power in Asia, feared to go against the Moslems of India and Pakistan.
“China abstains.”
It was a setback for the Yishuv.

“Costa Rica.”
The Costa Rican delegate had been approached by the Arabs who tried to bribe his vote by a promise to support him for an important United Nations post. He stood and looked at the Egyptian delegation.
“Costa Rica votes in favour of partition.”
The man who would not be bought sat down smiling.

“Cuba.”
“Cuba votes against partition.”
This came as a complete and unexpected shock to the Yishuv.

　
“Czechoslovakia.”
“Czechoslovakia votes for partition,” Jan Masaryk said.

“Denmark favours partition.”
“The Dominican Republic favours partition.”

“Egypt”
“Egypt votes against and will not be bound by this outrage!”
The gavel rapped and order came about slowly, following the Egyptian’s angry outburst.

“Ecuador.”
“Ecuador votes for.”

“Ethiopia”
“Ethiopia….abstains,”
It was a bombshell ! The faces of all the Arab delegates turned to the Ethiopian with stunned expressions. The Syrian delegate shook his fist angrily.”

“France.”
The first of the big powers, reluctant France had its turn. Parodi came to his feet slowly. An abstention by France could prove disastrous for the Yishuv. Had Blum and the French people succeeded?
“The Republic of France votes FOR partition,” Parodi said in a voice filled with satisfaction.
An expectant murmur went up. It was the first excited awareness that the miracle might actually take place !

“Guatemala.”
Granados, the champion of partition, spoke. “For,” he said.

“Greece.”
“Greece votes against partition.” In the last moment the Greeks had bowed to Egyptian blackmail.
 
“Haiti.”
Haiti was a key vote that had suddenly been left without instructions in the last two days. “The government of Haiti has just been sent instructions for this delegation to vote in favour of partition.”

“Honduras.”
“Honduras wishes to abstain.”

“Iceland.”
“Iceland votes for partition.” The world’s oldest republic had worked to make the world’s newest republic.

“India.”
“India votes against partition.”

“Iran.”
“Iran votes against.”

“Iraq.”
“Iraq votes against and we will never recognise the Jews ! There will be bloodshed over this day. We vote against !

“Lebanon.”
“Lebanon votes AGAINST partition,” Malik said.

“How does the vote stand?” Weizmann asked Barak.
“Fifteen for, eight against, and seven abstentions.”

It was not too encouraging. So far the Jews were running one vote shy of their two thirds, and the deadly abstentions were piling up.

“What do you think, Barak?”
“We will know when they come to the next three South American countries.”
“I think we shall have to start pulling away. We are near the halfway mark and we show no decided strength,” Weizmann said.

“Liberia.”
“Liberia votes for partition.”

“Luxembourg.” Another small country under duress in the British economic sphere. “Luxembourg votes for partition.” Again, the British had been directly rebuked. The Yishuv now stood one vote over two thirds.

“Mexico.”
“Mexico abstains.”

The entire Yishuv delegation winced.

“Netherlands.”
“Netherlands votes for.”

“New Zealand.”
“New Zealand votes for.”

“Nicaragua…for.”
“Norway…for.”
“Pakistan votes against partition.”

The pivot votes were coming up. “If we get over the next four I think we are in,” Barak said shakily.

“Panama.”
“The Republic of Panama favours partition.”

“Paraguay.”
“Paraguay has just received new instructions not to abstain….instead, Paraguay votes for partition.”

“Peru.”
“Peru favours partition.”

“Philippines.” For a breathless moment the world stood still. Romulo had been called away from Flushing Meadow. The alternative stood up. “The Philippines votes FOR partition !”
A roar went up ! The members of the Jewish delegation looked at each other with dazed expressions.
“Dear God,” Barak said, “I think we have made it.”

“Poland.”
“Poland votes in favour of partition.” The Jews were beginning to pull away. Poland had paid its small indemnity for years of persecution.

Siam was not represented.

“Saudi Arabia.” The white-robed Arab screamed out against partition in a hate-filled voice.

“Sweden.”
“Sweden is for partition.”

And now the Arabs had their backs to the wall as they went into the last ditch.

“Syria, AGAINST !”
“Turkey votes AGAINST partition.”

Barak scanned the balance of the roster quickly. The Arabs still had a breath of life. They now had twelve votes with one more certain. If some last-minute change came through it could upset everything.

“Ukraine.”
“For.”

“Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”
Vishinsky got to his feet. “The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics votes for partition.”

“The United Kingdom of Great Britain.” The hall became silent. The British delegate got to his feet and looked around the room ashen-faced. At this awesome moment he stood alone. The Commonwealth nations has deserted. France had deserted. The United States of America had deserted.

“His Majesty’s Government wishes to abstain,” the Englishman said in a shaken voice.

“The United States of America.”
“The United States of America votes for partition.”

It was all over. The reporters scrambled for their phones to flash the news around the world as the last vote was cast. Yemen gave the Arabs their thirteenth vote. Yugoslavia abstained in deference to a large Moslem minority. Professor Fabegat of Uruguay and the delegate of Venezuela gave the partition plan its thirty-second and thirty-third votes.

In Tel Aviv pandemonium broke loose.

In the final analysis, the Jewish victory was crushing. The Arabs had thirteen votes, and eleven of these were Arab or Moslem nations. The twelfth was a vote coerced from the Greeks. The thirteenth vote, Cuba, represented the only nation on the face of the earth that the Arabs were able to convince by force of argument.

Those men who had won this battle at Flushing Meadow and had seen the miracle unfold were realists. The Jews in Tel Aviv celebrated only for the moment. Ben Gurion and the leaders of the Yishuv knew that even a greater miracle would have to take place to win independence for the Jewish state, as the cry “Perish Judea!” arose like thunder on Arab lips.

KUWATLY, PREDIDENT OF SYRIA: We live or die with Palestine!

AL KULTA MEWSPAPER, CAIRO: Five hundred thousand Iraqis prepare for this holy war. 150,000 Syrians will storm over the Palestine borders and the mighty Egyptian army will throw the Jews into the sea if they dare to declare their state.

JAMIL MARDAM, SYRIAN PREMIER: Stop talking, my brother Moslems. Arise and wipe out the Zionist scourge.

IBN SAUD, KING OR SAUDI ARABIA: There are 50 million Arabs. What does it matter if we lose 10 million people to kill all the Jews ? The price is worth it.

SELEH HARB PASHA, MOSLEM YOUTH: Unsheathe the swords against the Jews! Death to them all! Victory is ours!

SHEIK HASSAN AL BANNAH, MOSLEM BROTHERHOOD: All Arabs shall arise and annihilate the Jews! We shall fill the sea with their corpses.

AKRAM YAUYTAR, MUFTI SPOCKSMAN: Fifty million Arabs shall fight to the last drop of blood.

HAJ AMIN EL HUSSEINI, MUFTI OF JERUSALEM: I declare a holy war, my Moslem brothers! Murder the Jews! Murder them all!

AZZAM PASHA, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB LEAGUE: This will be a war of extermination, and momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian Massacres.

Other Arab leaders and Arab press and radio spoke out in equally appropriate words in answer to the United Nation’s partition of Palestine.

On December 1, 1947, one day after the UN vote, Dr Khalidi of the Arab Higher Committee in Palestine called a general strike in which inflamed mobs broke out in wild rioting. They crossed into the Jewish commercial centre of Jerusalem and burned and looted while the British troops stood by idly.”

                         [ - Leon Uris, Exodus. pp 461-466 ]

The 1947-8 civil war had started and culminated six months later in 1948 in the War of Independence with the birth of the State of Israel.

The start of these conflicts after the UN vote has proven, to date, to be the most notorious, convoluted ever ‘war without end.’

14jan21