The UN, Israel, and the Palestinians
At the crossroads of three major religions, the Middle East has long been a conflict zone. The UN and League of Nations both played a role in the creation of the State of Israel and in attempting to mediate conflicts in the region. This page highlights some of the major initiatives.
Starting points
-
Timeline -- a detailed chronology of events in the region, as well as League of Nations, UN, and other international activitions
-
Israel's borders explained in maps (from the BBC)
-
The Question of Palestine -- a collection of UN documents, maps, resolutions, and background from UNISPAL
-
History & Background -- a brief overview of the regions history from the UN
-
The Middle East 1916-2001 : A Documentary Record -- The Avalon Project
Early 20th Century diplomacy and the British Mandate and Balfour Declaration
-
Balfour Declaration (Encyclopedia Britannica) -- Statement in 1917 from the UK supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Full text
-
The Sykes-Picot Agreement : 1916 -- Plan to divide much of the Middle East into areas administered by Britain, France, and Russia. Overview with map. Full Text
-
Palestine Mandate -- Overview of the League of Nations Mandate post WWI, from the UK Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) Full Text
UN, early discussions, and partition
Special Committee on Palestine--Report (1947) -- in May 1947 the General Assembly appointed a special committee to examine issues related to the end of the British Mandate and the future of Palestine (Resolution . They were required to file a report by Sept. 1, 1947 for consideration at the Plenary Session that year.
Palestine plan of partition with economic union – General Assembly resolution 181 --
Palestinian Resistance
-
The Palestinian Liberation Organization
-
Hamas
-
Hezbollah
-
Major US Initiatives
-
Camp David Accords - Brokered by President Jimmy Carter, the accords, signed at Camp David, outlined a framework for peace in the Middle East and led to a formal peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979. (from the Dept of State Historian)