Timeline--United Nations

From AICbackground

UNITED NATIONS INVOLVEMENT IN THE ARAB- ISRAELI CONFLICT:

1947: On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly passed UN Resolution 181 (1947 UN Partition Plan), which served as the foundation for the Israeli Declaration of Independence, with Jerusalem to be an internationalized city. It was passed with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, and 10 abstentions. It was the first and only time the United Nations has recommended creating two states by way of a General Assembly vote. The resolution was accepted by the Jews, and rejected by the Arabs. 1948: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East was established to alleviate the condition of Palestinian refugees in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War - The UN passed Resolution 42 that requests recommendations for the Palestine Commission on 5 March 1948

-The UN passed Resolution 43 that calls upon Arab and Jewish armed groups to cease acts of violence on 1 Apr 1948 -The UN passed Resolution 44 that requests convocation of special session of the General Assembly about the Palestine Question was also passed on 1 Apr 1948 -In December 1948, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 194 which declared (amongst other things) that in the context of a general peace agreement “refugees wishing to return to their homes and live in peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so" and that "compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return." The resolution also mandated the creation of the United Nations Conciliation Commission. 1949: On May 11, 1949, the UN General Assembly voted to admit Israel to UN membership in Resolution 273 (III).

1950: On November 17, 1950, the UN passed Resolution 89 regarding Armistice in 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the” transfer of persons".

1955: On 29 Mar 1955, the UN passed Resolution 106 that 'condemns' Israel for Gaza raid in concern of the Palestine Question.

1956: United Nations forces were placed as a buffer zone or 'human shield' after the fear that a larger war would erupt when the USSR threatened to intervene on behalf of Egypt in the Suez Canal crisis.

1967: On November 22, 1967 in the aftermath of the 1967 War, the UN passed Resolution 242 that called for the termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area. It also called on Israel's neighbors to end the state of belligerency and called upon Israel to reciprocate by withdraw its forces from land claimed by other parties in 1967 war. This resolution today is commonly know and interpreted as the Land for peace principle to resolve Arab-Israeli conflict.

-It is also one of the most commonly referenced UN resolutions in Middle Eastern politics. It was reaffirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 338, adopted after the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

1973: After the fourth Arab-Israeli War broke out during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. The United Nations passed Resolution 338 on October 22, 1973 calling for a cease fire in accordance with a joint proposal by the United States and the Soviet Union. The resolution stipulated a cease fire to take effect within 12 hours, no later than 6:52PM of that day

1975: On March 22, 1975 a UN General Assembly approved Resolution 3379 which equated Zionism with racism at the instigation of the Arab states and the Soviet Bloc

1978: The UN passed Resolution 425 that 'calls' on Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon".

1979: The UN passed Resolution 446 that 'determines' that Israeli settlements are a 'serious obstruction' to peace and calls on Israel to abide by the Fourth Geneva Convention". Israeli settlements in the occupied territories thus were declared illegal.

1981: The UN passed Resolution 497 on 17 December 1981 that declared that Israel's annexation of Syria's Golan Heights is 'null and void' and demands that Israel rescinds its decision forthwith.

1987: On December 22, the United Nations Security Council condemned Israel for violating Geneva Conventions due to the number of Palestinian deaths in the first few weeks of the Intifada (Palestinian uprising) which broke out due to political and national sentiments in Palestine. 1991: The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 4686 revoked Resolution 3379, adopted on November 10, 1975 by a vote of 72 to 35 (with 32 abstentions), "determine[d] that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination". 2000: The UN Security Council Resolution 425 confirmed that as of June 16, 2000, Israel had completely withdrawn its forces from Lebanon. 2001: The United Nations Department of Information sponsored a Conference on confronting anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding. Anne Bayefsky, (scholar and activist) attending as representative of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, advocated the necessity of deep reforms within the UN and criticized some of the UN policies and practices that can be seen as anti-Israeli. 2002: Based on UN Security Council Resolution 242 and Resolution 338, Saudi Arabia offered a peace plan between the Arab world and Israel in the New York Times and at a summit meeting of the Arab League in Beirut. This proposal received the unanimous backing of the Arab League. 2004: UN Resolution 1559 passed on September 2, called upon Lebanon to establish its sovereignty over all of its land and called upon Syria to end their military presence in Lebanon by withdrawing its forces and to cease intervening in internal Lebanese politics. The resolution also called on all Lebanese militias to disband. -In April 2004, the UN special envoy to Iraq Lakhdar Brahimi told the French radio listeners that "the great poison in the region" is Israeli "domination" and told American television viewers that the Israelis "are not interested in peace, no matter what you seem to believe in America" 2005: The United Nations passed Resolution 1583 on 28 January 2005 that calls on Lebanon to assert full control over its border with Israel. It also states that "the Council has recognized the Blue Line as valid for the purpose of confirming Israel's withdrawal pursuant to resolution 425. -On December 07, the UN Security Council was unable to condemn the suicide bombing in Netanya Israel due to a dispute between the US and Algeria. Algeria wanted to place blame on Israel to balance the resolution. -On December 21, the UN also passed Resolution 1648 that renewed the mandate of United Nations Disengagement Observer Force until 30 June 2006. 2006: UN observers were shelled by Israeli troops engaged in fighting in South Lebanon on July 26th 2006 resulting in the deaths of four of them from Austria, Canada, China and Finland. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan blamed Israel and called it an apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of a UN Observer post in southern Lebanon. Ehud Olmert, expressed “deep sorrow” over the deaths, and has ordered an investigation into the incident. -On August 11, 2006, the UN passed Resolution 1701 that called for the full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab-Israeli_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Attrition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/013B1ECF-6E04-401E-A62F-2E70D849E39B.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Israeli_invasion_of_Lebanon_1982

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Intifada

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1844214.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Intifada

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_General_Assembly_Resolution_3379