United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379: Difference between revisions

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}}</ref> such that 260,000 reached Israel between 1948–1951, and 600,000 by 1972.<ref name=aiwwj>Schwartz, Adi. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/941518.html "All I wanted was justice"] ''[[Haaretz]]'', 10 January 2008.</ref><ref name=Shulewitz>Malka Hillel Shulewitz, ''The Forgotten Millions: The Modern Jewish Exodus from Arab Lands'', Continuum 2001, pp. 139 and 155.</ref><ref name=Aharoni>Ada Aharoni [http://www.hsje.org/forcedmigration.htm "The Forced Migration of Jews from Arab Countries], Historical Society of Jews from Egypt website. Accessed February 1, 2009.</ref>
}}</ref> such that 260,000 reached Israel between 1948–1951, and 600,000 by 1972.<ref name=aiwwj>Schwartz, Adi. [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/941518.html "All I wanted was justice"] ''[[Haaretz]]'', 10 January 2008.</ref><ref name=Shulewitz>Malka Hillel Shulewitz, ''The Forgotten Millions: The Modern Jewish Exodus from Arab Lands'', Continuum 2001, pp. 139 and 155.</ref><ref name=Aharoni>Ada Aharoni [http://www.hsje.org/forcedmigration.htm "The Forced Migration of Jews from Arab Countries], Historical Society of Jews from Egypt website. Accessed February 1, 2009.</ref>

On November 10, 1975, the United Nations General Assembly, under the guidance of Austrian Secretary General [[Kurt Waldheim]], adopted Resolution 3379, which asserted Zionism to be a form of racism. Waldheim was a former Nazi and suspected war criminal, with a record of offending Jewish sensibilities.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kurt Waldheim |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1554545/Kurt-Waldheim.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=15 June 2007 |accessdate=3 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jcpa.org/article/israeli-ugandan-relations-in-the-time-of-idi-amin/ |title=Israeli-Ugandan Relations in the Time of Idi Amin |last=Oded |first=Arye |date=1 October 2006 |work=Jewish Political Studies Review |publisher=Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs |accessdate=4 December 2012}}</ref>


== The resolution of 1975 ==
== The resolution of 1975 ==

Revision as of 02:31, 17 May 2013

UN General Assembly
Resolution 3379
DateNovember 10 1975
Meeting no.2400
CodeA/RES/3379 (Document)
SubjectElimination of all forms of racial discrimination
Voting summary
  • 72 voted for
  • 35 voted against
  • 32 abstained
ResultAdopted and later revoked

United Nations General Assembly 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". The resolution was revoked in 1991 with UN General Assembly Resolution 46/86.

Background

Main article: List of United Nations resolutions concerning Israel

On 29 November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending to the United Kingdom, as the mandatory Power for Palestine, and to all other Members of the United Nations the adoption and implementation, with regard to the future government of Palestine, of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union as Resolution 181 (II).[1] The Plan contained a proposal to terminate the British Mandate for Palestine and partition Palestine into Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem. During the 1947-1948 Civil War in Palestine, the UN Security Council passed Resolutions 42 (5 March 1948), 43 (1 Apr), 44 (1 Apr) and 46 (17 Apr), which recommended both sides of the conflict to "[r]efrain, pending the future government of Palestine ... from any political activity which might prejudice the rights, claims, or position of either community".

On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine expired, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved a proclamation which declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel.[2]

The 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba (Arabic: النكبة, an-Nakbah, lit. "disaster", "catastrophe", or "cataclysm"),[3] occurred when approximately 711,000 to 725,000 Palestinian Arabs left, fled or were expelled from their homes, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the Civil War that preceded it.[4] The exact number of refugees is a matter of dispute.[5] The causes remain the subject of fundamental disagreement between Arabs and Israelis.

The Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries, denoted by some as the Jewish Nakba,[6] occurred when 800,000 to 1,000,000 of Mizrahi Jews and Sephardic Jews had left, fled, or were expelled from their homes in Arab countries,[7][8] such that 260,000 reached Israel between 1948–1951, and 600,000 by 1972.[9][10][11]

On November 10, 1975, the United Nations General Assembly, under the guidance of Austrian Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, adopted Resolution 3379, which asserted Zionism to be a form of racism. Waldheim was a former Nazi and suspected war criminal, with a record of offending Jewish sensibilities.[12][13]

The resolution of 1975

The full text of Resolution 3379:

3379 (XXX). Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 1904 (XVIII) of 20 November 1963, proclaiming the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and in particular its affirmation that "any doctrine of racial differentiation or superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous" and its expression of alarm at "the manifestations of racial discrimination still in evidence in some areas in the world, some of which are imposed by certain Governments by means of legislative, administrative or other measures",

Recalling also that, in its resolution 3151 G (XXVIII) of 14 December 1973, the General Assembly condemned, inter alia, the unholy alliance between South African racism and zionism,

Taking note of the Declaration of Mexico on the Equality of Women and Their Contribution to Development and Peace 1975, proclaimed by the World Conference of the International Women's Year, held at Mexico City from 19 June to 2 July 1975, which promulgated the principle that "international co-operation and peace require the achievement of national liberation and independence, the elimination of colonialism and neo-colonialism, foreign occupation, zionism, apartheid and racial discrimination in all its forms, as well as the recognition of the dignity of peoples and their right to self-determination",

Taking note also of resolution 77 (XII) adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its twelfth ordinary session, held at Kampala from 28 July to 1 August 1975, which considered "that the racist regime in occupied Palestine and the racist regime in Zimbabwe and South Africa have a common imperialist origin, forming a whole and having the same racist structure and being organically linked in their policy aimed at repression of the dignity and integrity of the human being",

Taking note also of the Political Declaration and Strategy to Strengthen International Peace and Security and to Intensify Solidarity and Mutual Assistance among Non-Aligned Countries, adopted at the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries held at Lima from 25 to 30 August 1975, which most severely condemned zionism as a threat to world peace and security and called upon all countries to oppose this racist and imperialist ideology,

Determines that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.

Response

Israel

Main article: Israel and the United Nations

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly the same day, November 10, 1975, Israeli Ambassador Chaim Herzog stated:

"I can point with pride to the Arab ministers who have served in my government; to the Arab deputy speaker of my Parliament; to Arab officers and men serving of their own volition in our border and police defense forces, frequently commanding Jewish troops; to the hundreds of thousands of Arabs from all over the Middle East crowding the cities of Israel every year; to the thousands of Arabs from all over the Middle East coming for medical treatment to Israel; to the peaceful coexistence which has developed; to the fact that Arabic is an official language in Israel on a par with Hebrew; to the fact that it is as natural for an Arab to serve in public office in Israel as it is incongruous to think of a Jew serving in any public office in an Arab country, indeed being admitted to many of them. Is that racism? It is not! That... is Zionism."

In his response he also said that the resolution was:

"another manifestation of the bitter anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish hatred which animates Arab society. Who would have believed that in this year, 1975, the malicious falsehoods of the 'Elders of Zion' would be distributed officially by Arab governments? Who would have believed that we would today contemplate an Arab society which teaches the vilest anti-Jewish hate in the kindergartens?... We are being attacked by a society which is motivated by the most extreme form of racism known in the world today"

Herzog ended his statement, while holding a copy of the resolution, with these words:

"For us, the Jewish people, this resolution based on hatred, falsehood and arrogance, is devoid of any moral or legal value. For us, the Jewish people, this is no more than a piece of paper and we shall treat it as such."

As he concluded his speech, Herzog tore the resolution in half.

The name of "The UN avenue" in Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv was switched to "The Zionism avenue" as a response to the UN's decision.[14]

United States

Before the vote, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, warned that, "The United Nations is about to make anti-Semitism international law." [15] He delivered a passionate speech against the resolution, including the famous line, "The [United States] does not acknowledge, it will not abide by it, will never acquiesce in this infamous act… A great evil has been loosed upon the world."[16]

In Campbell, California, in the United States, a group of high school students attempted to solicit signatures on the premises of a local shopping center for a petition against Resolution 3379. The result was the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins (1980).[citation needed]

Mexico's vote in favor of the resolution led some United States Jews to organize a tourism boycott of Mexico, which ended when Mexican foreign minister Emilio Óscar Rabasa made a trip to Israel (Rabasa shortly afterwards was forced to resign).[17][18]

Revocation

Resolution 3379 was revoked in 1991 with UN General Assembly Resolution 46/86.[19] Israel made the revocation a condition of its participation in the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991.[20]

Voting record

Voting record

Sponsored by: (25) Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cuba, Dahomey, Egypt, Guinea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Yemen Arab Republic, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates.

Voted yes: (72) The 25 sponsoring nations above, and additionally 47 nations: Albania, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Byelorussian SSR, Democratic Kampuchea, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, People's Republic of China, People's Republic of the Congo, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, East Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Ukrainian SSR, and the Soviet Union.

Voted no: (35) Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, West Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Swaziland, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay.

Abstaining: (32) Argentina, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burma, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Upper Volta, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia.

Notes

  1. ^ "A/RES/181(II) of 29 November 1947". United Nations. 1947. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  2. ^ Declaration of Establishment of State of Israel: 14 May 1948
  3. ^ Stern, Yoav. "Palestinian refugees, Israeli left-wingers mark Nakba", Ha'aretz, Tel Aviv, 13 May 2008; Nakba 60, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights; Cleveland, William L. A History of the Modern Middle East, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004, p. 270. ISBN 978-0-8133-4047-0
  4. ^ McDowall, David (1987). The Palestinians. Minority Righs Group Report no 24. p. 10. ISBN 0946690421. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Pedahzur, Ami; Perliger, Arie (2010). "The Consequences of Counterterrorist Policies in Israel". In Crenshaw, Martha (ed.). The Consequences of Counterterrorism. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. p. 356. ISBN 978-0-87154-073-7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Dror Yemini, Ben (May 16, 2009). "The Jewish Nakba: Expulsions, Massacres and Forced Conversions". Maariv (in Hebrew). Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  7. ^ Shields, Jacqueline.Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries in Jewish Virtual Library.
  8. ^ Horowitz, Eli (2012). "Rethinking the "Right of Return"". Washington University Political Review. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |journal= and |title= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  9. ^ Schwartz, Adi. "All I wanted was justice" Haaretz, 10 January 2008.
  10. ^ Malka Hillel Shulewitz, The Forgotten Millions: The Modern Jewish Exodus from Arab Lands, Continuum 2001, pp. 139 and 155.
  11. ^ Ada Aharoni "The Forced Migration of Jews from Arab Countries, Historical Society of Jews from Egypt website. Accessed February 1, 2009.
  12. ^ "Kurt Waldheim". The Daily Telegraph. 15 June 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  13. ^ Oded, Arye (1 October 2006). "Israeli-Ugandan Relations in the Time of Idi Amin". Jewish Political Studies Review. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  14. ^ Tel Aviv-Jaffa Streets Guide. 2005.
  15. ^ Gil Troy, "Moynihan's Moment: America's Fight Against Zionism is Racism", page 134
  16. ^ Stanley Meisler, United Nations: A History, 2011, page 215
  17. ^ http://www.ottix.net/~nagual/amate.html
  18. ^ http://www.tau.ac.il/eial/VIII_2/cimet.htm
  19. ^ Lewis, Paul (December 17, 1991). "U.N. Repeals Its '75 Resolution Equating Zionism With Racism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ 260 General Assembly Resolution 46-86- Revocation of Resolution 3379- 16 December 1991- and statement by President Herzog, 16 Dec 1991 VOLUME 11-12: 1988-1992 and statement by President Herzog, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs web site.

External links

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