A Documentary History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Charles L. Geddes

This collection of essential documents bearing on the long-standing Arab-Israeli conflict begins with Leo Pinsker's pamphlet of 1882 which first proposed the establishment of a Jewish state, preferably in Palestine, and ends with the United Nations Security Council resolution of 1990. Issued by the various official and quasi-official governments and organizations that have been parties to the dispute, the documents provide the background to political Zionism and illustrate Great Britain's role in both supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and in easing Arab fears. In addition, the collection demonstrates the major role played by the United States. Charles L. Geddes' introductions to each document are primarily based on other documents such as published memoirs of the participants, published and unpublished letters, reportage from international reporting services, and more. These prologues place each document in its historical context. To many of the documents Geddes has appended epilogues that contain detailed information on the results or reaction to that particular paper.Among the landmark works included in the collection are Theodor Herzl's Der Judenstaat; The Basel Program of the First Zionist Congress; the Balfour Declaration; the Churchill White Paper; and the PLO proclamation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Most of the documents have been reproduced in their entirety directly from the relevant sources. From those too lengthy to reprint in full, only the conclusions or recommendations have been included. None have been paraphrased or truncated and no relevant information has been omitted. The result of Geddes' 25-year experience teaching a course on the Arab-Israeli conflict, this scholarly work serves as a supplementary text for college courses on the subject and can also stand alone as an invaluable reference for students, media professionals, and informed general readers.

PrefaceBrief Chronology of the Arab-Israeli ConflictAuto-emancipation, 1882Der Judenstaat, 1896"The Basel Program", First Zionist Congress, 1897"Husayn-McMahon Correspondence", 1915-1916"Sykes-Picot Agreement", 1916"Balfour Declaration", 1917"The Hogarth Message", 1918"Fourteen Point Speech", 1918"Declaration to the Seven", 1918"Anglo-French Declaration", 1918Covenant of the League of Nations (The Mandate Article), 1919"King-Crane Commission Report", 1919"San Remo Agreement", 1920Resolutions of the Council of the League of Nations, 1920"Churchill White Paper", 1922Mandate for Palestine, 1922Joint Resolution of Congress, 1922Anglo-American Convention, 1924"Passfield White Paper", 1930"The MacDonald Letter", 1931"Peel Commission Report", 1937"1939 White Paper", 1939Congressional Resolutions, 1944Pact of the Arab League, 1945Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry, 1946"The Grady-Morrison Plan", 1946British Letter to the United Nations, 1947United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, 1947Termination of the Mandate, 1948Proclamation of the State of Israel, 1948United Nations Conciliation Commission, 1948Admission of Israel to United Nations, 1949United Nations Assistance to Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), 1949Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, 1967The Palestinian National Covenant, 1968Constitution of the Palestine Liberation Organization, 1968United Nations Observer Status of the PLO, 1974Camp David Accord, 1978Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty, 1979The Baghdad Resolution, 1979European Community Declaration, 1980Fadh Peace Plan ("Fez Declaration"), 1981Agreement on PLO Withdrawal from Lebanon, 1982Regan Peace Proposal, 1982U.S. Congressional Action Against the PLO, 1987Palestinian Declaration of Independence, 1988United Nations Acknowledgement of the State of Palestine, 1989Security Council, 1990Security Council Condemnation of Israel, 1990Suggested ReadingsIndex