Arabs Call Partition Decision Russ Victory

United Press, Lake Success

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“LAKE SUCCESS, N. Y., Dec. 4 (UP) — Arab officials, preparing to carry their fight against Palestine partition into the United Nations Security Council, characterized the plan to divide the Holy Land today as a diplomatic victory for Russia. Plans for a Security Council argument over the partition plan were laid by Faris El Khouri of Syria.

El Khouri indicated he would challenge the legality of the U. N.’s decision when the Council convenes next week, perhaps provoking an important debate of the entire trouble-loaded program for splitting Palestine against the wishes of the Arab world.

Arabs claimed in the wake of their defeat that the long-range result of the petition program would be a gain for Russia in the East-West diplomatic duel for dominance in the strategic and oil-rich Middle East.

Bitter over America’s leading role in the General Assembly decision to convert the Holy Land into Arab and Jewish states, Arabs contended the partition blueprint would give Russia a long-sought toehold in that part of the world.

‘I can’t understand it,’ said Camille Chamoun of Lebanon, one of the leading opponents of partition in the recent Assembly fight. The United States fights to hold back Communism in Turkey and Greece, he remarked, and then invites Communism to come into the Middle East.

‘The Arab states always have been against Communism,’ Chamoun said, ‘and so far Communism has gotten nowhere in the Arab world. Russia had nothing to lose in backing partition,’ he said, noting that Arab-Russian relations couldn’t be pushed much lower by Soviet endorsement of Palestine partition.

‘But with the United States, it was different. Relations with the United States have always been friendly and fruitful,’ Chamoun said. ‘You can see what is happening to those relations now.’ The Palestine program will be on the Security Council’s agenda when it convenes next week — after a long delay.

But even if it wanted to, the Council will not be authorized to take any steps to quell the internal violence set off in the Holy Land by the Assembly’s partition decision. The trouble in the Holy Land will be Great Britain’s responsibility until it gives up the mandate over Palestine.

Holy Land Violence Called ‘Less Violent Than Expected.’ NEWARK, N. J., Dec. 4 (UP) — Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the World Jewish Congress Executive, said today the rioting in Palestine following the United Nations decision to set up independent Jewish and Arab states was ‘less violent than expected.’

Goldmann said the Jews would defend themselves if necessary and want to buy weapons in America.

British May Give Up Palestine Mandate in May. LONDON, Dec. 4 — After earlier denials at the Colonial Office, a highly placed spokesman confirmed today that Britain could be expected to surrender her mandate in Palestine in May 1948…”

Context added by this archive

Five days after the partition vote. The Arab case is made entirely in Cold War terms, by a Lebanese delegate, in a San Francisco paper, beside a restaurant advertisement.

Cite this clipping

"Arabs Call Partition Decision Russ Victory," San Francisco Chronicle, 5 December 1947, p. 1. Covering Palestine archive, CP-1947-010. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-1947-010