CORRECTION OF POST 41

54. Post 41 did contain a factual error. I wrote that both Arabs and Jews had rejected Res 181. That is not entirely correct and the error has now been rectified. The following is an excerpt from Googles Wikipedia: *) "A transitional period under United Nations auspices was to begin with the adoption of the resolution, and scheduled to last until the two states were established. *) An implementation committee to that end was be set up.
*) The Resolution called for the withdrawal of British forces and the termination of the (British) Mandate by 1 August 1948, and *) the establishment of the new independent states by 1 October 1948 . The proposed plan was *) accepted by the leaders of the Jewish community in Palestine through the Jewish Agency. The plan was *) rejected by leaders of the Arab community (the Palestine Arab Higher Committee, who were supported in their rejection by the states of the Arab League, resulting in civil war in Palestine. However with no plan for a smooth transition of authority to a new administration, Britain announced its intention to *) unilaterally withdraw from Palestine by 15 May 1948. During their withdrawal, the British *) refused to hand over territory or authority to any successor. On the day before Britain was to complete its withdrawal (i.e. 14 May 1948) the Jewish community in Palestine - breaching their earlier acceptance of the terms laid down in Res 181 (see above) - proclaimed prematurely and unilaterally the Declaration of Independence of The State of Israel, and five Arab armies crossed into the former Mandate as the start of the 1948 Arab-Israel War."

My contention that "The State of Israel" on 15 May 1948 was an illegal state still stands. Because: Resolution 181 did not go to the Security Council for ratification. That alone already made the State of Israel's existence illegal. (*) Israel ignored the "transitional period under UN auspices until the two states were established". The resolution was a proposal (*) and not adopted by the Arab states. (*) Under the terms of Res 181 British forces were to stay in Palestine until 1 August 1948. However Britain withdrew their forces unilaterally and prematurely on the 14 May 1948. (*) The two "independent" states were scheduled for 1 October 1948, but the Jews unilaterally and prematurely proclaimed their State on the 15 May 1948. The British also refused to hand over territory to any successor (*). So what in fact happened is that in the ensuing vacuum, the Zionist Jews saw an opportunity to grab power, resembling an armed coupe, resulting in civil war (*). From an international law perspective it is abundantly clear that at that particular point in time, legally speaking there was no "state" and that surrounding Arab states had every right to come to the aid of their Palestinian brethren, of which many had been already expelled from Palestine in the preceding months by heavily armed Zionists gangs and had joined the invading Arab armies. It should also be noted that the Arab armies invaded only those territories designated by the U.N. Res. 181 partition proposals to the Palestinians. (see also Post 41)