An extremely unholy affair

"By no stretch of logic can U.N. ever explain why it should demand that a majority people anywhere surrender its sovereignty to a minority one." Dallas Morning News, May 20, 1948

I came across the following editorial that appeared in the Dallas Morning News on May 20, 1948, in the midst of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. The editorial is titled “No Holy War Can Be Cut and Dried Deal.” After reading it, a close friend texted 3 words: “History repeats itself.”

Background

Titled “No Holy War Can Be Cut and Dried Deal,” the editorial was published 6 days after Israel announced itself to be an independent state (May 14, 1948) and in midst of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. Our State Department describes this period concisely—“On the eve of May 14, the Arabs launched an air attack in Tel Aviv, which Israelis resisted. This action was followed by the invasion of the former Palestinian mandate by Arab armies from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt.”¹

The Editorial’s 4 Main Points

With that background, the editorial published May 20, 1948 made 4 main points about the relationship between Palestine on the one hand, and the Arabs, Jewish state, United Nations, United States, and Russia, on the other hand. I list them below with supporting screenshots from the article.

Point #1. The Arabs are willing to fight against Israel over Palestine.

Point #2. The effort to set up a Jewish state in Palestine antagonized the leaders of the world’s Arab/Muslims.

Point #3. The United States and United Nations can repress invading Arab armies for Israel, but doing so will make the U.S. and U.N. continuous enemies to the Muslim world. There is no logic to explain “why the United Nations should demand that a majority people anywhere surrender its sovereignty to a minority one.”

Point #4. Modern oil is truly at stake—not ancient Palestine, so do not expect Russia to back Israel in this fight.

Thanks for reading. I will post other interesting finds as they come about.

1. Milestones: 1945–1952 - Office of the Historian (state.gov). https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/arab-israeli-war