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Mire gril"21; 1918
MEWS
Purely Commentary
The Self-Determination Issue . . . An Expert's Analysis
on the Mute Question of the Rights of Palestinians
and the Attempt to Make Menahem Begin a Scapegoat
By Philip
Slomovitz
Self-Rule and Self-Determination: the Basic Principles and Differences Defined
At his press conference in Brazilia on
March 30, President Jimmy Carter made
this statement:
I can say unequivocally that no
one in any position of responsibil-
ity in the United States Administ-
ration has even insinuated that
Prime Minister Begin is not qual-
ified to be Prime Minister or that
he should be replaced. This report,
the origin of which I do not know,
is completely false. I think that
Prime Minister Begin and his Gov-
ernment are able to negotiate in an
adequately flexible way to reach
an agreement with Egypt, later
Jordan and other of the neighbor-
ing countries. This is our hope and
this is also our belief. We have not
given up on the possibility of
negotiated peace settlement in the
Middle East under the Begin Gov-
ernment with him as Prime Minis-
ter.
Nevertheless, Menahem Begin is used as
a scapegoat by news analysts and commen-
tators. In a single day soon after President
Carter's comments with bitter attacks in
newspapers in this country calling Begin
intransigent, some even referred to him as
a liar, either demanding or suggesting the
Israeli prime minister's ouster.
As if a change in government in Israel is
the path towards peace! As long as Anwar
Sadat insists on getting all the concessions
he and his associates in the combine of 22
Arab states had been demanding before his
visit in Jerusalem and thereafter, there
isn't a party in Israel, except the Com-
munist, that would conceivably yield to the
pressures in which the U.S. now is a part-
ner.
President Carter had originally con-
ceded that there was merit to the Begin
proposals. What will the divisiveness elad
to, and wherein lies the solution?
Begin proposes self-rule for the Arabs —
the Palestinians — in Judea and Samaria.
Carter insists on Carter's call for self-
determination. What's the issue and whe-
rin is the confusion? Harris 0. Schoenberg,
Bnai Brith's deputy director for United
Nations affairs, in a statement prepared
for the A DL, outlined the self-
determination issue and made these
pointed comments:
If self-determination is not al-
ways for all "peoples," are there
universal standards that satisfy
the needs for both fairness and
stability in their application to the
Palestinians and others?
The UN General Assembly has
achieved one such standard in its
1970 Declaration on Principles of
International Law Concerning
Friendly Relations and Co-
operation Among States in Accor-
dance with the Charter of the Un-
ited Nations. This Declaration,
adopted on the UN's 25th anniver-
sary, grants colonial peoples prin-
cipal rights to self-determination
and discourages threats to the ter-
ritorial integrity and political
unity of states. But it also stipu-
lates, in deference to Western polit-
ical thought, that governments
wishing to qualify their states for
exemption from the rights of self-
determination must be representa-
tive of all inhabitants without dis-
crimination.
Thus, according to the Declara-
tion, the rule of self-determination
may be invoked when fully rep-
resentative political institutions
are lacking. If, however, a gov-
ernment represents all the in-
habitants of a state, then the limita-
tion in the self-determination sec-
tion of the Declaration applies. The
limitation opposes any action that
"would dismember or impair, to-
tally or in part, the territorial in-
tegrity or political unity of
sovereign or independent states
. . ." Prime Minister Begin seemed
to accept this concept when he said
he would suggest to his Cabinet
that the Arabs living on the West
Bank be given the right to obtain
Israeli citizenship. Mr. Begin's ges-
ture is worth noting in light of the
rejection by the Declaration's draf-
ters of an American proposal to ex-
tend self-determination specifi-
cally to zones of military occupa-
tion.
There is one other circumstance
in which the right of self-
determination has been recog-
nized and should be universally
accepted. This is in the case of
genocide where, beyond the ques-
tion of representative government,
what is at stake is the physical sur-
vival of an ethnic or racial group in
the face of attempts to effect its
complete and utter destruction.
Certainly, self-determination for
the Jewish people acquired sup-
port on these grounds, and they
also helped to justify self-
determination for the people who
formed Bangladesh. If colonial
domination or non-representation
are sufficient causes to invoke
self-determination, then the hor-
rendous crime of genocide is a
more compelling reason to au-
tomatically grant that right And,
general interstate recognition of
this concept might deter those
considering the crime.
Thus, it would seem, all people
have the right to self-
determination, but not all of the
time. Only when political systems
attempt genocide or refuse rep-
resentation do affected groups,
which do not menace their
neighbors, become entitled to in-
ternational recognition and sup-
port. According to these criteria,
Israel's offer of representative
government to the Palestinian
Arabs must invalidate the legiti-
macy of their self-determination
claims.
Schoenberg's analysis is accompanied by
a chart which shows .that many states ac-
cuse Israel of interfering with self-
determination principles, while them-
selves oppress their own populations. This
chart is worth studying as an exemplar of
inconsistency when Israel's just rights and
policies relating to the disputes in which
the U.S. has become involved in leanings
currently interpreted as pro-Arab.
Once again, facts are vital, with the
self-determination principles under dis-
cussion. But Eis usual it is problematic
whether fair treatment will be accorded to
the program proposed by Menahem Begin
who offers many concessions, except where
security is involved.
Meanwhile, newspapers are filled with
Arab criticisms which keep renewing the
Deir Yassin incident. It is part of - the
means of placing all blame for whatever
impasse may arise upon Israel's prime
minister. The true facts about Deir Yassin,
as about all matters relating to the Arab-
Israel dispute, are either ignored or hid-
den. The fact is that the Irgun, whose forces
were involved in the Deir Yassin tragedy,
was drawn into the Arab community with
an intended trap after the residents had
raised the white flags on their homes, and
the unfortunate slaughter was a defensive
operation. Volumes have been written
about it but mainly the negatives have
been publicized.
That's the trouble. Where truth could
serve in- clarifying issues, it is being ig-
nored. The U.S. authorities could clarify
the issues by insisting on truth. They must.
Some states point fingers at Israel while failing to allow self-determination for their own peoples.
Population
(millions) Location
Achehnese ....... 2 .... Indonesia
Population
(millions) Location
Kannada
Arabs of Chad .... 1.5... Chad
Kanuri
Armenians
Karens
2 .... USSR
(plus scattered millions)
Kazakh
Assamese
10
Aymara
1
Kongo
5 .... Iran
Kurds
. India
Bolivia
Azerbaijani....... 4 .... USSR
Baluchis
Kirghiz
2
Pakistan (& Iran)
1 5.. Cameroon
Bamileke
Bantu of Rhodesia . 6 .... Rhodesia
Chuang
Croats
8
China (Mainland)
4 5... Yugoslavia
Edo
3 .... Nigeria
Eritreans
Georgians
1 5... Ethiopia
1
USSR
2
Uganda
3
USSR
Gujerati
25
. India
Hausa-Fulani
25
. Nigeria
Hui
Ibibio
4
China (Mainland/
3 5... Nigeria
Ibo
14
Ilocanos
4
Estonians
Ganda
. Nigeria
Philippines
5
Canada
USSR
Quechua
5
Peru, Bolivia
Scots
I .... Ecuador
5
United Kingdom
USSR
Zaire
2 .... Angola (it Congo)
2
Iraq
Shan
1 5... Burma
Sidamo
Sindhis
2 5... Ethiopia
9
Pakistan
Slovaks
4 5... Czechoslovakia
Slovenes
1 5-2 . Yugoslavia
Soga
1
Luba-Kasai
Sundanese
Luo
16 .
1 .... Kenya
Taiwanese
14 ... China (Taiwan)
40
. India
Makassarese
S .... Spain
Quebecois
1 .... Iran
Malayalam
Catalonians
Burma
I 5. . USSR
2 5... USSR
1 5... Zaire
Latvians
Berbers (various)... 5 .... Algeria
5 .... Morocco
1 .... Papua-New Guinea
Punjabi (India) . . . . 17 ... India
3
4 5.
I 5.
2
2 .... Turkey
Bantu of S. Africa.. 14 . . . S. Africa
Bashkir
I
USSR
Basques
I
Spain (& France)
Batak
2 5... Indonesia
Bosnian Muslims .. 1 .... Yugoslavia
Bretons
I
France
Buginese
3
Indonesia
Byelorussians ..... 7 .... USSR
Population
(millions) Location
25 ... India
4 .
Nigeria
Lithuanians
. 2 .... Indonesia
20
. India
Marathi
45
Mayans
4 .... Mexico
Mende
1
Sierra Leone
2 5... China (Mainland)
. India
(& Guatemala)
Miao
Minahassans ...... 1 .... Indonesia
Minangkabau
5
Indonesia
Moluccans ....... 1
. Indonesia
Montagnards
I .
Vietnam
Nilotics of Sudan .. 4 .
Sudan
Nkole
1
Uganda
Nupe
1
Nigeria
Oriyan
20 ... India
Oromo (Calla) .... 2-10.. Ethiopia
Ovimbundu
2 .
Angola
Palestinian Arabs
2 .... Israel, Jordan,
Lebanon, Syria
Pampangans
Papuans
Reprinted from "Freedom a Issue. — published by Freedom House, Jan.-Feb_ 1978 issue
1 5... Philippines
I
Indonesia
, Tamil
Uganda
Andonesia
2.5... Sri Lanka
Tatars (various) . . . 4 .... USSR
Telegu
50
. India
Tao
1 .... Uganda
Tibetans
3
China (Mainland)
2 .... India, Pakistan,
Nepal, Bhutan
Tigrinya
Timorese
Tiv
3
8
Turkmen
1 5... USSR
1
Ethiopia
Indonesia
. Nigeria
Uighur
4
China (Mainland)
Ukrainian .... . . .. 35-40. USSR
Ulster Scots....... 1 .... United Kingdom
Uzbek
9
USSR
1 .... Afghanistan
Visayan
10 .
Welsh
2 5..
United Kingdom
Yi (Lolo)
3
China (Mainland)
Yoruba -
16 .
Nigeria
Philippines
The Front Page 'Illuminations'
Two of the Jewish festivals traditionally inspired artists to illuminate scriptural texts and the prayer-books. The Megilla has been a
source of inspiration on Purim, and the illuminated Haggadot for Passover have multiplied into a vast library. The reproductions on
Page One of this issue of The Jewish News are from two Haggadot: the Ho Lakhma and the Ma Nishtana are from the Koren
Haggada of the Jerusalem Tenach Publishing House. The "V'higadta le-vinha" is from the Haggada published by Shmuel Boneh of
Shikmon Publishing House of Haifa.
The "Ho lialainma" is appropriate for our time. The Seder commences with it and it represents an invitation to all who are hungry to
come and to share in the Passover meal. It is followed by the traditional Ma Nishtana, the youngest member of family posing the
question why this night of Passover is different from all other nights.
Then there is the third selection from the Haggada — the one that admonishes the elders to teach their children the meaning of the
festival under observance, so that they may learn the true values of the freedoms that were introduced with the rebellion of the
enslaved Jews against the Egyptians who held them in bondage.