I recently read the report prepared by the committee for the UN's 1947 Partition Plan. It was interesting to read about the committee members' pessimism regarding the possibility that the Land of Israel could fully solve the Jewish problem. In their view, it was overly crowded, lacked sufficient water, and was deficient in natural resources. They noted, for instance, the absence of oil; they had not heard then of the natural gas that would be found in the Mediterranean Sea many decades later. One might have expected them to know about desalination plants, which began to be used in the Gulf states shortly thereafter, in the early 1950s, yet this option is not mentioned. The citrus fruit sector is mentioned. At the time it seemed like the great economic hope for the flourishing of the land. Regarding the population density in the country, which was seven times less than it is today, the committee noted that a higher level of density than what existed then made sense only in countries with a strong industrial base, and considered it unrealistic in a country lacking natural resources except for potash from the Dead Sea. The general Arab embargo that was imposed, starting in 1946, on the produce of the Hebrew settlements raised fears of severe economic harm. The Mufti indeed believed that such a boycott could collapse the settlements.
Back to 1947
Back to 1947
Back to 1947
I recently read the report prepared by the committee for the UN's 1947 Partition Plan. It was interesting to read about the committee members' pessimism regarding the possibility that the Land of Israel could fully solve the Jewish problem. In their view, it was overly crowded, lacked sufficient water, and was deficient in natural resources. They noted, for instance, the absence of oil; they had not heard then of the natural gas that would be found in the Mediterranean Sea many decades later. One might have expected them to know about desalination plants, which began to be used in the Gulf states shortly thereafter, in the early 1950s, yet this option is not mentioned. The citrus fruit sector is mentioned. At the time it seemed like the great economic hope for the flourishing of the land. Regarding the population density in the country, which was seven times less than it is today, the committee noted that a higher level of density than what existed then made sense only in countries with a strong industrial base, and considered it unrealistic in a country lacking natural resources except for potash from the Dead Sea. The general Arab embargo that was imposed, starting in 1946, on the produce of the Hebrew settlements raised fears of severe economic harm. The Mufti indeed believed that such a boycott could collapse the settlements.