President Rivlin sends message marking 70 years since the UN Partition Plan vote

(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Rivlin: “Our independence, our sovereignty in this land, was not based only on diplomats making votes- But the vote gave Israel something very special: a place among the nations.”

“The UN has an important role in helping us find a peaceful solution to the conflicts of our region. It must continue to work for friendship between nations, not through boycotts, or one-sided moves, but through dialogue.”

President Reuven Rivlin published a video today (Tuesday), marking 70 years since the United Nations vote on Resolution 181 passed on 29 November 1947 – known as the “Partition Plan” – which affirmed international support for the creation of the a Jewish nation state in the Land of Israel.

The video was sent especially to an event commemorating the historic vote, hosted by the Israeli delegation to the United Nations in New York, with the attendance of US Vice President Michael Pence, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, and President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder.

The event was to be held at the Queens Museum in New York, where the vote took place in 1947, and included representatives of the 33 states who voted in favor of the resolution.

In his message, President Rivlin noted that, “The United Nations vote on the 29th of November 1947, will stay in the memory of the Jewish people forever.” The President recalled that on the night of the vote, as a small child aged nine years old, he had fallen asleep only to be awoken by the cheers from his family who were huddled around the radio listening to the vote.

He said, “We always knew and we know to this day, that our independence, our sovereignty in this land, was not based only on diplomats making votes. And the State of Israel has not flourished into a thriving economy and a vibrant democracy, because of a ‘yes’, a ‘no’, or even an ‘abstain’.” He stressed, “The State of Israel, was born out of the 2,000 year old hope of the Jewish people to return to our homeland: to return to Zion, to Jerusalem. But the vote in the UN, 70 years ago, gave Israel something very special: a place among the nations.”

He continued, “We know of course, as we have always known, that we have to fight for our freedom. With the vote we knew then that behind our joy awaited sadness. We knew that at any moment, our enemies would force us to fight for our lives - and sadly, so many lives were lost. We have had to work to make others in our region accept and understand that the Jewish people has returned home. Today, there are many who not only understand this, they are working together with us, for the sake of all the peoples of the Middle East. And to the others, Israel will continue to reach out in peace.”

The President concluded, “The UN has an important role in helping us find a peaceful solution to the conflicts of our region. It must continue to work for friendship between nations, not through boycotts, or one-sided moves, but through dialogue, through cooperation, and through mutual understanding between all peoples.”

He concluded, “As we remember the great achievement of the 1947 vote, we remember this important mission.”

To view the video click here.