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Gamebook: Factions

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  • Project HomeTwo Nations, One Land: UNSCOP and the Question of Israel, 1947 (Historical Game)
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table of contents
  1. Front matter
  2. Introduction - What are "Reacting" Games?
  3. Student Learning Objectives
  4. Counterfactuals
  5. The Game
  6. Timeline of Events
  7. Factions
  8. Roles
  9. Schedule
  10. Assignments
  11. Further Readings

FACTIONS

Arab Higher Committee

One main faction is the Arab Higher Committee (AHC). They believe passionately that Palestine is Arab land, and has been since the 7th century when the Muslim leader Caliph Umar conquered Jerusalem (636-637 c.e.) and established it as part of the Islamic community (Arabic: ummah). In fact, some argue, the land has been “Palestinian” since the 1st century when the Romans conquered the Jerusalem and the surrounding region of Judea, dispersed the Jews, destroyed their temple, and renamed the territory Palestinia. Furthermore, the AHC believe they have legal rights to the land because they are the majority of the population (2/3), and the British promised them the land in the Hussein-McMahon Correspondences—ten letters that were exchanged between Hussein bin Ali (Sharif of Mecca) and Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry McMahon (British High Commissioner to Egypt) between 1916-1917—promising British support for Arab sovereignty in exchange for fighting against the Ottoman Turks. Finally, in the Arabs’ view, creating a national homeland for Jews in Palestine would violate the very spirit of the U.N. itself (see Appendix G – UN Charter).

Arab Higher Committee, 1936

Arab Higher Committee, 1936

Zionists

The other faction are the Zionists. They claim that Jews have rights to a national homeland in “Palestine” (Eretz Israel) based on their ancient ties to the land, prior international political commitments (notably the Balfour Declaration) and because over half a million Jews already live there as a large and growing minority community (called the “yishuv”).

Furthermore, (re-)establishing Eretz Israel is a moral and existential imperative for Jews given the anti-Semitic persecution that they’ve experienced living in diaspora among non-Jews (“gentiles”) in foreign nations, especially in Europe and Russia. Even when Jews have tried to assimilate, they have been persecuted and murdered. Just recently, of course, 6 million were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust. The only way Jews will ever be safe is if they have a nation of their own—and since so many other ethnic groups have their own nations, the Jews have a right to one, as well. If there is any case in which the U.N. should act in defense of a group’s fundamental human rights – specifically, the right to a national homeland – it is this case.

David Ben-Gurion, Zionist leaders

David Ben-Gurion, Zionist leaders

The UNSCOP – Indeterminates

The indeterminate faction is the UNSCOP, consisting of representatives from 11 “neutral” nations (i.e., no representatives from the “Great Powers” of the U.S., Britain, or Russia). The reason why there are only neutral nations represented on the Committee is so that the Committee can be unbiased in their assessment of the situation and free from interference by the Great Powers involved in the emerging “Cold War.” The main task of the UNSCOP is to talk with members of both factions and then make a fair and just recommendation to the UN General Assembly on what to do about Palestine and the question of Israel.

UNSCOP members in Palestine, July 1947

UNSCOP members in Palestine, July 1947

Journalists – (*For Large Classes Only)

In addition to the 3 factions, 3-4 students may have roles as journalists. One journalist will be pro-Arab, one will be pro-Zionist, and 1-2 will be neutral. At the end of the game, all members of the game (excluding the journalists) will vote on which journalist did the best job of reporting on the USNCOP work – and that journalist will win the game.

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