Exodus - Leon Uris [262]
The Arabs saw that many “sure” partition votes had abandoned the Yishuv, and the Jews did not have the required number. Confident that they could bag an extra vote or two, the Arabs now switched tactics and pressed for the showdown on the assembly floor.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1947
The final debates raged. The Yishuv delegation sat in its special section of the General Assembly looking like men prepared for the executioner. The jolt of the test vote had shaken them to the core. As the arguments continued, their prospects turned darker by the hour.
Greece, expected to abstain out of friendship to the United States, declared openly against partition, fearing what the Egyptians would do to their nationals.
The Philippines, expected to follow the United States, reversed again.
Haiti was suddenly without instructions. Liberia went back on the fence and Siam crossed back to the Arabs.
It was “Black Wednesday” for the Jews.
As the day wore on, the friends of the Yishuv employed a desperation move to talk the clock out and stall the vote. The next day would be American Thanksgiving Day and a holiday. It offered twenty-four precious hours to muster the needed votes. The filibuster went on until an adjournment was called.
The Yishuv delegation assembled quickly in a caucus room. Everyone spoke at once.
“Quiet!” Barak roared. “We have twenty-four hours. Let’s not panic.”
Dr. Weizmann came into the room excitedly. “I have received a message from Paris that Léon Blum is personally interceding to get the French vote. Feeling for partition is running very high in Paris.” It was cheering news, for the former Jewish premier of France was still a powerful voice.
“Can’t we appeal to the United States to get Greece and the Philippines into line?”
The delegate who worked with the Americans shook his head. “Truman has issued absolute orders that the United States is not to pressure any delegation. They won’t budge from that position.”
“What a time to become honorable.”
The phone rang. Weizmann lifted the receiver. “Good ... good,” he said. He held his hand over the mouthpiece. “Shmuel from downtown. Good ... good ... Shalom.” He replaced the phone. “The Ethiopians have agreed to abstain,” he announced. Ethiopia, under pressure from her neighbor Egypt, had been expected to vote against partition. The abstention decision showed great courage on the part of Haile Selassie.
A newspaperman close to the Yishuv delegation knocked on the door and entered. “I thought you fellows would like to know that there has been a revolution in Siam and the Siamese delegate has been discredited.” A yell of happiness went up at this Arab loss of another vote.
Barak made a quick run down of the roll call of nations—he knew it by heart—and calculated the vote shifts.
“How does it look, Barak?”
“Well, if Haiti and Liberia go with us and France comes in and we don’t lose any more ground, we may just squeeze through.”
It was still too close for comfort. Grimly and tensely they talked over the final assignments. They could not afford to lose a single vote at this stage.
There was a knock on the door and their champion, Granados of Guatemala, entered. There were tears in his eyes.
“The President of Chile has just sent personal instructions for his delegation to abstain. The delegation has resigned in protest.”
“Impossible!” Dr. Weizmann cried. “The President is the honorary chairman of the Chilean Zionists.”
The stark reality, the naked hopelessness of the situation crashed down on all of them. Who knew what pressure had been brought to bear on the