Office of the Historian

Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on the Report of the Trusteeship Council1

May 6, 1948

187 (S–2). Protection of the City of Jerusalem and Its Inhabitants: Appointment of a Special Municipal Commissioner

The General Assembly,

Having asked the Trusteeship Council to study, with the Mandatory Power and the interested parties, suitable measures for the protection of the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants and to submit within the shortest possible time proposals to the General Assembly to that effect,

Takes note of the conclusions and recommendations of the Trusteeship Council, as set forth in its report to the General Assembly on the protection of the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants;

Approves these conclusions and recommendations;

Recommends that the Mandatory Power appoint under Palestine legislation, before 15 May 1948, a neutral acceptable to both Arabs and Jews, as Special Municipal Commissioner, who shall, with the co-operation of the community committees already existing in Jerusalem, carry out the functions hitherto performed by the Municipal Commission;2

Decides that continuing urgent attention should be given by the First Committee or its subsidiary bodies to the question of further measures for the protection of the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

  1. Reprinted from GA (II/SS), Resolutions, p. 7. The resolution was adopted on May 6 by a vote of 35 to none, with 17 abstentions. For the record of Assembly discussions, see GA (II/SS), Plenary, pp. 10–27.↩
  2. Dr. José Arce, President of the General Assembly, and Secretary-General Lie notified Sir Alan Cunningham, High Commissioner for Palestine, by cable on May 13 that “after consultation with the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Arab Higher Committee both parties have agreed to the appointment of Mr. Harold Evans, Philadelphia attorney and member Board American Friends Service Committee as Special Commissioner for Palestine”. (United Nations press release PAL/165, May 13)↩