Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, Volume V, Part 2

Resolution 50 (1948) Adopted by the Security Council on May 29, 1948¹

May 29, 1948

The Security Council,

Desiring to bring about a cessation of hostilities in Palestine without prejudice to the rights, claims and position of either Arabs or Jews,

1. Calls upon all Governments and authorities concerned to order a cessation of all acts of armed force for a period of four weeks;

2. Calls upon all Governments and authorities concerned to undertake that they will not introduce fighting personnel into Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan and Yemen during the cease-fire;

3. Calls upon all Governments and authorities concerned, should men of military age be introduced into countries or territories under their control, to undertake not to mobilize or submit them to military training during the cease-fire;

4. Calls upon all Governments and authorities concerned to refrain from importing or exporting war material into or to Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan or Yemen during the cease-fire;

5. Urges all Governments and authorities concerned to take every possible precaution for the protection of the Holy Places and of the City of Jerusalem, including access to all shrines and sanctuaries for the purpose of worship by those who have an established right to visit and worship at them;

6. Instructs the United Nations Mediator in Palestine, in concert with the Truce Commission, to supervise the observance of the above provisions, and decides that they shall be provided with a sufficient number of military observers;

7. Instructs the United Nations Mediator to make contact with all parties as soon as the cease-fire is in force with a view to carrying out his functions as determined by the General Assembly;

8. Calls upon all concerned to give the greatest possible assistance to the United Nations Mediator;

9. Instructs the United Nations Mediator to make a weekly report to the Security Council during the cease-fire;

10. Invites, the States members of the Arab League and the Jewish and Arab authorities in Palestine to communicate their acceptance of this resolution to the Security Council not later than 6 p. m. New York standard time on 1 June 1948;

11. Decides that if the present resolution is rejected by either party or by both, or if, having been accepted, it is subsequently repudiated or violated, the situation in Palestine will be reconsidered with a view to action under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations;

12. Calls upon all Governments to take all possible steps to assist in the implementation of this resolution.

1. Reprinted from SC, 3rd yr., Resolutions, p. 20. The Security Council voted on the Soviet draft resolution on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis on May 29. None of the paragraphs received the affirmative votes of the required seven members; see SC, 3rd yr., No. 77, pp. 35–37. The Council then turned its attention to the British draft resolution, which was adopted in paragraph-by-paragraph votes. No vote was taken on the text as a whole; for the discussion and balloting, see ibid., pp. 38–63.