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

Resolution 56 (1948) Adopted by the Security Council on August 19, 1948¹

August 19, 1948

The Security Council,

Taking into account communications from the Mediator concerning the situation in Jerusalem,

1. Directs the attention of the Governments and authorities concerned to its resolution 54 (1948) of 15 July 1948;

2. Decides pursuant to its resolution 54 (1948), and so informs the Governments and authorities concerned, that:

(a) Each party is responsible for the actions of both regular and irregular forces operating under its authority or in territory under its control;

(b) Each party has the obligation to use all means at its disposal to prevent action violating the truce by individuals or groups who are subject to its authority or who are in territory under its control;

(c) Each party has the obligation to bring to speedy trial, and in case of conviction to punishment, any and all persons within their jurisdiction who are involved in a breach of the truce;

(d) No party is permitted to violate the truce on the ground that it is undertaking reprisals or retaliations against the other party;

(e) No party is entitled to gain military or political advantage through violation of the truce.

1. Reprinted from SC, 3rd yr., Resolutions, p. 24. The resolution was introduced jointly by Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States and was adopted in paragraph-by-paragraph votes. No vote was taken on the text as a whole (SC, 3rd yr., No. 107, pp. 41–49 ff.). Paragraph 2(c) was added to the draft resolution in response to a request made by Count Bernadotte in his cablegram of August 18 to Secretary-General Lie. The cablegram noted that the situation in Jerusalem was gradually getting out of hand; for text, see ibid., p. 40.

   Count Bernadotte, in a cablegram of August 19 to Secretary-General Lie, submitted an interim report regarding the demilitarization of Jerusalem, in which he expressed “serious doubts whether demilitarization can be attained in near future”; for text, see SC, 3rd yr., Supplement for August 1948, p. 162.