From the UN Audiovisual Library: 1st Meeting of Special Committee on Palestine (1947)

23 July 2024

The speaker welcomes the special committee on Palestine at the United Nations headquarters and outlines their broad mandate to “ascertain and record facts and to investigate all questions and issues relevant to the problem of Palestine.” The committee has the authority to gather testimonies from various sources, including “the mandatory power, from representatives of the population of Palestine, from governments, and from such organizations and individuals as you may deem necessary.”

The committee is tasked with completing its report by September 1, 1947, so it can be considered at the next General Assembly session. Despite the short 14-week timeframe for this complex task, the speaker assures the committee of full support from the UN Secretariat, stating, “I and the staff at my command in the Secretariat or the United Nations will furnish you with all the aid which we have been requested by the General Assembly to do.”

The speaker emphasizes the importance of the committee’s work, noting that it represents “the hope and the fate of millions of people” and will significantly influence confidence in the United Nations. The committee is encouraged to study the emotionally charged problem of Palestine “impartial but not detached, objective but deeply comprehensive,” as their findings and proposals will greatly assist the General Assembly. The public attention the report will receive is expected to foster better understanding globally and “prepare the way for just and workable solution which will be acceptable to all.”