Petitions from prisoners – Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) – Summary record

Present:

Chairman: Mr. Sandstrom (Sweden)

Mr. Hood (Australia)

Mr. Rand (Canada)

Mr. Lisicky (Czechoslovakia)

Mr. Garcia Granados (Guatemala)

Sir Abdur Rahman (India)

Mr. Entezam (Iran)

Mr. Blom (Netherlands)

Mr. Garcia Salazar (Peru)

Mr. Fabregat (Uruguay)

Mr. Simic (Yugoslavia)

Secretariat: Mr. Hoo (Assistant Secretary-General)

Mr. Garcia Robles (Secretary)

The CHAIRMAN called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.

Adoption of the Agenda

The Agenda was adopted.

Consideration of letters and telegrams received by the Committee

Mr. GARCIA Robles (Secretary) read a telegram sent by the Jewish political prisoners in the Central Prison at Acre requesting the Committee to visit the prison in order to investigate allegedly inhuman conditions and improper treatment by the British authorities.

(Document A/AC.13/NC/37)

The CHAIRMAN pointed out that the requested investigation was outside the Committee's task and enquired whether members agreed on a negative reply.

Mr. FABREGAT (Uruguay) stated he supported the petition and asked for a vote.

A vote was taken by a show of hands.

DECISION: The petition contained in Document A/AC.13/NC/37 was rejected: one vote for eight against,and two abstentions.

Mr. GARCIA ROBLES (Secretary) read a letter from the Ligue Francaise pour la Palestine Libre with the request for an enquiry, under the supervision of the Committee into the methods of the British Police in Palestine.

The CHAIRMAN enquired if any member supported the petition.

DECISION: As there was no response, the Chairman ruled that the petition be rejected.

Mr. GARCIA ROBLES (Secretary) referred to two letters, one from Jewish prisoners at the Central prison, Jerusalem, and the other from prisoners of the Fighting Jewish underground in the same prison. (Document A/AC.13/NC/42). Both letters requested the Committee's immediate intervention to prevent the trial of Jewish prisoners of war, to put an end to the execution of Jewish captives to prevent the deportation abroad of Jewish prisoners and detainees and to improve allegedly unsatisfactory conditions in the prisons.

DECISION: The petition was rejected.

Mr. GARCIA ROBLES (Secretary) next referred to a letter from Jewish captured prisoners at the Women's Prison, Bethlehem, requesting the Committee to visit them (Document A/AC.13/NC/44.

DECISION: The petition was rejected.

Mr. GARCIA ROBLES (Secretary) passed to Document A/AC,13/NC/45, containing the text of a letter from three men at Acre prison, sentenced to death, who asked to give evidence concerning the alleged ill-treatment and murder of unarmed prisoners of War which they claimed to have witnessed.

DECISION: The petition was rejected.

Mr. GARCIA ROBLES (Secretary) finally referred .to Document A/AC.13/30, giving the text of the United Kingdom representative's reply to the Secretary-General's communication concerning the Committee's resolution on the three death sentences passed by the Military Court in Jerusalem on June 16.

DECISION The Committee agreed not to take any action regarding the United Kingdom Government's reply:

Mr. LISICKY (Czechoslovakia) assumed that the record would indicate that the petitions had been rejected because they were beyond the Committee's competence and powers. There was no dissent from his opinion.

Mr. BLOM (Netherlands) said that Subcommittee Two would shortly hold a final meeting to examine the remaining petitions and complete its task.

After some announcements by the Chairman, Mr. GARCIA ROBLES (Secretary) referred to the memorandum from the Jewish Community urging the Committee to send a mission to Yemen to ascertain the position of the Jews there and to visit Aden to examine the plight of Jewish refugees.

DECISION: The request was rejected.

Mr. GARCIA Robles (Secretary) also referred to a letter from the President of the Jewish Legion of Ex-Servicemen, Jerusalem Branch, requesting the Committee to give its assistance to their housing scheme.

DECISION: The Committee decided to ignore the matter.

Financial Arrangements Delegates

Mr. BLOM (Netherlands) raised the question of financial arrangements for delegate's and asked if Mr. Hoo had any information concerning an improvement in the per diem allowance.

Mr. HOO (Assistant Secretary-General) said he had sent three telegrams to the United Nations headquarters on this matter. Mr. Pelt (Acting Secretary-General) replied that day that he was submitting the per diem question to the Advisory Committee, but pending its decision he considered that the established practice of twenty dollars a day must stands.

Mr. BLOM (Netherlands) considered it essential that the Committee express its dissatisfaction with the present arrangement before the Advisory Committee took a decision.

Mr. Blom's statement was endorsed by all members.

Mr. HOO (Assistant Secretary-General) indicated that he would send a further telegram conveying the opinion of members on the question.

Invitation to the Arab States: Yemen

The CHAIRMAN reverted to the question of the Committee's invitation to the Arab States, and enquired whether and how Yemen Should be approached.x He pointed out that the Arab States were being approached through their Consulates in Jerusalem and that Yemen had no Consulate.

Sir Abdur RAHMAN (India), suggesting that the invitation be by telegram, pointed out that Yemen had been invited by Great Britain to participate in discussions the previous year, and that if the Committee were free to invite individuals, it could certainly invite an independent country such as Yemen. This would not mean that the United Nations Would thereby recognize Yemen as a State.

Mr. ENTEZAM (Iran) suggested that the Committee should leave the matter with him. He would make the necessary enquiries to see whether the interests of Yemen were taken care of by some other Arab Consulate and how best to proceed in the matter.

The CHAIRMAN entrusted Mr. Entezam with such an enquiry.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

—

x Document A AC.13/SR.23, page 10.