Israel’s & USSR’s responses to UNCCP proposals on Jerusalem — UNCCP 147th Meeting – Summary record (Geneva)

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVENTH MEETING

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on
Wednesday 26 April 1950, at 11 a.m.

* Alternate

Draft of periodic report to the Secretary-General

The CHAIRMAN proposed that examination of the draft periodic report, which had just been distributed by the Secretariat, should be postponed till the next meeting.

It was so agreed.

The PRINCIPAL SECRETARY pointed out that the last lines of paragraph 26 dealing with compensation anticipated the decisions to be taken by the Commission and reflected the situation as it would be at the time when the report was despatched.

Reply of the State of Israel to the Commission’s proposals

Mr. de BOISANGER (France) said that he had had occasion to convey to Mr. Kahany his surprise at the Israeli Government’s publication of the memorandum addressed to the Commission on 29 March even before the Commission had been able to forward to that Government the reply of the Arab States. Mr. Kahany had replied that the decision had been taken by his Government following upon the publication of the resolutions of the Arab League.

Mr. Kahany, who had reported the conversation in question to his Government, had told him during a more recent conversation that the Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs confirmed that the memorandum had been published because of the publication of the decisions of the Arab League, and in any case Israel’s reply to the Commission’s proposals would be forthcoming towards the end of the week. Mr. Kahany had not said by what channel that reply would be communicated to the Commission but thought that it would be drafted at a meeting of the Cabinet.

The CHAIRMAN said that if the Israeli reply arrived within the time stated, the Commission would be able to examine it at its meeting on Monday, 1 May.

Compensation (Document W/43 and draft letter to the Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs)

The CHAIRMAN proposed that the Commission should study the above question at on informal meeting.

It was so agreed.

Statement by the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the subject of Jerusalem

The PRINCIPAL SECRETARY reported that United Nations Headquarters had sent him the text of a communication from the Soviet Union authorities, with the request that it should be laid before the Conciliation Commission.

In this communication, which was read to the meeting, the Government of the Soviet Union stated that it could no longer support General Assembly Resolution 303 (IV) on an international regime for Jerusalem, since it had become plain that it satisfied neither the Arab nor the Jewish populations. The Government of the Soviet Union trusted that the United Nations would look for a solution acceptable to both sections of the population.

The Commission noted the above statement.

The meeting rose at 11.45 a.m.