Mtg. w/ the Israeli delegation re. UNCCP’s role in mediation & protection of the Holy Places – UNCCP – Summary record

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

SUMMARY RECORD OF A MEETING BETWEEN

THE CONCILIATION COMMISSION AND THE

DELEGATION OF ISRAEL

held in New York on Thursday,

17 November 1949, at 10:30 a.m.

The CHAIRMAN thanked the representative of Israel for the formal acknowledgment of the Commission’s letter of 15 November stating that that letter had been forwarded to Tel Aviv. In accordance with the Commission’s promise made in that letter, he now handed to the Israeli representative relevant extracts from the summary records of the meetings in which the Arab delegations had requested that the Commission undertake mediation.

Mr. LOURIE was glad to receive the documents and expressed his confidence that an early reply would be received from Tel Aviv regarding the Commission’s letter. He assumed that that reply would include specific reference to the matter dealt with in the documents just handed him, which would also be forwarded promptly to the Government of Israel. As regards the question of mediation, it could have been inferred from his Government’s letter of 27 October to the Commission that the Israeli Government had certain serious doubts concerning the adoption of that procedure; he hoped, therefore, that the Commission would await a fuller statement from Tel Aviv before initiating mediation.

The CHAIRMAN declared himself at a loss to understand why the Commission’s decision in this matter should raise doubt or anxiety in the minds of the Israeli representatives. The commission, in its letter of 15 November, had made clear its intentions as regards the new procedure; mediation was contemplated only as mean of achieving a just solution of the problem.

The Chairman then handed to the Israeli representative a copy of the declaration by the Arab delegations concerning protection of the Holy Places, explaining that a copy of the Israeli statement on the same subject would be transmitted to the Arab delegations, in accordance with the Commission’ s customary procedure. He stressed the fact that all the documents were to be treated as strictly confidential and not, in any circumstances, to be communicated to the press.

Mr. de BOISANGER drew attention to the fact that in a recent meeting the Arab delegations had once more reiterated their desire to see the Commission progress from conciliation. to mediation, and their desire to continue their collaboration with the Commission, The terms in which the question of mediation had been dealt with in the Commission’s letter of 15 November to the Israeli delegation had been carefully weighed; it had been made clear that the Commission’s intention was to draw the attention of the parties to certain concrete items upon which agreement would be sought. He was confident that the Israeli delegation understood the Commission’s conviction that success could be achieved through mediation only by the use of great care and prudence.

Mr. Lourie thanked the French representative for his remarks; he was sure the Commission would agree that the Israeli delegation had always cooperated with the Commission to the fullest extent possible, and had demonstrated its desire to continue that cooperation.

The meeting rose at 11 a.m.