Partition Group Decides to Internationalize Whole of Jerusalem Under U.N. Governor

The internationalization of the whole of Jerusalem was decided upon today by the U.N. sub-committee on partition. Only the suburb of Motza will be included in the Jewish State. The city will be administered by a United Nations governor–who will be neither a Jew nor an Arab–for ten years. After this period a referendum will be held in the city to decide its future status.

The governor will be authorized to exercise all administrative powers, including the conduct of external affiars. He will be empowered to organize a special police force “of adequate strength,” the members of which shall be recruited outside of Palestine, and will have the right to enact such budgetary provision as may be necessary for the maintenance of this force.

One of the functions of the governor will be to study and submit for consideration a plan for the establishment of special town units consisting of the Jewish and Arab sections of the modern part of Jerusalem. Each of these town units shall continue to form a part of the present municipality of Jerusalem, enjoying joint services such as water supply, sewage system and the like.

IMMIGRATION INTO CITY WILL BE CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNOR

Immigration and residence of non-Palestinians within the borders of the City of Jerusalem are to be controlled by the governor. Freedom of transit and visit for the residents or citizens of the Jewish and Arab states will be guaranteed, “subject to security considerations.”

All residents of Jerusalem will ipso facto become citizens of the city unless they opt for citizenship of the state of which they have been citizens, or, when Arabs or Jews, have filed the notice of intention to become citizens of the Arab or Jewish states respectively. Arrangements will be made for consular protection of the citizens of Jerusalem outside its territory.

The official languages of Jerusalem will remain English, Hebrew and Arabic. An independent judiciary system will be established, including a court of appeals. All inhabitants of the city will be subject to it.

CITY TO BE DEMILITARIZED; PARA-MILITARY GROUPS PROHIBITED

Under the procisions adopted today, Jerusalem will be demilitarized. No para Military formations, exercises or activities will be permitted within its borders. Should the administration of the city be seriously obstructed or prevented by non-cooperation or interference of one or more sections of the population, the governor will have the authority “to take such measures as may be necessary to restore the effective functioning of the administration.”

The City of Jerusalem will include the present municipality of Jerusalem plus the surrounding villages and towns, the most eastern of which is Abu Dir; the most southern Bethlehem; the most western Ein Karim and the most northern Shufat. The villages and townships will enjoy wide powers of local government and administration.

A legislative council elected by adult residents of Jerusalem, irrespective of nationality, will have powers of legislation and taxation. However, no legislative mesures are to conflict or interfere with the provisions which will be set forth in the Statute of the City, nor shall any law, regulation, or official action pre##il over them.

GOVERNOR HAS RIGHT TO VETO BILLS OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

The Statute will grant the U.N. governor the right to veto bills of the Legislative Council. He is also empowered to promulgate temporary ordinances in case the Council fails to adopt in time a bill deemed essential to the normal functioning of the administration.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem, without discrimination of any kind on the rounds of ethnic origin, language or religion, will be ensured equal protection of its laws with regard to the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The city will ensure adequate primary and secondary schools for the Jewish and Arab commity, respectively, in its own language and its cultural traditions.

The partition sub-committee decided at the same time to recommend that the right of each community to maintain its own schools for the education of its own members in its own language, while conforming to such educational requirements of a general nature as Jerusalem may impose, shall not be denied or impaired. No restrictions shall be imposed on the free use by any inhabitat of any language in commerce, in religion, in the press, in publications of any kind or at public meetings.

Moshe Shertok argued on behalf of the Jewish Agency that the ten-year period during which Jerusalem would be under an international regime be shortened to three years. However, the United States delegation insisted on the ten-year period, declaring that the situation in Jerusalem may be expected to be “unstable” during the coming three years and that trouble might be expected during that time. A compronnise was reached providing that the ten-year term can be revised whenever the Security Council finds it desirable.