The United States and six other powers jointly proposed a resolution in the U.N. Ad Hoc Political Committee today calling for the immediate admission of Israel into the United Nations. The six powers are Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Panama, Haiti and Uruguay.
The resolution, formally introduced by Australian delegate John D, L. Hood, takes note of the Security Council recommendation of Israel’s application and Israel’s declaration that it “unreservedly” undertakes to honor its obligations to the United Nations Charter and “decides” that Israel is “a peace-loving” state able and willing to carry out its obligations. The vote on the resolution was expected at a late night session.
At the same time, the Lebanese delegation filed a revised resolution categorically asking for postponement of action on the application and instructing the U.N. Conciliation Commission to ascertain whether Israel accepts the principles of the General Assembly resolutions for the internationalization of Jerusalem and the treatment of Arab refugees.
American delegate Warren Austin declared that the United States will vote for the admission of Israel, convinced that “Israel will be a valuable member of the United Nations,” In a statement at the session Austin declared that the duty of the present Assembly is to consider the application and to leave it to the next Assembly to deal with the outstanding peace problems of Palestine.
“We should remember that responsibility for bringing about the peaceful settlement of the Palestine question rests upon the parties and the Conciliation Commission under the resolution of December 11, and not, at this time, upon the General Assembly,” he said. The United States, he added, together with a majority of the Security Council, considers that Israel meets the Charter requirements for membership.
TWO-THIRDS VOTE IN FAVOR OF ADMITTING JEWISH STATE PREDICTED
As the debate continued during the day, Israeli circles and sources among the delegations favorable to Israeli’s cause estimated that the results of the final vote on the seven-nation resolution would be a certain victory, by greater than a two thirds majority. An Israeli predicted, late this afternoon, that there will definitely be a two-thirds majority for the resolution.
The morning and afternoon sessions were mainly devoted to a cross-examination of Israel’s representative, Aubrey S. Eban, by a number of delegates. Questions put by Lebanon, EL Salvador and Denmark were mainly aimed at pinning down Israel to a definite adherence or defiance of Assembly decisions on Jerusalem and the refugees. In impromptu replies, Eban adhered to the position that Israel will cooperate fully with all organs of the United Nations in implementing the principles of the Assembly resolutions. He made it clear that Israel will introduce what he called “new thinking” toward a plan by which international control of religious places will be reconciled with Israel’s responsibility for the Inhabitants of the new Jerusalem. He pledged that Israel would propose new plans for a solution of the problem of protecting the Holy Places and for alleviating the plight of the Palestine Arabs at the Lausanne conference and the next General Assembly session.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
