United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 was passed on December 11, 1948, near the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The resolution expresses appreciation for the efforts of UN Envoy Folke Bernadotte after his assassination by members of the Zionist ultra-nationalist Lehi, headed by Yitzhak Shamir. Resolution 194 deals with the situation in the region after the majority of the Palestinian Arab population fled or were ethnically cleansed from Israel-controlled areas and the surviving Palestinian Jewish population in Arab-occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank had been expelled by the (Trans)Jordanian Arab Legion. The resolution called for the return of refugees to their homes and defined the role of the U.N. United Nations Conciliation Commission as an organization to facilitate peace in the region.
The resolution was adopted by a majority of 35 countries from among the 58 members of the United Nations at that time; however all six Arab countries then represented at the UN voted against it (Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen, all were parties to the conflict in question). Israel had not yet been admitted to the UN.
The resolution consists of 15 articles, the most quoted of which are:
- Article 7: protection and free access to the Holy Places
- Article 8: demilitarization and UN control over Jerusalem
- Article 9: free access to Jerusalem
- Article 11: calls for the return of refugees
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273 admitted Israel to the United Nations on May 11, 1949, after Israel consented to implement other UN resolutions including resolutions 194 and 181.
Read more about United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194: International Reception and Interpretation, Full Text
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