UN General Assembly
Resolution 273
DateMay 11 1949
CodeA/RES/273 (III) (Document)
SubjectAdmission of Israel to membership in the United Nations
Voting summary
  • 37 voted for
  • 12 voted against
  • 9 abstained
ResultAdopted
Obverse side of a 20 NIS bill, showing the raising of the Israeli Flag on the UN Building, following the resolution

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273 was adopted on May 11, 1949, during the second part of the third session of the United Nations General Assembly, to admit the State of Israel to membership in the United Nations. It was passed following the approval of UN Security Council Resolution 69 on March 4, 1949.

The Resolution passed by the requisite two-thirds majority, the vote in the General Assembly being 37 in favour to 12 against, with 9 abstentions.

Debates and Discussions

In the debates about UN resolution 273 in 1949 about Israel's admittance to the UN, Israel's UN representative Abba Eban promised that the state would honor its obligations under resolution 181 and Resolution 194. El Salvador's representative asked:[1]

I wish to ask the representative of Israel whether he is authorized by his Government to assure the Committee that the State of Israel will do everything in its power to co-operate with the United Nations in order to put into effect (a) the General Assembly resolution of 29 November 1947 on the internationalization of the City of Jerusalem and the surrounding area [resolution 181] and (b) the General Assembly resolution of 11 December 1948 on the repatriation of the refugees [resolution 194].

Eban replied:[1]

I can give unqualified affirmative answer to the second question as to whether we will co-operate with the organs of the United Nations with all the means at our disposal in the fulfillment of the resolution concerning refugees.

Full text of the resolution

Having received the report of the Security Council on the application of Israel for membership in the United Nations,[2]

Noting that, in the judgment of the Security Council, Israel is a peace-loving State and is able and willing to carry out the obligations contained in the Charter,

Noting that the Security Council has recommended to the general Assembly that it admit Israel to membership in the United Nations,

Noting furthermore the declaration by the State of Israel that it "unreservedly accepts the obligations of the United Nations Charter and undertakes to honour them from the day when it becomes a member of the United Nations",[3]

Recalling its resolutions of 29 November 1947[4] and 11 December 1948[5] and taking note of the declarations and explanations made by the representative of the Government of Israel[6] before the Ad Hoc Political Committee in respect of the implementation of the said resolutions,

The General Assembly,

Acting in discharge of its functions under Article 4 of the Charter and rule 125 of its rules of procedure,

1. Decides that Israel is a peace loving State which accepts the obligations contained in the Charter and is able and willing to carry out those obligations;

2. Decides to admit Israel to membership in the United Nations.

___________________

  1. 1 2 Boyle & 279-80.
  2. See document A/818.
  3. See document S/1093.
  4. See Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during its second session, pages 131-132.
  5. See Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during Part I of its third session, pages 21-25.
  6. See documents A/AC.24/SR.45 Archived February 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine-48, 50 and 51.

Voting Results

Voting results by country

The result of the voting was the following:[1]

Approve

Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Byelorussian SSR, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia.

Reject

Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen.

Abstentions

Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, El Salvador, Greece, Siam, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom.

See also

References

  1. "Admission of Israel to membership in the United Nations : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly". Dag Hammarskjöld Library. 11 May 1949.
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