5

the Council agreed to appoint the consular representatives in Palestine of Belgium, France, and the United States as a Truce Commission under the Security Council to negotiate and supervise a truce in Palestine. Report of the Palestine Commission The second special session of the General Assembly was therefore called at the request of the Security Council. The Assembly had before it a report (Document A/532) prepared by the Palestine Commission reviewing its activities from 9th January to 10th April, 1948. The report concluded with (a) a review of the factors which had, in the opinion of the Commission, prevented implementation of the Assembly's resolution of 29th November, 1947, and (b) a survey of the problems which, in the opinion of the Commission, required urgent solution. Under (a) the Commission referred to : (i) The active opposition of the Governments of the Arab States and the Arab Higher Committee which made it impossible for the Commission to implement the Assembly's resolution without the assistance of adequate armed forces; (ii) The policy of the mandatory Power, " and particularly its refusal to take any measure which might be construed as involving it in implementation of the Assembly's resolution " which, the Commission stated, had had the following consequences : (1) the provisions of the partition plan for a progressive transfer of administration from the mandatory Power had not been complied with; (2) the Commission could not proceed to Palestine until two weeks prior to the termination of the mandate ; (3) the Commission could take no measures to establish the frontiers of the Arab and Jewish States and the City of Jerusalem; (4) the refusal of the mandatory Power to permit the establishment of any Provisional Councils of Government, if selected, had made it necessary for the Commission to communicate that fact to the Security Council; (5) the refusal of the mandatory Power to permit the taking of preparatory steps towards the establishment of the armed militia as envisaged by the resolution of November, 1947, for the purpose of maintaining internal order and preventing frontier clashes, had made it impossible to implement the Assembly's resolution in that respect ; (iii) The disintegrating security situation in Palestine and the failure of the Security Council to furnish the Commission with the necessary armed assistance.