UN Resolution on the Internationalization of Jerusalem of 9 December 1949

Abstract

On December 9, 1949, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 303, which called for the full internationalization of Jerusalem as provided for by the Partition Resolution of November 29, 1947. Even though a more practicable alternative was on the table—the proposal by the Conciliation Commission for loose international supervision of the city, with the focus on the Holy Places—Resolution 303 was supported by many countries, despite their skepticism that full internationalization was feasible. The article considers the factors that led a majority of the UN member states to vote for a resolution they thought was a dead letter. It looks at the various behind-the-scenes maneuvers to promote the idea of internationalization that were conducted during the months that preceded the vote, with emphasis on the cooperation between the Arab countries’ delegations at the UN, led by Lebanon, and several Christian countries that were prodded by the Vatican and Pope Pius XII. These efforts gave the supporters of internationalization a paper victory, but actually made its implementation even less likely.