# United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_273
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_273.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_273
> Source revision: 1345211685
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

United Nations resolution adopted in 1949

UN General Assembly Resolution 273 Israel flag Date May 11 1949 Code A/RES/273 (III) (Document) Subject Admission of Israel to membership in the United Nations Voting summary 37 voted for 12 voted against 9 abstained Result Adopted

Obverse side of a 20 [NIS](/source/New_Israeli_Shekel) bill, showing the raising of the Israeli Flag on the UN Building, following the resolution

**United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273** was adopted on 11 May 1949 to admit [Israel](/source/Israel) as a [United Nations member state](/source/United_Nations_member_state). It followed the approval of [United Nations Security Council Resolution 69](/source/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_69) on 4 March 1949.

Resolution 273 was opened in the second half of the [third session of the United Nations General Assembly](/source/Third_session_of_the_United_Nations_General_Assembly). It received 37 votes in favour and 12 votes against, with 9 abstentions, thereby fulfilling the requisite two-thirds majority for successful adoption.

## Background

In the debates about UN resolution 273 in 1949 about Israel's admittance to the UN, Israel's UN representative [Abba Eban](/source/Abba_Eban) promised that the state would honor its obligations under resolution 181 and [Resolution 194](/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_194). [El Salvador](/source/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](/source/Status_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. I cannot honestly conceal from the Committee that even our full co-operation with all the means at our disposal will not avail to solve this question unless it is considered against the general background of the Near East and unless similar co-operation from other neighbouring Governments and a large measure of international assistance are invested in the solution of this problem on a regional basis.

He further added:[2]

The Government of Israel considers and has made it clear that the return of [Arab refugees](/source/Palestinian_refugees) was one of the methods of settling this problem. It considers, as the Conciliation Commission considers and as one of the Governments represented in the United Nations, the opinion of which I quoted this morning seems also to consider, that another method of settling the question would be resettlement of the refugees in neighboring countries. The balance of those resettled in neighboring countries, in comparison with the numbers resettled in Israel, is a matter to be settled by mutual consent after negotiations for which we are immediately prepared.

## Full text

*Having received* the report of the [Security Council](/source/United_Nations_Security_Council) on the application of Israel for membership in the United Nations,[3]

*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](/source/United_Nations_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",[4]

*Recalling* its resolutions of [29 November 1947](/source/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine)[5] and [11 December 1948](/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_194)[6] and taking note of the [declarations and explanations](https://web.archive.org/web/20120203124136/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255a0a0010ae82852555340060479d/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument#Mr.%20EBAN%20(Israel)%20understood%20tha) made by the representative of the Government of Israel[7] 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. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoyle2010279–280_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBoyle2010279–280_1-1) [Boyle 2010](#CITEREFBoyle2010), pp. 279–280.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Israel membership in the UN – Ad Hoc Political Committee - 47th"](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-185978/). United Nations. p. 282.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-r1_3-0)** See document A/818.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-r2_4-0)** See document S/1093.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-r3_5-0)** See Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during its second session, pages 131-132.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-r4_6-0)** See Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during Part I of its third session, pages 21-25.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-r5_7-0)** See documents [A/AC.24/SR.45](https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120224212931/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c3/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument) February 24, 2012, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)-48, 50 and 51.

## Voting results

Map of voting results for UNGA Resolution 273 by country (11 May 1949)

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

**In favour**

[Argentina](/source/Argentina), [Australia](/source/Australia), [Bolivia](/source/Bolivia), [Byelorussian SSR](/source/Byelorussian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic), [Canada](/source/Canada), [Chile](/source/Chile), [China (Republic of)](/source/Republic_of_China_(1912%E2%80%931949)), [Colombia](/source/Colombia), [Costa Rica](/source/Costa_Rica), [Cuba](/source/Cuba), [Czechoslovakia](/source/Czechoslovakia), [Dominican Republic](/source/Dominican_Republic), [Ecuador](/source/Ecuador), [France](/source/France), [Guatemala](/source/Guatemala), [Haiti](/source/Haiti), [Honduras](/source/Honduras), [Iceland](/source/Iceland), [Liberia](/source/Liberia), [Luxembourg](/source/Luxembourg), [Mexico](/source/Mexico), [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands), [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand), [Nicaragua](/source/Nicaragua), [Norway](/source/Norway), [Panama](/source/Panama), [Paraguay](/source/Paraguay), [Peru](/source/Peru), [Philippines](/source/Philippines), [Poland](/source/Poland), [South Africa](/source/Union_of_South_Africa), [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union), [Ukrainian SSR](/source/Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic), [United States](/source/United_States), [Uruguay](/source/Uruguay), [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela), [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia).

**Against**

[Afghanistan](/source/Kingdom_of_Afghanistan), [Burma](/source/Burma), [Egypt](/source/Egypt), [Ethiopia](/source/Ethiopia), [India](/source/India), [Iran](/source/Iran), [Iraq](/source/Iraq), [Lebanon](/source/Lebanon), [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan), [Saudi Arabia](/source/Saudi_Arabia), [Syria](/source/Syria), [Yemen](/source/Yemen).

**Abstaining**

[Belgium](/source/Belgium), [Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Denmark](/source/Denmark), [El Salvador](/source/El_Salvador), [Greece](/source/Greece), [Siam](/source/Siam), [Sweden](/source/Sweden), [Turkey](/source/Turkey), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom).

## See also

- [List of United Nations resolutions concerning Israel](/source/List_of_United_Nations_resolutions_concerning_Israel)

- [United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine](/source/United_Nations_Partition_Plan_for_Palestine)

- [United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194](/source/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_194)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Admission of Israel to membership in the United Nations : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly"](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/671023?ln=en). Dag Hammarskjöld Library. 11 May 1949.

## Sources

- Boyle, Francis A. (August 13, 2010). [*Palestine, Palestinians and International Law*](https://books.google.com/books?id=URcq-uIuCQUC&pg=PT279). SCB Distributors. pp. 279–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-932863-92-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-932863-92-8).

## External links

- [Full text of the Resolution, in English and French (pdf)](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/210373?ln=en)

- [Official record of the 207th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly, 11 May 1949](https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/PV.207&Lang=E)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_273) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_273?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.