The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) is an organization founded on 29 May 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East. Established amidst the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, its primary task was initially to provide the military command structure to the peacekeeping forces in the Middle East to enable the peacekeepers to observe and maintain the ceasefire, and in assisting the parties to the Armistice Agreements in the supervision of the application and observance of the terms of those Agreements. The organization's structure and role has evolved over time as a result of the various conflicts in the region and at times UNTSO personnel have been used to rapidly deploy to other areas of the Middle East in support of other United Nations operations. The command structure of the UNTSO was maintained to cover the later peacekeeping organisations of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to which UNTSO continues to provide military observers.
A ceasefire, also spelled cease-fire, is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may be between state actors or involve non-state actors.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1583, adopted unanimously on 28 January 2005, after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978) and 1553 (2004), the council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 July 2005 and condemned violence along the Blue Line.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 41, adopted on February 28, 1948, commended both parties in the Indonesian National Revolution for the recent signing of a truce and attempts to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 27, repeated the offer of mediation made in United Nations Security Council Resolution 31, and requested the Committee of Good Offices keep them informed as to the progress of political settlement in the Indonesia.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 43, adopted unanimously on April 1, 1948, notes the increasing violence and disorder in Palestine, calling upon the Jewish Agency for Palestine and the Arab Higher Committee to make representatives available to the Security Council to arrange and enforce a truce. The Resolution further calls upon armed Arab and Jewish groups to cease acts of violence immediately.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 49, adopted on May 22, 1948, considering that the previous resolutions of the Security Council in respect to Palestine have not been complied with and that military operations were still taking place in Palestine, the resolution called upon all governments and authorities to abstain from any further hostile military action in Palestine and to that end issue a cease-fire order to their military and paramilitary forces to come into effect at noon, May 24, 1948, New York City local time. The resolution further ordered the Truce Commission for Palestine set up in United Nations Security Council Resolution 48 to report to the council on the compliance of the concerned parties with the resolution.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 50, adopted on May 29, 1948, called upon all governments and authorities involved in the conflict in Palestine to order a cessation of all acts of armed force of four weeks, to refrain from introducing any fighting personnel into Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan or Yemen during the cease-fire, to refrain from importing or exporting war material into or to Palestine, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan or Yemen during the cease-fire.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 53, adopted on 7 July 1948, took into consideration a telegram from the United Nations Mediator in Palestine dated 5 July 1948. The resolution "addresses an urgent appeal to the interested parties to accept in principle the prolongation of the truce for such period as may be decided upon in consultation with the Mediator."
United Nations Security Council Resolution 56, adopted on August 19, 1948, having received communications from the United Nations Mediator concerning the situation in Jerusalem the Council directed the attention of the Governments and authorities to United Nations Security Council Resolution 54. The Council decided that all parties involved were to bear direct responsibility for all of their regular and irregular forces, that they were to use all means available to prevent the truce from being broken and that any group or subject that did was to be given a speedy trial.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 59, adopted on October 19, 1948, concern that the Provisional government of Israel had yet to submit a report to the Council regarding the progress of the investigation into the assassinations of United Nations Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte and Observer Colonel Andre Serot. The Council requested the Israeli Government submit an account of the progress made in the investigation and to indicate therein the measures taken with regard to negligence on the part of officials or other factors affecting the crime.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 62, adopted on November 16, 1948, called for an armistice in all sectors of Palestine, in order to facilitate the transition from the then-current truce to a permanent peace.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 66, adopted on December 29, 1948, in response to a report by the Acting Mediator regarding hostilities which broke out in southern Palestine on December 22 despite UN calls for a cease-fire, the Council demanded the immediate implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 61. The Resolution instructs the Acting Mediator to facilitate the complete supervision of the truce by the UN observers. The Resolution further instructs the committee appointed in UNSC Resolution 61 to meet at Lake Success, New York on January 7 to consider the situation in southern Palestine and to report to the Council on the extent to which governments have or have not complied with UNSC Resolutions 61 and 62. The Resolution also invited Cuba and Norway to replace the two retiring member of the committee on January 1.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 89, adopted on November 17, 1950, after receiving complaints from Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization regarding the implementation of the Armistice Agreements designed to end the Arab-Israeli War the Council requested the Egypt-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission give urgent attention to a complaint of expulsion of thousands of Palestinian Arabs. The Council called upon both parties to give effect to any finding by the Commission, repatriating any such Arabs who the Commission believes to be entitled to return. The Council then authorized the Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization to recommend to Israel, Egypt and such other Arab States appropriate steps he may consider necessary to control the movement of nomadic Arabs across international frontiers or armistice lines by mutual agreement.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1860, adopted on January 8, 2009, after recalling resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003) and 1850 (2008) on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the Council called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza War following 13 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1391, adopted unanimously on 28 January 2002, after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 1310 (2000), 1337 (2001) and 1365 (2001), the Council decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 July 2002.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1428, adopted unanimously on 30 July 2002, after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 1310 (2000), 1337 (2001), 1365 (2001) and 1391 (2002), the Council decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 January 2003.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1461 was adopted unanimously on 30 January 2003, after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978) and 1428 (2002). The council decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 July 2003.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1496, adopted unanimously on 31 July 2003, after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978) and 1461 (2003), the council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 January 2004.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1553, adopted unanimously on 29 July 2004, after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978) and 1525 (2004), the council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 January 2005.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1614, adopted unanimously on July 29, 2005 after recalling previous resolutions on Israel and Lebanon, including resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978) and 1583 (2005), the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further six months until 31 January 2006.
