United Nations Security Council Resolution 56

Last updated
UN Security Council
Resolution 56
Date August 19 1948
Meeting no. 354
Code S/983 (Document)
SubjectThe Palestine Question
Result Adopted
Security Council composition
Permanent members
Non-permanent members

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 Intergovernmental organization

The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that was tasked to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international co-operation and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development and upholding international law. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world. In 24 October 1945, at the end of World War II, the organization was established with the aim of preventing future wars. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The UN is the successor of the ineffective League of Nations.

Jerusalem City in the Middle East

Jerusalem is a city in the Middle East, located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 54, adopted on 15 July 1948, determined that the situation in Palestine constitutes a threat to the peace within the meaning of Article 39 of the Charter of the United Nations. The resolution ordered all governments and authorities concerned to desist from further military action and to issue a cease-fire to their military and paramilitary forces to take effect at a time to be determined by the mediator in the next three days. It also declared that failure to comply with these orders would demonstrate the existence of a breach of the peace within the meaning of article 39 of the Charter and would require immediate consideration by the Council.

The Council also decided that no party would be able to violate the truce on the grounds of retaliation for another violation and that no party would be entitled to gain military or political advantages through the violation of the truce.

The resolution was voted on in parts. As such, no vote took place on the whole of the resolution.

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