United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 (S/RES/242) was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council on November 22, 1967, in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. It was adopted under Chapter VI of the UN Charter. The resolution was sponsored by British ambassador Lord Caradon and was one of five drafts under consideration.
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the Latin arma, meaning "arms" and -stitium, meaning "a stopping".
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.
The 1949 Armistice Agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. They formally ended the hostilities of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and also demarcated the Green Line, which separated Arab-controlled territory from Israel until the latter's victory in the 1967 Arab–Israeli War.
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.
The three-line United Nations Security Council Resolution 338, adopted on October 22, 1973, called for a ceasefire in the Yom Kippur War in accordance with a joint proposal by the United States and the Soviet Union. The resolution stipulated a cease fire to take effect within 12 hours of the adoption of the resolution. The "appropriate auspices" was interpreted to mean American or Soviet rather than UN auspices. This third clause helped to establish the framework for the Geneva Conference (1973) held in December 1973.
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 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.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 92, adopted on May 8, 1951, recalling its previous resolutions demanding a cease-fire in the Arab-Israeli conflict the Council noted with concern that fighting had broken out in and around the demilitarized zone established by the Israel-Syrian General Armistice Agreement of 20 July 1949 and that fighting was continuing despite the cease-fire order of the Acting Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine. The Council called upon the parties of persons in the areas concerned to cease fighting and called them to comply with their obligations and commitments to previous resolutions and Agreements.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 93, adopted on May 18, 1951, after hearing a report from the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, the representatives of Egypt and Israel as well as a determination by the Egyptian-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission that determined that a “prearranged and planned attack ordered by Israel authorities” was “committed by Israel regular army forces against the Egyptian regular army” in the Gaza Strip on February 28, 1951. The Council condemned this attack as a violation of the cease-fire previsions of UNSC Resolution 54 and as inconsistent with the obligations of the parties under the General Armistice Agreement between Egypt and Israel and under the United Nations Charter. The Council again called upon Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent such actions and expressed its conviction that the maintenance of the General Armistice Agreement is threatened by any deliberate violation of it and that no progress towards the return of peace in Palestine can be made until both parties comply strictly with their obligations.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 101, adopted on November 24, 1953, noting reports by the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine the Council found that the retaliatory action taken by Israeli forces at Qibya on October 14–15 and all such action constitute a violation of the cease-fire provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 54 and are inconsistent with the parties’ obligations under the General Armistice Agreement between Israel and Jordan as well as the Charter of the United Nations. The Council expressed the strongest possible censure of this action and took note of the substantial evidence of crossings of the demarcation line by unauthorized persons. The Council then called on the Israeli and Jordanian governments to co-operate with each other and requested that the Chief of Staff of the TSO report within three months with recommendations.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 106 was adopted unanimously on March 29, 1955, after hearing reports from the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine and representatives of Egypt and Israel. The Council noted that the Egyptian-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission determined that a "prearranged and planned attack ordered by Israel authorities" was committed by regular Israeli forces against elements of the Egyptian Army in the Gaza Strip on February 28, 1955. The Council condemned this attack as a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 54, called upon Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent such action, expressed its conviction that the maintenance of the General Armistice Agreement was threatened by deliberate violations and that no progress towards the return of permanent peace in Palestine would be made unless the parties complied strictly with their obligations.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 113, adopted on April 4, 1956, after recalling past resolutions where the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine was requested to undertake certain specific steps for the purpose of reducing tensions along the armistice lines the Council noted with grave concern the proposed steps had not been carried out. The Council considered the situation as likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security and requested the Secretary-General survey the various aspects of enforcement of compliance with the four General Armistice Agreements.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 114, adopted unanimously on June 4, 1956, after receiving a report from the Secretary-General the Council noted that progress had been made towards the adoption of the specific measures set out in United Nations Security Council Resolution 113 but that full compliance with the General Armistice Agreements and a host of Council Resolutions had not yet been effected. The Council declared that all parties to the Armistice Agreements should cooperate with the Secretary-General and the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine and that United Nations observers must be given full freedom of movement.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 127, adopted on January 22, 1958, dealt with complaints by Jordan regarding Israeli activities between the armistice demarcation lines. Taking into account a report by the Acting Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, the Council noted that neither Israel or Jordan enjoyed sovereignty over any part of the zone. The Council then directed the Chief of Staff to regulate activities within the zone so that Israelis would not be allowed to use Arab-owned properties and vice versa, and directed the Chief of Staff to conduct a survey of property records with a view to determine property records with a view to determine property ownership in the zone.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 340 was adopted on October 25, 1973, during the Yom Kippur War. It was passed after the Security Council was informed of the apparent failure of UNSCR 338 and UNSCR 339 to end the fighting.
United Nations Security Council resolution 450, adopted on 14 June 1979, after recalling resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 427 (1978), 434 (1978) and 444 (1979) and considering the report from the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Council condemned attacks by Israel against Lebanon that had displaced civilians, caused deaths and destruction. It called on Israel to cease its actions against the country.
