UN General Assembly Resolution 194 - Definition and Overview

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 [1] (http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/c758572b78d1cd0085256bcf0077e51a?OpenDocument) was passed on December 11 1948, near the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It deals with the situation in Palestine, mostly with the role of the Conciliation Commission. The resolution consists of 15 articles, probably the most famous being Article 11, which calls for a conditional return of refugees from the war. Other relevant Articles are 7 (protection and free access to the Holy Places), 8 (demilitarization and UN control over Jerusalem) and 9 (free access to Jerusalem).

Contrary to Security Council Resolutions, UN General Assembly Resolutions have only a recommendatory character, according to the UN Charter. Many articles in the resolution have been ignored by all involved parties, though Israel abides by article 7. Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen voted against it. Since the late 1960s, the resolution (actually only Article 11) has been increasingly often quoted by the Arabs, who have interpreted it as the right of return of the Palestinian refugees.