United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273 was adopted on May 11, 1949, during the second part of the third session of the United Nations General Assembly, to admit the State of Israel to membership in the United Nations. It was passed following the approval of UN Security Council Resolution 69 on March 4, 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 bill, showing the raising of the Israeli Flag on the UN Building, following the resolution

The Resolution passed by the requisite two-thirds majority, the vote in the General Assembly being 37 in favour to 12 against, with 9 abstentions.

Debates and Discussions

In the debates about UN resolution 273 in 1949 about Israel's admittance to the UN, Israel's UN representative Abba Eban promised that the state would honor its obligations under resolution 181 and Resolution 194. 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 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 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.