UN General Assembly
1948

In seeking a solution for the Palestine question, the Mediator appointed by the United Nations had been faced by what he had himself termed the extreme complexity of the problem. He had said in so many words and frequently repeated in his reports (S/888 and A/648) that the role which the United Nations had assigned to him was not to present final formulae, but merely to offer suggestions which might serve as a basis for further discussions and counter-proposals with a view to reaching a peaceful settlement. If there was a method contrary to the spirit of the Charter, it was the one which tried to impose preconceived ideas on the Assembly summarily and without sufficient discussion. Such a method would be a misunderstanding of the dignity of the Assembly and would ignore the fundamental principle of the sovereign equality of all the Members of the United Nations. It was inconceivable that a question affecting the peace of so sensitive a region as the Middle East should be disposed of by the Assembly at that decisive stage without serious examination of the problem in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity undisturbed by outside pressure.