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Application of Israel for Membership in the United Nations Section F of Part I of the Plan of Partition with Economic Union lor Palestine adopted by the General Assembly on 29 November, 1947, provided that sympathetic consideration should be given by the General Assembly, in accordance with Article 4 of the Charter, to the application for admission to the United Nations of either the Jewish State or the Arab State, to be set up under the plan when its independence had become effective. On 29 November, 1948, Israel submitted an application for membership. In December the application was considered by the Security Council, which decided to defer the questiop. The application was again taken up in March, 1949, and on 4 March the Council adopted, by 9 votes to 1 (Egypt) with the United Kingdom abstaining, a resolution recommending to the General Assembly that Israel be admitted to membership in the United Nations. When the question came before the Assembly, the General Committee recommended that this item should be dealt with directly in the plenary meeting. In the Assembly, however, a large number of States opposed this procedure and the Assembly decided by 31 votes to 18 with 7 abstentions that the item should be first discussed in the First Committee. Those favouring debate in Committee comprised the Arab States, who had opposed the inclusion of the item on the agenda and wished to avail themselves of every opportunity of opposing and delaying the admission of Israel to the United Nations, many Latin American States, who sought assurances from Israel with regard to the internationalization of Jerusalem and the protection of the Holy Places, and the Scandinavian countries, who demanded that Israel should •clear up the question of responsibility for the assassination of the Palestine Mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte. Those States (including Australia and New Zealand) who opposed reference to a Committee ■considered that unnecessary delay would be caused by such a procedure. Since the First Committee was still at work on the question of the disposal of the former Italian colonies when the ad hoc Committee had completed its discussion of the items previously referred to it, the Assembly eventually decided that the latter Committee should deal with Israel's application for membership. In the course of ten meetings this Committee conducted a full discussion on the question. In order that Israel's position towards various problems closely connected with its admission to the United Nations (in particular the questions of Jerusalem and the Holy Places, the Arab refugees, and the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte) might be clarified, the Committee decided, against the opposition of