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all members of the United Nations to do their utmost to assist the re-establishment of the Arab refugees who had been displaced by the fighting in Palestine, and urged that everything possible be done through the appropriate United Nations agencies to assist the economic development of the Middle East, which, when fully developed, would be capable of supporting a greater population. Meanwhile, during the Assembly's session, the Security Council was occupied with the question of further .hostilities which had broken out in the Negev on 12 October, in violation of the existing truce. This situation was brought under control later in the month, and on 16 November the Council adopted a resolution requiring the establishment of an armistice in all sectors of Palestine, which was accepted in principle by the parties to the dispute. Following this action by the Security Council, negotiations were conducted between the parties on the Island of Rhodes by Dr Bunche of the United Nations Secretariat, who had assumed the task of ActingMediator after the death of Count Bernadotte, and as a result a general armistice agreement between Egypt and Israel was signed on 24 February, 1949. By the end of March, further agreements had been entered into with the Hashemite Jordan Kingdom (Transjordan) and with the Lebanon, and negotiations between Israeli and Syrian representatives appeared to be approaching a successful conclusion. In the report which he had transmitted to the United Nations on the day before his death Count Bernadotte had referred to the new Jewish State as a living and solidly entrenched reality which was exercising all the attributes of full sovereignty, and in accord with this fact an increasing number of States extended diplomatic recognition to Israel during the final quarter of 1948 and the early months of 1949. This step was taken by the Australian Government on 28 January, 1949, and by the Governments of the United Kingdom and New Zealand on 29 January. The New Zealand Government stated that they had decided to accord de facto recognition to the Government of Israel, and recorded that it was their understanding that the settlement of boundaries and other outstanding questions would be effected in accordance with the General Assembly's resolution of 11 December, 1948. In announcing the decision to accord recognition, Mr Fraser recalled that, in addition to the settlement of boundaries, the questions outstanding included such important matters as the establishment of an international regime for the Jerusalem area, the protection of the Holy Places, and the resettlement of refugees, and he expressed the hope that an early and final settlement of these questions would be achieved. Mr Fraser said that the grant of