The UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP) was established by the General Assembly - Resolution 194(III) - in December 1948. It is the primary international body mandated to provide protection to the majority of Palestinian refugees.

The General Assembly authorized the Commission to provide protection and facilitate durable solutions for persons displaced as a result of the 1947-1948 conflict and war in Palestine. This includes internally displaced Palestinians inside Israel. In 1950, the Assembly specifically requested the UNCCP - Resolution 394(V) - to protect the rights, properties and interests of the refugees. The UNCCP does not have a protection mandate for other categories of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons. The Commission is composed of representatives of the United States, France and Turkey.

Early protection activities included: preparation of a draft refugee definition; intervention with Israeli authorities to permit the return of certain categories of refugees (without prejudice to the right of all refugees to return to their homes) based on humanitarian considerations; reunification of separated families; investigation and recommendation of immediate measures to safeguard the rights and property of the refugees; intervention with Israeli authorities to abrogate discriminatory property laws; and, facilitation of refugee access to blocked savings accounts and assets in banks inside Israel.

The UN General Assembly adopted the recommendations drafted by one of the Commission’s sub-organs, the Economic Survey Mission, for short and long term economic relief. This included the creation of a new mechanism, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The Commission also succeeded in facilitating the release of blocked accounts and assets. Through the family reunification program a small number of refugee dependents were able to return. Israeli officials rejected UNCCP appeals to abrogate discriminatory property laws and refused to release religious property, particularly that belonging to the Muslim community.

In 1950 the UNCCP established a sub-office ("Refugee Office") to identify property ownership in Israel and examine interim measures by which refugees could derive income from their properties. The Office conducted a global and individual identification of Palestinian property based on British mandate records. Forms were prepared for each parcel of land owned by Arabs, including partnerships, companies, and cooperative societies. Separate forms were prepared for state land, other public authorities, Jews and other non-Arab individuals.

According to the global identification process, 16,234 sq. km were determined to be private property owned by Palestinian Arabs. The total area of Mandate Palestine was 26,320 sq. km. The individual identification process resulted in 453,000 records totaling 1.5 million individual holdings. The Commission and independent experts note that the UNCCP database is problematic in several areas, however, it remains the most comprehensive database documenting Palestinian refugee property. The database is retained by the United Nations. It was digitized in the 1990s.

The UNCCP also examined means and principles for refugee compensation. The Refugee Office completed a global and individual evaluation of Palestinian property. The evaluation was based on British mandate records and the opinions of the Refugee Office land specialist, and Arab and Israeli experts. The Office assessed the global value of Palestinian Arab land at 100,383,784 Palestinian pounds or US$ 280 million according to the dollar-pound exchange rate in 1951. Due to political considerations, the Commission has not released information concerning the total value of refugee properties based on the individual valuation process.

The UNCCP has not provided Palestinian refugees with the basic international protection accorded to all other refugees since 1952. The Commission reached the conclusion that it was unable to fulfill its mandate due to the lack of international political will to ensure the return of those refugees and displaced persons wishing to go back to their homes and villages. When the United Nations established the UNCCP in 1948 it was assumed that the refugees would return to their places of origin within a short period of time. It was not expected that the newly established state of Israel would block the return of the refugees. The Commission was not provided with the machinery or with the resources to carry out its mandate in the context of a protracted conflict. Today the Commission has no budget and no staff. The secretary of the UNCCP is a staff member of the UN Department of Political Affairs.

Related BADIL Publications:

• The UNCCP, Protection and Durable Solutions for Palestinian Refugees