United Nations Conciliation Commission

The United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP) or Palestine Conciliation Commission (PCC) was created by UN-resolution 194 of 11 December 1948, in order to mediate in the Arab–Israeli conflict. The Commission consisted of France, Turkey and the United States. Its official headquarters was set up in Jerusalem on 24 January 1949.

The commission met from 12 to 25 February 1949 separately with Israeli and Arab governments, from 21 March in Beirut with Muhammad Nimr al-Hawari of the General Refugee Congress (GRC), the Palestinian Arab refugee delegation, and on 7 April in Tel Aviv with Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion. Then, it proposed the Lausanne Conference of 1949. After the failure of that conference, the Conciliation Commission continued for some more years, but did not achieve any significant success.

The Conciliation Commission succeeded the assassinated UN mediator Count Folke Bernadotte.

The Conciliation Commission established its headquarters and offices on 24 January 1949 at the so-called "Government House", in a neutral demilitarized zone of Jerusalem. The first members were Claude de Boisanger (France), Mark F. Ethridge (USA) and Hussein C. Yalcin (Turkey).

General matters were discussed in the "General Committee". The Commission set up the "Committee on Jerusalem" (the "Special Committee") to prepare proposals for a permanent international regime for the territory of Jerusalem. It started on 8 February 1949 with three members: Philippe Benoist (France), Mr. Yenisey, soon replaced by Orhan Eralp (Turkey) and Mr. Haldeman soon, replaced by James W. Barco (USA).

On 23 August, the Commission established the subsidiary body "United Nations Economic Survey Mission for the Middle East" for "examining the economic situation in the countries affected by the recent hostilities in Palestine and with making recommendations to the Commission". The initial report of the mission identified the Arab refugees as "the symbol of the paramount political issue", and considered broad methods to relieve their conditions. The UN's Economic Survey Mission for the Middle East, would also become known as the "Clapp Mission", after its Chairman, Gordon R. Clapp, the then-current Chairman of the TVA. The mission's final report, with far more detail, was issued on December 28, 1949.

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