Corpus Separatum: The UN Plan for the Internationalisation of Jerusalem

Between 1947 and 1949, the United Nations played a critical role in the Palestine conflict, a role centred on a plan for the internationalisation of Jerusalem. This plan, incorporated into the Partition Plan of 29 November 1947, called for Jerusalem and its environs to be declared a “corpus separatum” with special status. Although the Partition Plan was dropped when war broke out between the Arabs and Israelis in 1948, UN envoys strove to keep the idea of internationalisation alive. Despite their efforts and a second resolution on internationalisation passed by the UN General Assembly in December 1949, an international regime for Jerusalem never materialised. This paper examines the UN vision for internationalisation, plans for its implementation and the reasons behind the failure of the idea.