On February 18, 1947, British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin announced in the House of Commons that the British government saw no prospect of a solution to the problems plaguing Palestine. Subsequently, on April 2, the British delegation to the United Nations requested that the UN Secretary-General convene a special session of the UN General Assembly to be convened as soon as possible to determine the future of Palestine.

The British decision to entrust the issue to the United Nations stemmed from several factors, which should be understood within the context of a post-World War II British Empire in decline. Although Britain had emerged as one of the victors, Britain faced immense economic and human tolls from the war, and increasingly relied on the United States for economic assistance.

Negative publicity arising from Britain's rejection of illegal immigrants compounded the difficulty to secure desperately needed financial aid. Moreover, the ongoing occupation of Palestine presented growing economic and military burdens. Having endured devastating casualties during World War II, the British public was unwilling to bear such hardships in Palestine.

The United Nations convened a special session on April 27, with the first agenda item addressing whether the Jewish Agency should be granted the right to represent the case for the Jewish people. Despite initial objections regarding the lack of precedent for non-governmental organizations to make presentations before the UN, Jewish Agency representatives were permitted to address the United Nations' first committee.

Abba Hillel Silver, Moshe Shertok, and David Ben Gurion represented the Jewish Agency. The primary agenda item was determining the composition of the special committee of inquiry. Following extensive deliberations, it was resolved that the United Nations committee would consist of representatives from eleven smaller states, excluding the five major countries.

Throughout the summer of 1947, the United Nations committee convened numerous hearings and meetings in Palestine to evaluate the region’s conditions. Thirteen public meetings and 18 closed sessions were conducted in Palestine, with 34 witnesses called upon. From Palestine, the committee proceeded to Beirut, where it gathered perspectives from the Arab governments. The final stop for the committee was in Geneva, where subcommittees visited camps for displaced persons and reported that nearly all displaced individuals expressed a desire to relocate to Palestine.

The committee issued two reports: a majority report and a minority report. The majority report, endorsed by representatives from Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Peru, Sweden, and Uruguay, advocated for the establishment of two independent states in Palestine – one Jewish and one Arab. In contrast, the minority plan, backed by India, Iran, and Yugoslavia, proposed the formation of a confederation comprising two subordinate states – one Arab and one Jewish.